I say this because he is sometimes a little to aggressive and doesnt think anything of biting me if he has something and I might try to take it from him, or if I might want to move him from a chair he is laying on or for something else. We have NEVER ever had a dog that would bit us. Ever! We would never have tolerated it or even a growl would not have been tolerated. So, I dont know what to do. I actually sometimes just let stay where ever he is to avoid a situation. He just bit me the other day when one of the cats vomited and I was trying to clean it up and he wanted to help. Of course I didnt want him to help, ( he wanted to eat it) so he bit the heck out both my hands. On one hand I had the biggest bruise and the other the biggest open cut. I actually feel hurt that he does this to me. I mean of course, I know he is a dog, but to bit the hand that feeds him! Not good! I dont know how to discipline him. I had heard that Chihuahuas can be nasty, is this what they mean??? Anyone have these problems with their dogs ??
Yes, absolutely, that's what they mean! I would never say that this breed IS inherently nasty. They are just incredibly opportunistic. They are bossy and stubborn and will take advantage of you if you're not firm with your boundaries. They're not Labradors who generally want to bend over backwards to please you! Look into Nothing In Life Is Free, but in my opinion, stay away from things like sound aversion or squirt bottles as they create a stressful environment that prevents learning and makes an aggressive dog even more reactive.
If You're Aggressive, Your Dog Will Be Too, Says Veterinary Study at University of Pennsylvania | Penn News
To start, I'll say that I'm a believer in positive-based training methods so I'm going to describe one method that sets your dog up for success.
"Setting your dog up for success" means that you never give them an opportunity to practice bad behavior. You are providing him with a positive alternative, limiting his option to follow through with the bad behavior, rewarding the heck out of using the positive alternative, and ignoring bad behavior that springs up.
Warnings:
- Use only real, skinless boneless chicken breast as a treat. You can use deli meat. Each treat should be smaller than your fingernail.
- Limit training sessions to 15 minutes at a time. You can have several training sessions a day, however. If your dog seems bored or disinterested, end on a good note and be done for a few hours.
- Be calm. If you are afraid of your dog, he will sense it. This method should also make you feel more in control once you start to see results.
- Take it slow and don't expect instant results. This method will take much longer than dominance-based techniques but it is likely to fix your problem permanently if you follow through and practice it a few times every day.
- If you advance too quickly and he starts to react badly, back up to a point where he wasn't reacting. For example, if he wasn't reacting when your hand was a foot away from his toy, but he starts to react if your hand is six inches away, then back up to the point where your hand is a foot away and start over. Advance more slowly.
- Try to keep training fun! If your dog enjoys training, he will learn faster and retain more of what he learns. He'll also be more likely to listen to you because of the positive relationship you have.
Method: Desensitization and Counter-Conditioning
Is there a situation where you can 100% predict that he will bite you? (For example, does he always try to snap at you if you take away a piece of food or a toy?) If so, recreate this situation by setting him up for a time when he would normally start to bite you. If it's when he's holding a treat or toy, then get something he likes even better and hold on to it. I'll use a specific example so that it's more clear.
Let's say he usually snaps at you if you try to take away his favorite bone. However, he likes eating chicken meat even more than his bone because he rarely gets it. Sit on the floor a few feet away while he is chewing his bone. Toss a chicken treat away from him so that he has to get up and leave his bone to go get it. Then TAKE the bone. Show him that you have it, and hand it back to him. Rinse and repeat until he is familiar with the game.
Next, start to gradually reach your hand towards him before throwing the treat. (Continue throwing the treat away from both of you so that he has to move away to get it.) Start slowly and with your hand very far away at first. Don't move too quickly or make any jerky movements. Reach for him but don't get too close (you don't want to be close enough to trigger a reaction), then throw the treat a few feet away, take the bone, and hand the bone back to him. Do this over and over, gradually letting your hand get closer and linger an extra second longer before tossing the treat. ALWAYS make sure you hand him the bone afterwards and praise him.
The next step is to work up to touching and finally taking the bone while simultaneously shoving treats in his face. He should already be used to your hand approaching his bone, so if you did this right, he shouldn't growl or bare his teeth at you for getting near his bone. Reach for the toy with the same hand you've been using, and when you get close put a treat right in front of his nose with the other hand. While he is distracted with the treat, take the bone away, give him ANOTHER treat to reinforce the act of giving up the bone. Hold on the bone for a second and then give it back to him. Praise him a lot. Rinse and repeat.
Finally, work on taking away the bone, holding it for a second, and then giving him the treat. This is different from the last step because you are giving the treat after you have taken the bone away rather than at the same time. Praise him if he allows you to take the bone calmly, give him his treat, and then give the bone back. Rinse and repeat.
Pretty soon he should start to see you taking his bone away as a positive experience.
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I hope this helps! Let me know if you try either of these and if they work for you.
Here's a short video about counter-conditioning:
