Growled

[emc]

I've had trouble socializing my chihuahua since I got her at 8 weeks of age. She barks at anyone who comes to the house, she will settle down once people are seated but if they make a sudden move or get up she starts barking again. Recently some folks were over and she sat down quietly by one person. The person put out her hand to pet her and she started to growl, it wasn't a big growl, more of a grumble, but nevertheless she did growl. Should I be concerned? How should I handle such a situation, should I scold my dog, tap her on the nose with a firm "no", remove her or what?

She isn't a mean or dominant dog but I know if she felt trapped with no way out she would bite. As a puppy she was very shy and would scream in terror if someone approached her. The only thing socializing has done is get her used to people she sees on a regular basis, and she is quite friendly and affectionate once she feels comfortable around someone. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
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[Canis-Lupess]

Don't punish her in any way because this will just reinforce her belief that visitors are bad news and you'll just make her even more aggressive towards them. She'll think it is their presence that causes her punishment, not her behaviour towards them.

The best thing would be to try and teach her that visitors bring nice things. Cut out some of her food on days when you know visitors are coming and save it for when they arrive and let them feed her some. Let them toss a toy for her over the room or something. If she gets fed more than once a day and a visitor turns up unexpected, give them some treats to feed her and then just cut a bit off her evening meal so she isn't overfed. Once she realises that visitors are a prelude to something pleasant, she'll start to look forward to them rather than driving them off. Maybe have them reward her when they first arrive and then again before they leave so that she learns the whole visit is good rather than just the initial arrival.
If she growls when they try to touch her, this is a warning which means she'd rather not bite them. All they have to do is take heed of the warning and not touch her and she'll not bite them. If you let people know this, I doubt she'll resort to biting them anyway.

Maybe you can find a volunteer who visits on purpose to help you teach the dog that visitors bring good things.

It's normal for dogs to be territorial and to try and guard property from strangers. In the end she should know that defending your den should be your job because you are supposed to be in charge so be sure that she knows that you are in charge.

Hope this helps. I'm sure other people will have other ideas also.

[emc]

She won't take food from people she's afraid of, I have been rewarding her with food whenever she shuts up on command while people are here since I got her at 8 weeks of age (she's now a year and a half) and she just can't seem to figure out that people are okay. The thing I found that works best is giving her a kong toy stuffed with food when I know there will be people here she doesn't know. It keeps her distracted and quiet, but what I would really like is for her to be accepting of people and nothing seems to be working.

[SunsetRose]

First of all, you should know that there are right and wrong ways to approach a dog.

The way most people approach a dog is incorrect. People approach a dog with high pitched "HI DOGGIE!!!!", with their hands reached out to immediatly touch and pet the dog. Although dogs that are outgoing, confident and comfortable around people can handle this kind of approach no problem, dogs that are shy, timid and/or afraid of humans will feel threatened.

Dogs are creatures of scent. It is important for a shy dog to smell you first, before you touch him or talk to him or even look at him.

When you want to introduce your chi to strangers, have your guest volunteers pay no attention to the dog whatsoever. Just go sit down on a couch that the dog is allowed on or even better, on the floor and engage in confersation. Now you should have your guests hold treats to give to her, but this comes later. A dog will not take food under stress. Dogs are naturally curious and if your volunteer is not paying attention to your dog, she won't feel threatened and she'll be more willing to appraoch. When she approaches, make sure that you and your volunteer say and do absolutely nothing....let her sniff. As she starts to get comfortable, your guest can offer her a treat still without looking at her, talking to her or touching her and trying to avoid making sudden movements. Eventually your guest can begin to glance at the dog and then start to scratch the dog on the head or pet it and finally, talk to it.

As long as you make sure that every person that comes into your house follows those rules, then your chi will eventually learn that strangers are not threatening and have yummy treats. Gradually the amount of time it takes for her to finally approach somebody will decrease and she'll have no problem walking up to somebody and the process will be alot faster.

[Glacier]

I think you've already got some good advice, but I wanted to add that IMO the growl was actually a good thing. I'd much rather deal with a dog that growls and warns that she's unhappy than one who bites without warning. Pay attention to her warnings. She has bite inhibition...that's a very good thing.

[wanda]

I have to tell you about our two chihuahuas who become very excited when anyone comes to visit. If they know the person they are very affectionate and quiet. However, if a stranger (to them) appears, they go totally bats! I suppose they are defending the house or are scared. Anyway, I pick them up and firmly place them outside. Later, after they've calmed down I let them back into the house and tell the new person to just ignore them. Sure enough, they approach and look and if they are ignored they will become well-mannered again and the stranger becomes another friend.

[Elf Shadow]

my chihuahua always barks at people that come to the door(but never aggressively,more excited),whether they r strangers or not.she usually settles down after awhile or she may need to be left outside untill she calms down.
i agree that dogs may feel intimidated when theyre around new people.strangers should be quiet and friendly untill the dog feels comfortable with them around.

[sweet72947]

Don't tell your dog "no" for growling. Growling is good, it is a warning. If you correct your dog for growling, you might teach your dog to skip the growl and go right for the bite.

Work with your dog on her basic training (sit, down, stay, etc.). My lab is like your chi. She might be fine while people are sitting, but when they move she barks. This means she is feeling threatened by them. It'll take time, but if you do what the others said about giving your chi treats when people come over (when she is obeying you and acting calm, otherwise she'll think is GOOD to go bats when people come over) she'll learn to behave. I'm currently working on this with my lab and she is getting a little better all the time.