my dog is too aggresive towards strangers :(

my dog was trained to bark at men when they come into the house. its a good idea incase someone was to break in but its very annoying and its hard to have my house as a peaceful environment when he is growling, barking and freaking out. and i have no clue how to train animals. any advice??

 

what kind of dog and how old?

 

He is a long haired chuaiwa(bad spelling haha) but I'm not sure how old. Do you have to train them at a young age?

 

chihuahua are assholes IME. Old dogs CAN learn new tricks.

Its hard to have a dog do it's job but expect it to know when you don't want it to do so. Basically the dog, (if it was actually trained to bark at strangers) is doing what it thinks it should do. So if you want a "guard dog" it takes considerable time for the dog to associate certain people as either welcome guests or intruders.

The best thing to do is when you know your having someone over put the dog in your room or something. He will bark in there but atleast he won't try to attack your company. Then get your guest settled and bring the dog out, best to hold him so he can't make direct eye contact with your guest. Then sit down on the couch with your friend and control the dog, make him realize you are ok with this person being in the house. DO NOT allow your guest to extend a hand towards the dog or anything similar, just ask them to pretend as though the dog isn't there. What your hoping for here is for the dog to calm down and realize this guest doesn't pose a threat, maybe give you guest some dog treats and have them place some a considerable distance from the dog and themselves. Then he will associate the guest with yummy treats.

Its not easy and should probably be done with someone who is willing to help you and knows the situation they will be in. Like a good friend whom the dog doesn't know well.

Feel free to ask questions, I have dealt with this situation before.

Is the dog aggressive towards you, do you think he will bite you in the above situation?

 

One quick fix solution that doesn't require "dominance training" would be to equip your guests with your pup's favorite snack before entering. Make sure they do not attempt to hand feed the dog at first, but let them drop the snack in front of the dog. The animal equates that guest to being a food-bringer and will hopefully stop the aggressive act.

Of course, this will only work for that individual guest. The dog will not think that all people who enter the house are friendly, just the ones that you give the food to. But if you really want a guard dog, I wouldn't suggest this method just in case the dog DOES think that all guests are friendly.

 

oops

 

Soul - I didn't realize that you had mentioned something about treats in your message! Sorry for being repetitive!

 

Your dog needs to be socialized. It will take time to do and a lot of patience. You will also have to be cautious starting out as you need to socialize this pet but you also need to make sure they can not bite someone.

Start even with a lead and take them out on walk around where people are so that they do not do territory, like in the house.

As the dog gains social skills then introduce more interaction with people, still outside of the house so that instinct to protect it is not there.

Be patient as the dog will take time to learn this.

 

dog needs bit on the ear.. and told to stop!! ...if it wimpers it will be fine, protect yourself some so it dont snip at you, but control your demand by biting its ear- just a little and look at it and tell it "NO!!!"

 

its cool...

 

i tried it. haha. the treat thing works really well. my friend fed my dog some hamburger helper ^_^

 

Tell me about it, my West Highland Terrier goes nuts over everything, wish i knew how to help.

 

Your dog takes it's cue on how to act from you.

The dog needs to know that you are in charge of the situation and in lead.

Otherwise, the dog will try to take that position. In small dogs it comes out very visciously because they are not suited to that role, so when forced into it, lash out in fear.

 

Late reply, but my dog kind of does the same thing, but to all sexes. You have to remember your breed's particular inclinations and history. Chihuahuas are generally not very good with strangers, they are a one person dog. They like to bark a lot as well, and thus make good alert dogs. So it's natural your dog is doing this. While all dogs are individuals, that is commonly seen in the breed. I own an English Mastiff and his breed history lends him to be protective as well. The thing I do when inviting a stranger into my house, is when they start barking because someones at the door. In a firm but gentle voice tell the dog to go lay down, whether that's on his dog bed or just on the floor. Do not allow the dog to be near the door or in front of you. And then open the door and let the person in, if the dog continues barking be firm and gentle and tell the dog enough, using whatever command you use for this purpose. Be patient and calm. Usually if you continue that and the dog sees you being friendly with the person they will calm down. After they have calmed down a bit it is a good idea for the new person to give the dog a treat, or just be affectionate with it. Let the dog smell the new person and familiarize themselves with their scent. Works for my dog every time. Sometimes you need to be firm with a dog, especially one that is very assertive. I find voice intonation to work very well. Dog training classes aren't a must especially if you have previous dog handling experience which has been successful, but if you don't then I would suggest it. Everyone goes about their own unique method to it. The thing I've always learned and practiced that is universal is patience, firmness and assertiveness, and kindness. With those qualities you can't go wrong. Good luck!

 

So let me get this right you had it trained to bark and be on attack mode and now your bitching because he is doing what he was trained to do? so you are asking how to untrain him?

 

I have a chihuaha that loves everyone. You can't ever encourage a chi to be aggressive and barking should be discouraged from day one. It will attack if it has to, chi's are nutty like that but it will not ward off a serious attacker so there is no reason to make it think it needs to. Dachsunds are another breed that you just can not encourage protective or agressive behavior because they go nuts on strangers.

The treat thing is the best idea and you need to firmly correct your dog when it barks at strangers. Don't let it bark at anyone without verbal reprimand. It's a tough thing to undo with chis but over time it will learn, they are really smart dogs. Good luck.

 

whenever the little guy starts barking spray him with water