[RC28]

We are wondering as she is exhibiting a bit of decidedly feral ferocity at 4 months old. We don't know if her elder "sibling", Pixie, puts her up to some of these shenanigans (They do seem to share a lot of secrets....lol.). It all started when Baby began showing a propensity for chewing (note the cherry wood table leg sitting in the plastic bucket in the pic). This morning, she began chomping her way thru the back of a kitchen island cabinet (She only weighs 3 pounds!) and, though it nearly broke my heart, I had to ask her to quit.

We got Baby from a lady selling Chihuahuas out of the back of an SUV (I know....I know.....I know....) and, though she came with authentication papers, I don't think the letters 'A', 'K', or 'C' appeared anywhere on those esteemed documents. We also noted that, while apparently there is no such (official) thing as a deer head Chihuahua, we have been sorely tempted to rename Baby "Bambi" on several different occasions.

Could Baby be a wild dog??

Last night, when I went to give her her goodnight kiss before her late evening snack, she growled at me...................

 

[AussieLass]

Your post had me in fits of giggles at the way you wrote it.

She looks like a Chi to me, albeit a very wicked one

Darn it, all my years I've put up with my furniture being chewed down below by dogs & up above by parrots - who ever would've thought of putting legs in buckets like that, what a fantastic idea. Unfortunately one of my Chi's prefers door frames to anything else, bless him.

As for biting, snapping & snarling - I don't hold with this mamby-pambyview of not disciplining little dogs "because it scares/traumatises them, makes matters worse etc" - I make no allowance for my guys' size (except my Tiny). To me a dog is a damn dog, and will behave as such. Just lucky for mine they'll all perfectly behaved, loving, super eager to please & responsive, except in the area of toileting STILL, grrrrr.

Actually, come to think of it, my little girl went for my 12yo son's face a couple of days after she came - he awoke her from a deep sleep. No allowances .... she got her bottom firmly walloped once accompanied by very loud, strong and angry growling "No! Naughty Girl, grrrrr. No!!!" and put straight in another room. She's never even as much as curled her lip since, and adores everyone, especially me, the walloper/growler. Mind you it doesn't work with every dog and can exacerbate the problem IF they don't see you as Lead of The Pack/Boss Cocky..

 

[briarrose]

She looks like a chi to me. My guys love to eat pencils.

 

[carrieandcricket]

Yes. I agree with Dee. My Cricket is not allowed to growl unless she is playing (she gets that little beaver DH picked up for her) But other than that she isn't allowed to growl. She hears someone at the door she will bark. I open the door, and she stops. Even with my mom's chi she tries to be aggressive, but I tell her no. I don't pet on her or love on her til she shows she can be sweet. As for the chewing, try getting her a bone. Some dogs won't chew if they have a bone.

 

[kimr]

Gracie (who, BTW, looks much like your little monster) was my chew-er. I wish I had the money I paid for all the baskets she tore to shreds. She DID grow out of it.

Diesel is my demon. He growls and snaps at everything. He gets alot of 'spankings' - as much as you can spank a dog that weighs less than 3 lbs. It's more of a tap on the butt with two fingers - it's not a big butt, as you can imagine. He's almost one. I hope he grows out of it. He loves people that he knows, but would like to kill all strangers and larger dogs.

 

[Tiny]

You should buy bully sticks or a bone for the chewing and as for the growling, wen my tiny was a older pup she used to growl wen our faces got too close to hers, i would use my thumb and pointing finger, wrap her muzzle and sternly say no. You have to show no fear and be consistant. After a week tiny didnt growl anymore and instead licked and gave us kisses and we would praise her, now she also give kisses if we ask lol!

 

[lulu'smom]

We bought our full-blooded Maltese out of the back of an SUV in a parking lot because when I asked the breeder on two occasions about coming to her home she said she was not home, headed to town, blah, blah, blah (I know...I know...I know). She also came with CKC papers which I have learned from this forum are not worth the paper they are written on. I said all that to say she is 1 year old looks/acts full-blooded Maltese and is our pride and joy baby-dog. Your chi looks full-blooded to me. She looks precious and her behavior seems to me to be more puppy than feral. As far as chewing, like others have said try to substitute acceptable chews for unacceptable ones. That worked for our dogs--sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't--all you can do is try. I think when you are confident that she is not feral but puppy and are not second guessing how you came about owning her and you show no fear in saying NO and she hears the authority in your voice when she displays these bad behaviors she will stop.

 

[KritterMom]

I am having chewing issues with Daisy. But her bad chew of choice is my sons toy cars, and some other plastic toys.

But I have found if she has a bone she will put all her focus into that and chew the day lights out of it.

Now as a kid we had a dog that chewed off almost all four corners of our ottoment (foot rest.) She even started on the wooden arm rest of our couch. She also had a thing for shoelaces but only when they were on my feet, I was chasing after the school bus so much because of that dog back than.

Sadly Snickers didnt get to stay because she reached over the 15inch height rule where we were living. And with Snickers it didnt matter what we gave her to chew on she was going after our wooden items.

 

[bayoumah]

Hi she sure is cute but stopp the growling and agressiveness now while shes young shell learn its not acceptable

 

[Missygal]

Bailey growls like a monster if I try and move her in bed. I have to keep reminding her it is my bed lol.

 

[Lindsayj]

We didn't have any problems with growling, but we did have biting/chewing problems. Chloe isn't destructive. She usually finds things like socks or paper. She did bite us though usually when we were playing or she wanted attention. She wasn't trying to be mean, but it hurt! We were just very consistent with yelping and then saying no bite. We've seen a HUGE improvement. Every once in awhile she'll nip at us while she's playing, but she does it very softly and it doesn't hurt. Eventually, I think she'll stop bitting all together, but this is much better than it was. Just be consistent.

 

[carrieandcricket]

We didn't have any problems with growling, but we did have biting/chewing problems. Chloe isn't destructive. She usually finds things like socks or paper.

I heard that when you take a sock and make a big knot with it for the dogs to play with or chew on, that they will continue to chew on other socks. Would you know if that's true?

 

[Lindsayj]

I heard that when you take a sock and make a big knot with it for the dogs to play with or chew on, that they will continue to chew on other socks. Would you know if that's true?

I don't know. We have never given her any socks to play with, but it does make sense. It would be hard to distinguish which socks are ok to chew and which ones aren't.

 

[KritterMom]

So far with this I have had luck. Usually its my end of the day smell socks that I knot up and throw around for her. So far shes only stuck to the knot socks and no others. Now my house slippers thats a different story. Shes become attached to them and they go flying everywhere. She'll leave them alone while I'm walking but once I'm sitting shes trying to get them off my feet.

 

[Pixie Luna]

ALL dogs derive from wolves so yeah their all a little wild in a way
They have their instincts as humans have theirs from genetics... Id be a little worried if my dog sat upright at the table and asked for a glass of sherry and a cigar haha

 

[Kalisee]

Wow! Some of you here should write a book of ingenius ideas of how to keep things off limits to the babies...I never in a million years would have thought of a bucket and I am pretty creative too.