Annoyed

[Kathy29]

I have a 4 year old Chihuahua who, for the most part, is an angel. Something that really bugs me is her tendency to bark and harrass ANY dog that enters our home, whether it be a Min Pin or a Rottweiler. Getting her to be quiet is a really tough task to do and sadly, I have never been successful at doing so.

When she meets dogs outside of our house, she is fine and even ignores them. However, as soon as they enter her "territory," she goes into yappy dog mode and I am getting more and more irritated. I will be adding a new Chi to my home in 2 months and don't want the headache of non-stop barking for days on end. Also, that will be when we have moved into an apartment and I'm sure any yappy barking on her part would get us tons of complaints.

Can anyone help me with this? She barks so fast and so loud, it's hard to get any commands in between her voice, even if I'm yelling. I've tried the spray bottle technique - I have reason to believe she actually ENJOYS the refreshing water. I have also tried ignoring her but to no avail, simply because she will keep doing it.

Thanks in advance.

[Tuff Rotty]

our maltese shi tzus do the same thing.

I just yell out their name in a really deep voice and they usually stop..

or clap my hands really loud

[Zoom]

It sounds to me that she is very territorial and is letting those strange dogs know that they aren't welcome in no uncertain terms. You can try having her meet the dogs outside first and then letting her lead/precede them into the house as if she's inviting them in. Or you can put her in her crate (assuming you have one) that's in another room if she doesn't respond to your commands.

As to adding a new dog to your family, you need to make sure that you introduce your current dog to your new dog before hand, and on neutral territory, like a McDonald's parking lot or something similar. If at all possible, try and have your dog meet the new dog more than once.

[Kanga]

Hi, I find speaking in a soft voice works as Scrappy has to stop barking to hear what I am saying. Also a fine needle spray from the squirt bottle on the rear is how I distract Scrappy.....Now all I have to say is "squirt" and he instantly stops whatever he is doing..... We are adding to our furfamily by the end of the year so we are doing the NILF (nothing in life is free program) to make sure Scrappy is easy to live with so that we will only need to educate his sister....
Goodluck

[Kathy29]

Thanks for the responses everyone :)

The thing I'm confused with is this - if she first meets a dog inside the house, she will continue to show dislike to them even outside on neutral territory. And even if she's fine with meeting them first on neutral territory, as soon as they're both in the house, she goes crazy. She likes to run right up to the other dog's face and bark there, although showing no signs of aggression.

It's as if she can't stand that her owner has come in contact with another doggy and so will hate that dog forever.

[RedyreRottweilers]

The "terrier temperament" is one of the hallmarks of the Chihuahua. BIG attitude in that tiny package.

This sort of behavior is much more easily handled in it's beginning stages before it has become an ingrained behavior.

If it were my little dog, I would try distracting her with more POSITIVE and harder to ignore things.

Like a good smear of cheez whiz or peanut butter on the roof of her mouth, along with praise for quiet while she's distracted and eating it.

Some behaviors can be annoying, but rather than getting testy and annoyed with the dog (counter productive and negative) try outthinking her.

:D

[Zoom]

She's trying to make it as clear as possible that she does not like or feel like tolerating dogs on her territory. I would honestly find a good trainer to help you help her through this before you bring home another dog. You never know what could happen...she could possibly end up attacking the new one when it doesn't leave after a few hours like all the rest. And some dogs are just one dog household types.

[Ash47]

As Red said (hey that rhymes!), Chis are notorious for being terrier like. I have one and she is very territorial. She has a mind of her own. With lots and lots of patience, Chis are excellent dogs. It takes awhile, but you can "mold manners" into them. They love their owner and want to please you, but their needs/wants come first. Red's suggestion of turning your dog's attention to something more positive is true. Chi's are very food driven dogs. It almost always works with mine.
I would definetely work hard on this before bringing Chi #2 into the home. Just know Chi #1 may not like it at first.