New to Chi

[hainlam]

Hi!

We just got our first chi. Actually, we have had her a few months now, but we are new to chi's.

Our little cutie's a tri-color short hair named Cricket. She is about 5 months now. And I have a few questions..

#1- are chi's always this difficult to potty train?? Cricket seems to have good days and bad days, but there is an accident every day. And I take her out plenty!! When she goes out she usually pees, then poops, then pees again. When she is thru, I bring her in.. and sometimes, not 5 minutes later, she has had an accident on the floor.. mostly poo. I don't know what to do, but it is driving my dear hubby nuts.. and ruining our brand new carpet.

#2- are chi's always terrified of leashes? It took about 2 weeks for our chi to get used to wearing her collar. The leash, however, is a totally different story. Not only does she look absolutely miserable and pathetic, but she refuses to move.. and even the slightest nudge leads to her screaming holy terror (as if someone shut her in a door or stepped on her).

and lastly...
#3- are all chi's timid around people? Ours was fine until a few weeks ago. We took her out to my grandparents house, and she was afraid of everyone. She wouldn't let anyone hold her or pet her.. she even bit my aunt (and then peed on her).. is this something she will outgrow?

[Amaze]

Welcome to the boards! Hehehe, it seems like you have experienced some of the not-so-great things about chihuahuas that we all know and love, lol!!! I have two chihuahuas-a fawn sc (smooth coat) who answers to the name "Heuser" (like Anheuser-Busch) and has the registered name of "CH DNK's Pocketful of Gold," (He's my first champion and I couldn't resist a little brag, lol!!!) and a white with black spots lc (long coat) bitch whose name is "Tally" or "Show Me's Up Close-N-Personal" (she's half-way there to becoming a CH.) Welcome, welcome to the boards!!!

First of all, yes, chihuahuas are one of the hardest breeds to house-break. The most productive way to do so is by crate training and there are several people here who have done so and can probably recommend a few good books on the subject. Otherwise, have you tried puppy-pads or newspapers? You can also try confining her to one safe area of the house like the kitchen while you are not home or able to watch her.

Second, not all chihuahuas are terrified of their leashes, but I actually DO have one that is (Heuser) and reacts VERY similarly to the way Cricket does. The bad news is that he is almost 3 years old and will NEVER wear a "regular" collar and leash; the good news is that you have other options. Harnesses are actually better for tiny dogs to wear due to their delicate necks and tracheas and Heuser will wear one as long as it is attached to a flexi leash that does not allow the connecting snap to touch his back (that is what we figured out he is terrified of). Also, many toy dog show leads are simply soft string (some with a woven, wider neckpiece) that slip over their heads and tighten, eliminating the need for a leash/snap/whatever that causes the freak out. They are also pretty cheap ($5-$10) so you can get one in every color!

Lastly, it sounds like Cricket is acting clannish (very common in chihuahuas) and is the correct age (5-8 months) for major socialization. Although you may not be able to rid her of all her negative reactions, the more places you take her and the more people she is positively exposed to, the better. Upon arrival in a new place, the best way to show her that there is nothing to be upset about is to put her on the ground (assuming its safe of course) and then gently reassure her without babying her or fussing over her. If/when you do hand her off to someone else to handle/hold, LEAVE her with them for 10-15 minutes or until she calms down and visibly relaxes and although its hard, DON'T acknowledge her while she is with that person-even to look at her. If you "worry over" her or stand waiting to snatch her back at a split-second, dogs are very good at reading body language and so associates your uneasiness to the situation without realizing that it is simply because you want your baby back in your arms. Find a friend whom you trust to take her once a week or bi-monthly for the day so that she realizes that there are other people out there to like other than "her" pack of you and your husband.

Hope this helps!
Good Luck!
Lys

[Romans Mom]

Welcome to Club Chihuahua Hainlam. I hope you can post a few pics of Cricket. I'll bet she's a doll. For the potty training, I used the crate-training method, posted here in the training section. persistance and not ever becomming slack is the key. http://www.clubchihuahua.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4

Give her more time-5 months in still young, and it's never too late to start over completly. It will just take a wile longer because you'll have to frist break the old habits. I let Roman go both indoors on a potty pad and outdoors. I feel this may have slowed down his house training a bit. So with Elle, 7 months old now, she still only goes indoors and does great. I use two potty pads next to each other in two to three different places in the house. They don't want to go far, and running to a bedroom might just be too far at times while we're in the livingroom. It works great.

For the leash, I let my Roman drag it around the house for short periods of supervised time so he could see it wasn't going to hurt him (Don't allow them to get caught on furniture during this training time.) Soon, Cricket will get the feeling of the leash. Then if you are having problems while out for a walk, carry her away from the house and let her walk back. I use a harness for both of my Chi. Roman's neck is sensitive and coughswith a collar. Elle does fine, but still, I only use collars for fashion. Carry some treats along on the short walks and she'll be prancing at your side in no time. Elle acted like she was born on a leash. LOL

I know for my Chis, they have to meet the person quietly first, let them see the people without being touched until they want to, then warm up on their own time. Roman is two and still has to meet people his way.

http://pages.prodigy.net/indianahawkeye/newpage12/17.gif

[Hercules Momma]

Welcome Hainlam and Cricket! :wave:

My name is Renata. I have two short haired chi's.. Hercules is a chocolate male, 18 months old. Hummer is a blue/fawn male, 7 months old.
Hercules uses a litter box and does very well going out to the porch to do his business. He occasionally has an accident or gets lazy and pees on the kitchen floor. Hummer has been impossible to get trained. He will use the pee pads, but not all the time. Sometimes he's really good and goes right towards them, other times he'll ignore them for days and go everywhere else! ARGH.. I agree that training chi's ( this is the only dogs I've ever had) is difficult. There has been many times I wished they were cats. Cats only seem to take a day and then that's it!

I use a harness on both my dogs. I agree with Barb, let them drag the harness around the house some to get used to it. My babies only wear their harnesses when we go somewhere. Hummer used to wear a little decorative collar , but he's outgrown it.

Hummer is very socialble to anyone. He readily runs to and wags his tail with everyone. Hercules is a little more causious, he barks at most men, but he prefers for someone to put their hand out for him to sniff. If they don't he's been known to snap or snarl occasionally at a stranger that just reaches for him. Or if I let someone hold him, he'll just look at me with eyes that scream
" please take me back!"

Please post some pics of Cricket for us to see! Welcome once again to Club Chi!! :flower:

[Romans Mom]

How is Crickett coming along with the potty training, use of a leash, and the timidness? Please let us know if you have any questions...Myself and others here have been through it and know how it can be. http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0304/mini/small-smiley-018.gif