# What's wrong with our dog!?



## rmp5s (Jul 31, 2005)

My girlfriend and I have a long hair chihuahua named El Mono. (He's mexican...had to give him a mexican name...it means 'the monkey'.) He's around 7 months old now and he is causing me more than a few problems. 

He is un-housebreak-able. He refuses to poop on the puppy pad. He will from time to time, but it's rare. We tried everything and he won't learn. He knows when he does wrong if you punish him, but if not, he doesn't seem to care. I've pretty much givin up on this. His poop doesn't stain the carpet, so oh well...I guess...what can I do?

He loves to shred stuff. Little pieces of paper, clothes, whatever. The most notable was a job application that I drove ~30 min to pick up that I left SITTING ON THE COFFEE TABLE...get home from dinner and it's ALL OVER the apartment...LITERALLY. What's up with this crap? Never had a dog that did this for this length of time. He's better than he was about this, but he just won't learn.

He won't come when you call him...ever. Even if you try to coax him with a treat, he doesn't care. He'll stand just out of arm's reach and stare at you, running (and usually hiding...see below) if you reach for him. We tried to train him using treats and positive reinforcement, but he doesn't give 2 sh1ts about treats, so this doesn't work well.

The most annoying thing he does is HIDES. He's ALWAYS hiding under the bed and couch. If you bend over to try to pick him up, he'll bolt and go under the bed if the door's open or the couch if it's not. We keep the bedroom door shut cuz we'd rarely see him if we didn't, but we have to leave it open at night cuz we don't have central air and we'd die if we didn't...this, unfortunately, gives him free reign of the apt at night. He isn't skittish or anything...it's like he just does this to make you mad and to be difficult...kinda reminds me of a cat. A great little "benefit" of this hiding under the bed is that we find all KINDS of great stuff under our bed...said shreaded garments of clothing and paper, poop (yes...he LOVES to drag poop under there for some bizarre reason which REALLY grosses me out...), shoes...whatever. Why does he do this and when will/will he stop?!

This seems kinda like puppy behavior, but he's not really a puppy any more, is he?


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## Kari (May 13, 2004)

Well first of all my dog Buster brings poop into his crate. :? I don't know why he does this but he does. He is now potty trained to use the pads but only if my other chi poops or pees on there first. Otherwise I sometimes catch him going on the floor.

And then my other chi Mr. Peepers was tearing stuff up in my house. He tore up the cushions on my couch, the door frame in my bathroom, my daughter's toys.

What I did was block off my kitchen. I put gates up all around it so they can't get out. They have their crate, water bowl (I don't let them free feed, so only water), toys, chewies and pads. They can't climb on anything, they don't chew anything up, besides their own things and if Buster potties on the floor, then it is linoleum.

Can you try something like that? I think you need to set some limits with him. My boys had free run of my house and acted like wild men, so they lost their freedom. :wink:

Is he alone alot?


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## Cooper (Jun 15, 2005)

I enjoyed your post!! It sounds like your pup is having a great time!!  

He's hiding and you're going to him. Any time a dog can make you go to it instead of it going to you, it's getting it's dominance over you. If you want your dominance back, stop going to him when he's hiding. 

You may also want to try a little something they taught us in obedience school - when you feed the dog, make him sit down a bit away and put his food down. When he goes for it, pick it back up, have him sit again and put it back down. Do it until he sits and waits for you to tell him it's okay to eat. Theory behind that - pack leader controls the munchies. You're pack leader, you control them - he doesn't.

Shredding is natural, although my boy didn't do it. I did enroll him in puppy classes early though; you may consider that as well. Try taking him on walks as well - it'll tire him out a bit and maybe he won't have to entertain himself by shredding. Kongs are great, too. Puzzle toys that keep them busy, exercising their minds while keeping the body still. 

See this thread about the red balloon trick ... it worked for me when I was teaching my dog to stop pooping under the bed. Maybe it will work for yours too. Also ... put down two pee pads, one for #1 and one for #2. Dogs don't like to poop where they pee.

http://www.chihuahua-people.com/viewtopic.php?t=11237 The red balloon thing is towards the bottom of page 1.

Good luck!


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## SunnyFLMum (Apr 21, 2005)

Like Kari asked is he alone alot? Dogs can act out when their left alone too much....

I would talk to a trainer to see if they can help you out. Usually your vet would know of one. It seems like the little guys thinks he is the Alpha in the house and that is a big no no. It's obvious that he needs proper training, from a trainer. Some are more expensive than others, I would check it out. He is still 7 months....still a pup for another month...so nip this in the butt like NOW....the longer you wait the more difficult it will be.

Also was he always like that? What age did you get him? I know chihuahuas can be more difficult to train in everything compared to other dogs, but I learned persistence is the key and to not make a deal of things such as leaving the house, or when you come home...etc.

Oh the shredding...my pup loves to shred papers...it's annoying...but I try to replace it with a toy...say no and move on...I don't make a big deal about anything anymore. I find he responds better when I don't yell.

Gizmo doesn't come to us if he is outside int he front not leashed. SO to solve this problem he is leashed at all times if he is outside. I wouldn't want him to think he is his own boss... :wink:


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## chimom (Apr 1, 2005)

Boy, does a lot of that sound familiar. :lol: One thing I learned real early on is absolutely _never_ leave anything within their reach that you don't want them to have/destroy. When they are puppies, if it's within reach it's fair game to them. 

I agree totally with Cooper's mom. He is establishing himself as the alpha in your house, and you need to nip that behavior right way. My chi, Jasmine, is almost 11 months old. I got her at 8 weeks and she used to run from me too. I just started to ignore her when she did that. If I called her and she ran, I just turned and walked away. I made her come to me. If you don't play their game, it's no fun to them. 

You need to stop giving him free rein in your house for the time being, until he is properly housebroken. Either set up an area in your kitchen or bathroom for when you are away from home and at night, or invest in a crate or x pen. You could put the crate in your bedroom at night if you wish, so he doesn't feel completely alone. Set some limits and boundaries and stick to them, the sooner the better.

As for housebreaking, whether you choose to use the puppy pads or take him outside, the key is patience and persistance. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts in this area. When he gets it right, praise, praise, praise him. 

Believe it or not, if you do your part in the training process, it will all be so worth it. Chis are fantastic, loveable, affectionate, intelligent and possess so much personality. 

I would definitely check into some training classes also. Your vet should be able to help you in locating a good trainer.

Good luck, and let us know how things go.

BTW - welcome to the forum.


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## ngtah00 (Jun 20, 2005)

my chi ran under the bed when we were in our hotel in Miami. I nipped that behavior at home by putting stuff under the bed. If you don't want anything under, try some shoe boxes that surround the edges of the bed. That way, she can't get under there to hide from you. This worked really well and now my chi doesn't go under the bed when we call her. 

The trainer also said to call your chi many times a day. Try using a leash and letting some distance on it. Then call and yank the leash. If food isn't good enough, perhaps try hot dogs, cheese, or boiled chicken. Perhaps a toy if food doesn't do it. 

Good luck!


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## flute&chi (Jul 29, 2005)

do you guys have a crate for him? and a playpen? we have both for our 2 month old puppy. she stays in the playpen while we cant watch her or while we are out. inside she has toys, food and water, a wee wee pad, and her open crate. it is safe and she cant have acsess to anything she isn't allowed to play with. she is already wee wee pad trained. every time she started to go anywhere other than the pad we would pick her up and set her on the pad. we would make her stay on the pad until she went. that is the same way we litter trained our ferret, and she allways goes where she is supposed to too. good luck.

p.s. it does take time, and all those gross behaviors are natural to him. when we used to have a shi-zu pup, he would go into the kitchen, over to the litterbox, and carry a piece of kitty "chocolate" back into the living room, and actually EAT it!!!!!


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## rmp5s (Jul 31, 2005)

flute&chi said:


> do you guys have a crate for him? and a playpen? we have both for our 2 month old puppy. she stays in the playpen while we cant watch her or while we are out. inside she has toys, food and water, a wee wee pad, and her open crate. it is safe and she cant have acsess to anything she isn't allowed to play with. she is already wee wee pad trained. every time she started to go anywhere other than the pad we would pick her up and set her on the pad. we would make her stay on the pad until she went. that is the same way we litter trained our ferret, and she allways goes where she is supposed to too. good luck.


I'll start with this post as a base for a response. Yes, our dog (and it's a male...everyone that sees him calls him a her...guess it's cuz he's little but it drives me nuts...) has about 8 trillion toys of varying types (chewies, a Kong, bones of many varying sizes and types, balls...everything you can think of...), an open crate that he's been wilfully venturing into more and more often recently for some reason and some pretty set limits. He knows what he's not supposed to do, but he just doesn't seem to care. I don't chase him when he goes under the bed or the couch. Haven't for a long time. I just leave him cuz it's a royal pain to get him out. I tried blocking the bed so he couldn't get under it but I ran out of guitar cases and I couldn't think of anything else to use...lol. I have a bass case that long, so I blocked the long side of the bed with it and I have a shorter guitar case that I used to block the shorter end of the bed (it's against a wall, so there's only 3 exposed sides...2 long sides and the shorter end), but I didn't have enough to block all 3 sides. Didn't think he'd figure it out and if he did, it'd at least give me a bit of peace...well...took him about 5 seconds to figure it out. I'll try the balloon thing. That's a good idea.

As for the puppy pad training, we had as many as 4 out at one time. Didn't matter. There's one now and I'll go back to 2 and see if I can make that work. Even when he does go to go on it, he usually misses...he walks when he goes MISSING the pad COMPLETELY...and this is when he actually attempts to use it at all.

As for the tearing sheeot up, he is a lot better about this now, but still does it from time to time.

As for the not coming when I call him, I don't even chase him anymore. He's pretty hard to catch, especially when he runs and hides. I'll try the tips given. Thank you.

Thanks for the help, everybody. My girlfriend and I will try them.

Thanks for the warm welcome, too.


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## Cooper (Jun 15, 2005)

I'll give you another little tip on teaching your pup to come to you when you call him.

Cook some chicken and cut it up. Put it in a tupperware thing in the fridge. If he doesn't like chicken, figure out what his "currency" is, to quote Dr. Phil. Let him outside (or somewhere where you can shut the door in his face) to play and walk away from him. Call him - he won't come. Call him again - he won't come. Get the chicken, get his attention, throw out a piece of chicken in his direction and call him. Most likely, he'll go to and eat the chicken and stare at you (or come to you).

Close the door before he gets to you. Wait until he forgets about the chicken and open the door, repeat throwing the chicken in his direction and calling him. Close the door again.

After a few times, most likely he will come to you when you call him. If he does, give him a piece of chicken randomly as he does it so he never knows if you have chicken or not. Eventually, you won't need the chicken anymore.

I did that when Cooper was in training... it's 2 years later now and he still looks for chicken when I call him.


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## rmp5s (Jul 31, 2005)

Cooper said:


> I'll give you another little tip on teaching your pup to come to you when you call him.
> 
> Cook some chicken and cut it up. Put it in a tupperware thing in the fridge. If he doesn't like chicken, figure out what his "currency" is, to quote Dr. Phil. Let him outside (or somewhere where you can shut the door in his face) to play and walk away from him. Call him - he won't come. Call him again - he won't come. Get the chicken, get his attention, throw out a piece of chicken in his direction and call him. Most likely, he'll go to and eat the chicken and stare at you (or come to you).
> 
> ...


Tried something similar to that all to no avail. He really isn't interested in food and treats and all. He likes food when you're eating it sometimes, but other than that, he doesn't really care.


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## Cooper (Jun 15, 2005)

Maybe if you tried toys instead of food. Keep the favorite toy as the reward and toss the not-so-favorites at him to get his attention.

I've never known a chi that didn't like food. Have you introduced him to the McDonalds french fry yet? :lol: 

(yeah yeah, don't anyone get on me about chis and human food ... it was a joke. Kind of. Cooper is an addict.)


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## blksnowbunny (May 24, 2005)

Hi, Tiffany here. :wave: I once had a dog that had similar behavior (not coming when you called him). He would just sit there and look at you funny or walk away like he was saying, "The hell with you, lady." 

SO, to get over that problem I showed him that I was the boss. I started to keep him on a leash in the house and tied the leash to my hip. So wherever I went, HE went. It taught him that I was the pack leader and that he had to stay with me.

It taught him to not roam the house without my permission and he began to listen to my other commands as well....It's also a good technique to have because then you know he's not in the other room crapping on the livingroom floor 

Good luck.


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## Cooper (Jun 15, 2005)

I've never done that to a dog ... but my mother did it to me (not kidding). It didn't work with me; my problem wasn't pooping in the living room though. I had (and have) a tendency to use inappropriate language involving words with four letters. 

I'll never remember that day being tied to my mother. It was terrifying. :shock:


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## Kioana (Mar 1, 2005)

but you know this is the same issue i'm having with jemini. i don't know if you guys read my post but the girl thinks her name is "pretty puppy" but i want her to coem to jemini. but if she runs out side then when i call her so she wont get hurt she won't coem so it's like i have to call her "pretty puppy" when i call her jemini just liek soemone else said she walks away OR this happens like 95% of the time she doesn't even know i'm talking to her! i try to talk to her face and in her ear you so she KNOWS i'm talking to her.



Sorry to the owner of this post just had to ask this right quick


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## ngtah00 (Jun 20, 2005)

Cooper said:


> I've never done that to a dog ... but my mother did it to me (not kidding). It didn't work with me; my problem wasn't pooping in the living room though. I had (and have) a tendency to use inappropriate language involving words with four letters.
> 
> I'll never remember that day being tied to my mother. It was terrifying. :shock:


I think the best thing is common sense. If your chi is not housebroken/litter pan trained, you shouldn't let him/her have full reign of the house. Always keep an eye on him/her. If that means you are busy, then you should crate your chi for those minutes that you can't watch him/her. If you can't bear your chi crying and barking like mine did, I put her in a laundry basket and took her into the kitchin. She sat in the laundry basket, and chewed on her toys and her carrot. That way you can see what they are doing and they won't be pooping somewhere they shouldn't be.


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## ngtah00 (Jun 20, 2005)

Jamoka said:


> but you know this is the same issue i'm having with jemini. i don't know if you guys read my post but the girl thinks her name is "pretty puppy" but i want her to coem to jemini. but if she runs out side then when i call her so she wont get hurt she won't coem so it's like i have to call her "pretty puppy" when i call her jemini just liek soemone else said she walks away OR this happens like 95% of the time she doesn't even know i'm talking to her! i try to talk to her face and in her ear you so she KNOWS i'm talking to her.
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry to the owner of this post just had to ask this right quick


Jamoka, 

I read in one of the obedience books that the "come" command is pretty boring and some dogs don't like to respond. You have found something that works for your puppy, by saying "pretty puppy." The book suggesting making it fun for your dog, so that if something happens (let's say she ran away from you chasing a squirrel) and you need her to come immediately...using something upbeat and fun can get the dog to respond better. I am personally using "Where's my Sammy?" as a come command. Perhaps you can try "Where is my pretty [name of dog]? Just keep practicing that with an upbeat voice. I wouldn't be too worried...soon your chi will catch on and know her name. Just be patient.


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## blksnowbunny (May 24, 2005)

*Cooper's Mommy*

Hi. :wave: Uh, I hope you didn't get the impression that I was dragging this dog around on a leash lol. 

I had the leash pinned to my pocket so that he stayed with me. There was a lot of flack on the leash and would say things to the dog, "Come on, let's go to the kitchen...Let's go watch tv in the bedroom, etc." so that he learned how to follow me around. Luckily he was a sweet hearted dog and didn't have to be dragged from room to room.

After a few days, he caught on and i didnt really have to keep the leash tied to me BUT I would keep it hooked onto him as a way to gradually "ween" him off of me I guess you'd say. I should have been more clear to say that this technique was more or less to teach him to not roam the house without my permission. I still crate trained him BUT this way also taught him how to stick by my side when he was outside the crate. It may not be the ideal way for someone who doesn't want a dog by their heals all the time but if it doesn't bother you....

It worked pretty well with him. Whenever I took baths even, he would sit outside the bathroom door and wait for me to finish. He became very protective of me as well. He was my little man and such a sweetheart.

This isn't some hock-a-may-me trick I made up. I learned it from a dog trainer. . . Now...about your mom trying to train you this way...gosh...was it one of those handcuff thingies people had for their children? And at what age did you stop marking the furniture?  :wink:


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## Cooper (Jun 15, 2005)

LOL... I didn't think you were dragging your dog around. My mother did drag me around though. She tied a rope around my waist and tied the same rope around hers. Then she'd get up and go to the kitchen and I had to follow or else.

I was a bad kid - I liked to cuss (funny, I learned it from her!) and I liked to cause trouble. My mother was a great mom and never laid a hand on us, even though she should have, but when it came to me, she was usually at her wits end. I used the F word one day and I think she snapped - she got the rope, tied us together and any time I said a "bad" word, I couldn't get away from her when she washed my mouth out with soap. Oddly enough, even tied to her, I still cussed. I'm a bit slow.  

I stopped marking the furniture at age 12. Chewing her shoes... I still do that.


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## rmp5s (Jul 31, 2005)

Got some decent ideas form this. The dog's actually chasing a fly around the living room right now...rather amusing. Some people have bird dogs...we call him a "bug dog"...he's ALWAYS chasing, finding and/or playing with beetles and what not.

Just so everyone knows, he doesn't have free reign over the apt. We learned to keep the bedroom door closed to keep him away from stuff and keep him out from under the bed. We learned to keep the bathroom door shut cuz he would ALWAYS poop or pee in there for some reason. We even had a couple puppy pads in there for a while, but he'd either miss or not care about it most of the time. And I ALWAYS keep the door to the second bedroom shut because I have around 2 grand worth of musical equipment in there and if he touched anything in there, it could potentially be exremely damaging to my wallet. I'd be IRATE if he decided to wizz on my thousand dollar (give or take) bass half stack...

Also, he is crate trained, too. We used to put him in there whenever we left, but we stopped doing that because we wanted to use the crate for disciplinary purposes only. Besides, we wanted him to learn not to destroy the apartment...ever...whether we were there or not. We know he's going to do it a few times till he learns. He's much better about this now, but I still find a little something here or there that he got his lips on and tore up.


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## chimom (Apr 1, 2005)

rmp5s said:


> Also, he is crate trained, too. We used to put him in there whenever we left, but we stopped doing that because we wanted to use the crate for disciplinary purposes only. Besides, we wanted him to learn not to destroy the apartment...ever...whether we were there or not. We know he's going to do it a few times till he learns. He's much better about this now, but I still find a little something here or there that he got his lips on and tore up.


 :lol: Oh man, I can relate. For a while there Jazzy's favorite chew toy were the computer cables and the power cord to my sewing machine. She had a real fascination with those cords. :lol: I came to the conclusion that it was much safer and easier on my pocketbook to keep the spare bedroom door closed unless I'm in here.

Sounds as though you are doing the right things - just have to be patient, I guess. Good luck.


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## rmp5s (Jul 31, 2005)

I think we're on the right track, too, but progress is going much slower than I'm used to with dogs. I had a miniature poodle and he learned extremely fast...had a HUGE german shepard and he learned really quickly as well...this dog's just not as fast of a leaner, I guess. He's doing pretty well though when he comes to most things.


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