How to Train Your Chihuahua Dog to Get Along With Other Dogs

Hello Erica, It sounds like Silky needs to learn respect with a lot of new structure, working for what she gets, and generally creating new house rules for both dogs to follow. The aggression might be a combination of lack of socialization around other dogs (so the new dog is overwhelming at first) and Silky believing that she runs the house and owns the humans in it (which is why she acts aggressively when the puppy tries to approach people). By building Silky's respect for you, showing her that you are handling situations, and desensitizing her to the puppy by making the puppy's presence pleasant through rewards, and rewarding general tolerance of the puppy, you can likely improve her behavior. The training will take work though and without being there in person to evaluate I cannot guarantee how much she will improve. Many dogs improve dramatically around a new puppy when given rules, taught boundaries, desensitized to the new dog, and given time to adapt. If the aggression is severe enough that she is likely to draw blood, I highly suggest you hire a professional trainer to help you in person and to evaluate the two dogs right now before a potential fight occurs. If the threats are simply loud but very controlled, that is likely less dangerous and fairly common with the arrival of a new dog. Check out the article that I have linked below and follow the "Working" method and the "Consistency" method with Silky. Both dogs can benefit from the training if you have time to do it with both dogs. Focus on Silky the most though. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-doberman-to-listen-to-you Also, create household rules for both dogs and be the one to enforce the rules for both dogs, so that neither dog has to enforce anything for the other dog. Some good rules include: "No dog is allowed to act possessive of people or things (If they do, they have to leave the room). "No dog is allowed to block a dog from going through a doorway or getting to an area". "No dog is allowed to be pushy for attention (nudging hands, barking, or jumping onto laps without being invited first. Instead have the dog do something like "Sit" first and make the dog leave if they do not listen and are still pushy). "No dog is allowed to take another dog's toy (If they do, take the toy from the thief, return it to the dog it was stolen from, and make the offender leave the area). "No dog is allowed to hover around or steal another dogs' food (I suggest feeding both dogs in separate crates to prevent any potential food aggression from starting, then both dogs can eat and feel relaxed about their food - eating in a crate is good for almost any dog). "No dog is allowed to act aggressively toward another dog" (Make the offender leave and stay out of the room). "No dog is allowed to beg for people food" (competing for food near one another is asking for trouble right now). "No dog is allowed to bother another dog when they want to be left alone" (Keep the puppy from bothering your other dog so that your older dog can relax, until the puppy learns to be more polite about it, and reward Silky for being tolerant when the puppy is calmly trying to say hi or generally near silky and Silky is nice). "Both dogs have to get off furniture when told 'Off'." - teach both dogs what this command means. If either dog is guarding the furniture or refuses to get off, they are not allowed on the furniture until their attitude changes. When the puppy enters the room and Silky stays calm, reward Silky with a treat or toy. When the puppy gets near Silky and Silky stays calm, also reward Silky with a treat. Stop giving treats when the puppy leaves. You want to associate the puppy's presence with treats and for the treats to stop when the puppy leaves, so that Silky will want her to stay. This will help desensitize her to the puppy's presence. If you feel like you need more help, I suggest finding a trainer who uses both positive reinforcement and fair corrections who will do the training above, including the rewards for tolerating the puppy and helping you implement more rules and structure for Silky. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Gisela, There are a couple of things you can do. The first is to work on respect with your older Chihuahua. Most dogs are tolerant of puppies until the puppy gets old enough to be a threat to their dominant status. Which is why your older dog is probably starting to have more issues with the puppy, the puppy is getting older. When a younger dog becomes threatening to an older dog then there will often be fights to establish who is in charge. To prevent the fights your dog needs to view you as the one in charge, to respect you more, and to have you make all of the rules for both dogs, so that your older dog does not have to decide who is in charge and making the rules. To teach respect have both dogs follow at least one of the methods from this article bellow: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-doberman-to-listen-to-you That article talks about Dobermans, but the training will work for your Chihuahua also. As far as being the one to create the rules, decide rules for both dogs and do not let your older or younger dog be the one to decide what the other dog is allowed to do. You make the rules and you enforce the rules, not your dog. The rules might include: "No taking another dog's bone", "No being possessive of people, toys, or food", "No trying to get between the other dog and a person when the person is petting the other", "No fighting the other dog" (Instead you be the one to deal with the other dog when he is causing issues, so the bothered dog does not have to fight), and "No bothering another dog when he does not want to be bothered". When one dog is breaking a rule then make him leave the room and remove whatever that dog wants, such as your attention or treats being given out. Do this for both dogs to make it fair, but make sure your older dog is not getting away with breaking rules because in this situation he is causing most of the problem. Do protect your older dog's space though, and do not let your young dog bother him when he wants to be left alone. Instead distract your young dog with something like a toy or place him into a crate or exercise pen with a fun toy to give him a break if he is too wound up. Also, use your older dog's dog food, or treats, to reward your older dog whenever the younger dog is around, or the young dog is receiving treats, toys, or affection, or when your older dog is generally being nice toward and tolerant of your younger dog. You want your older dog to begin to want your younger dog around, because when the younger dog is around your older dog gets treats. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden