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2 Posts
Hello everyone,
My girlfriend recently bought a 5 year old long haired Chihuahua name Cookie. He is a retired show dog, who came from a breeder. He lived with at least 6 dogs, and his handler was a man. We are having difficulty getting Cookie socialized with his new family.
Cookie has been with my girlfriend for 3 months now. They have bonded very well together, but he is not taking kindly to me or other people. He will not let me near him and I can pet him only when she is holding him, but even then he acts very scared and nervous. I can give him treats when she is near, but he will run away from me as soon as he grabs one. With other friends/ family, he will not get close, only when being held by his 'mom', and he has no choice. The only exception would be my girlfriend's mom, who she lives with. She also dog sat Cookie for a week during the first few days my girlfriend had the dog.
The only thing I can think of that is different in his new environment (besides new owner/surroundings) is that he is being picked up a lot more and given a lot more attention. He is also sleeping on the bed at night with us, which I've heard isn't necessarily good. Is that true?
Can I give you anymore information about our situation?
Thanks so much for reading. I really hope we can help Cookie feel more adjusted. He is a great dog who needs to come out of his shell.
Kristian,
PS - I read a very similar thread here. http://www.chihuahua-people.com/chihuahua-questions/38451-socializing-three-year-old.html
My girlfriend recently bought a 5 year old long haired Chihuahua name Cookie. He is a retired show dog, who came from a breeder. He lived with at least 6 dogs, and his handler was a man. We are having difficulty getting Cookie socialized with his new family.
Cookie has been with my girlfriend for 3 months now. They have bonded very well together, but he is not taking kindly to me or other people. He will not let me near him and I can pet him only when she is holding him, but even then he acts very scared and nervous. I can give him treats when she is near, but he will run away from me as soon as he grabs one. With other friends/ family, he will not get close, only when being held by his 'mom', and he has no choice. The only exception would be my girlfriend's mom, who she lives with. She also dog sat Cookie for a week during the first few days my girlfriend had the dog.
The only thing I can think of that is different in his new environment (besides new owner/surroundings) is that he is being picked up a lot more and given a lot more attention. He is also sleeping on the bed at night with us, which I've heard isn't necessarily good. Is that true?
Can I give you anymore information about our situation?
Thanks so much for reading. I really hope we can help Cookie feel more adjusted. He is a great dog who needs to come out of his shell.
Kristian,
PS - I read a very similar thread here. http://www.chihuahua-people.com/chihuahua-questions/38451-socializing-three-year-old.html