Visiting dog doesn't like my dog

[puppylove81]

Hi! New here, but I really need some help.

I'm currently watching 2 chihuahuas while my co-worker is out of town till the 28th. They are both brother and sister and the same age as my chihuahua boy (about a year), so we figured they would be good playmates, especially since the boy is supposed to be very playful.

These dogs are both fixed, and mine is not yet. The breeder I got him from wanted to keep him in her breeding line, so he's not going to be fixed for a while. My dog is very playful, and just loves everyone and every dog his size and smaller. He has gotten along with the girl very good and they play alot.

The other little boy just will not even look at my dog, let alone go anywhere near him. MY dog likes to go out to play alot, but when I let him back in, the other little boy just runs to his crate or if it's closed, to any corner he can find. I can't even get him to go outside to play with his sister and him. I should note that it took 4 days before she would even play with my dog, and he still acted like this at that time too. All he seems to want to do is find a lap to hide in, a corner to hide in or his crate to hide in. He literally goes into his crate and shakes.

My dog has never attacked him or come anything to close to that, so I don't know why he is so withdrawn from any activity when my dog is in the house. We have never even left them alone together. We have laid my dog down, even on his back and tried to let the other boy assert some dominance over him, but he just scrambles to get away no matter what. We've even tried holding my dog and letting the other one come up and sniff him. Nope, he just wanted to get away even more. It's getting so bad that he almost won't come out to go to the bathroom on his pad. Supposedly they have never been attacked by another dog, so I don't know what to think!

I don't know why this dog is so scared of my dog, because shouldn't dogs, especially puppies, want to naturally play with other dogs? Is there anything I can do?? My poor dog looks at me with a confused look on his face about all of this. He doesn't get it either.

[crow_noir]

Wow. Poor guy.

The only thing i can think that it would be is that either it is the way the other one was bred or your intact male's hormones are sending one strong message of dominance.

I really don't know if there is anything you can do for the little guy.

Maybe:
If you can contact the owners see if it would be OK to buy some calming essences for the boy. [You can either apply them to the tummy or in their water (depending on the variety though) Lavender is the popular one.]

[Seravieve]

We had issues when we got Eli and he was still intact.. and Zeke was fixed. They are both males and I guess it was a competing dominance thing. Zeke went after Eli a couple times within the first couple weeks he'd been with us.

We have no breeding desires, so we had Eli fixed and that seems to have solved most of Zeke's issues with him. I know this isnt an option for you though... It also takes some time for dogs to get used to each other, especially since new dogs have been brought into your dog's home..

Id just watch them and make sure nothing happens.. They'll adjust soon I would imagine.

[catnapper]

The first thing I'd be wanting to ask the owner is if he's like this all the time with strangers. Was he like this when your puppy wasn't around?

He could be missing his mom very much and scared of his temporary environment. How much was he socialized to deal with strange places? Most people have no clue just how important socialization is. Chis need it as much as any other dog, and I never get any Chis in class because their owners think they are small enough to control, unlike big dogs who can't simply be picked up and carried away.Very damaging thinking process - many Chis end up in shelters because of this idea.

[Canis-Lupess]

I wouldn't try to coax him to get to know your dog. This will only have the opposite effect. Also, trying to lower your dog down so he can get some dominance, thats a really bad idea also and could cause your dog to become aggressive in an attempt to protect his status....and, as you've found out, it was too much for the other dog to handle.

I would just act normal and, as much as it pains you to see the other dog hiding out of the way, he's doing what is normal for him. He's bascially showing respect to your dog by keeping out of the way. If you don't interfere anymore, he'll probably start to gradually come out of his shell and improve in his confidence but your attempts to coax him will have stunted this so far.
You dog will know full well why he is acting in that manner because he is a dog so he isn't looking at you all confused. He's probably trying to figure out why you're all confused about it.
The more time the two dogs spend in each others company, the quicker he'll get used to your dog.