Big Paws Only Dog Forums

You have a very beautiful pack, Paige.

Thank you for sharing the pics.

Very beautiful pups you have there. I'm going to have to concur with the crowd, that last pic is too awesome.

Happy Birthday Patrick!!! Hope your day is great!

First of all, CONGRATULATION S! I just love babies.

I was just thinking...Duk e gets that way when the kids leave. My husband and I have 5 between us (ages 14-8) and we both share custody, so the kids are always coming and going. When the nest is empty, Duke gets depressed & anxious. He refuses to eat for a couple of days, paces and whines at the bottom of the stairs, sleeps alot, is naughty, and sometimes creates hot spots. What we do is put a towel/shirt/toy or something (that we don't mind being chewed) that has the kids' scent on it, in a pillow case and put it in his kennel. Duke does seem to recover quicker that way.

Hope this is helpful. Big hugs to your Chihuahua.

RIP little guy.
Big hugs to you Kathryn.

JC

It may be that he did not get enough socialization, and efforts there may help. But a dog should never be offered the chance to "practice" their bad behavior. For example, if he is lunging and growling at dogs, he shouldn't be taken out around other dogs and put within the threshold to do this - even in a muzzle....it is a reinforcing behavior so every time he does it and processes it in his brain, it gets further solidified.

For your own peace of mind, we NEVER put Duke in intentional social settings (i.e. dog parks or beaches). We only take him on walks through the neighborhood. Even then, we take great pains to avoid (i.e. crossing the street) an encounter.

The muzzle is NEVER utilized as a training tool either. It is for safety reasons only! We use the muzzle to prevent a biting, law suit, and euthanization, because owners in our neighborhood do not respect the local leash laws.

My questions stems from my desire to eventually obtain another dog or two (and possibly foster), none of which will happen until Duke's behavior has been corrected.

I do appreciate the starting off point (i.e CPDT trainer and books). Thank you for that.

Neutered.