Serious chihuahua help

please everyone please help me i posted a thread titled newly adopted chi please help and im not getting any replies really and i need help im getting very very sad.
i dont know what to do with my 1 year old pup and i really need advice can you please help me.

if you can please read my thread and help me figure out what to do i would really like that!

thanks in advanced

this is what i said.................

hi i just adopted a year old chihuahua and she wont let me touch her i dont know what to do.

when i do she jumps in the air like a rabbit scratches me tries to bite me and screams like im killing her!

im really sad with this its been 2 weeks and i dont know what to do her previous owner died and thats why she was adopted out.

she also wont walk on a leash i dont know what to do.
she won't come when called it's like she doesn't even know her name either.

its really wierd :s

anyone have any ideas?............................

i just wanted to ad she seems alot better when other people go to her like my kids and my other friend its just me she seems really skittish with!!

someone please help me im really desperate.................................



i have tried to give her treats and food she wont come near me for ANYTHING!!!! i have to chase her down and grab her and then once i get her she is fine and she will cuddle with me but the second she can leave me she is gone.
it doesnt matter what i do it's like she hates me and it makes me sad to see that!
my other dog loves me to bits and she is the opposite they are like black and white!
i am getting depressed to see how sad she is and i dont know how much more i can take to see her like this.
i feel so bad for her i dont want her to live like this it isnt fair for her!
i just want to take her pain away so she can be happy again but i dont understand how to do that?!?
i have tried what you said with the food and treats it doesnt really work cause thats what i have been doing for 2 weeks already.

i am desperate


please please help me and her i cant stand to see her like this!!!!

When you say you adopted her, who did you get her from? A rescue group or someone that was a member of the deceased owner's family? Do you know how long ago it was that her owner died?

She is most likely still in grief about her deceased owner. Maybe try laying down on the floor with her and take a toy or something(ball, kong, or even a teddy bear) and play with it, try to look like you're having fun. Look at her from time to time and look away. Maybe it will trigger her interest and if she keeps looking at you, maybe toss it over to her, and if she takes it, pat her. If she seems alright with that, try tossing away the toy see how she reacts, will she go get it? Is she still cuddling with you? Maybe she is just jealous of your other dog, do they get along? Maybe try contacting a friend of the deceased owner if you know any, perhaps they know things that your dog used to love.

Keep updating please if that doesn't work.

You've posted many places .... we do what we can .

How old are your kids? Watch what they and your friends do when they approach her. Remember that she is tiny, if you are coming at her looming overhead and reaching down over her head that could feel threatening to her.

What Kristy says about laying down may work. Try laying down on the floor in the same room with her and taking a nap. Have some treats ready, or toys in case she wants to interact. If you're down on her level, not being interested in her she may, over time, feel more confident about initiating contact with you.

she gets along with my other chi.
my kids are ages 17 to 18 months and they all go to her the same as me.
i got her from the woman who passed daughter and she died a few months ago and the woman doesnt seem to want to much contact with me.
i have tried to contact her a few times.

yes i had posted a few time because i am very desperate to get help for her and in 24 hours i got 1 reply and it is breaking my heart to see her like this!!!

It sounds like the dog wasn't very well socialized and she may not be used to a busy household. Her whole world turned upside down when she lost her owner and changed homes. She needs time to adjust. I agree with ignoring her and let her be the one to decide to come up to you. Take a few deep breaths and be as calm as possible when you are interacting with her. Be patient and see how things go.

First thing is to stop chasing her to get her. Every time you do this you are taking a step back. If you need her for something have one of your kids that she goes to get her. Then try (when no one is home and the house is quiet) just sitting on the floor and read a book or something. Try to be in a small place but not too small and be sure there is a place she feels safe but doesn't hide to where she can't see you. This could take a long time and it also won't work after one, two maybe even 5 times. You could put a treat near you but don't hand it to her. If you have like say a hotdog (something she will really like and rarely gets) cut it in pieces and put one out a little ways from you

Once she eats that, and most likely retreats back to where she was, put another a little closer, do this a few times till one is close to you but when she comes to get it do not grab or touch her. I would spend a few days doing it this way without touching or grabbing her and do not chase her any of these days. This could take weeks even. Do not rush it, if you make a mistake you could have to start all over.

I have a Chihuahua and they are very stubborn about what they want to do and don't want to do. Mine is very social and loves everyone but I've had him since he was 12 weeks old and socialized him like crazy.

I would do nothing overt to her whatsoever. Just live side by side and do your own thing. If she comes closer than she did before, drop a treat where she will get it. Don't look at her, don't speak to her if that makes her nervous. I'd do this for a very long time before attempting the next step. Long enough that she looks calmer when you are in the same room with her or nearer to her than you were before. If it takes months, then so be it. Let her see you put her food down for her and then walk away and leave her be.

Make a list of the things that bother her....the things you do, the things in her environment. Make milder versions of those things if you can. Make more distance between her and those triggers when and if you can. If moving quickly makes her nervous, move slower. If loud talking makes her flinch, speak quieter. Reinforce her for small improvements by tossing a treat. Or if your nearness bothers her but she is calmer than last time, move away further as a reward. (for now.) But not while she's throwing a fit. Wait calmly until she calms a little.

Don't react to her when she leaps up, barks, snarls or whatever it is she's doing. Look the other way. Everyone in the house must do the same. Don't try to do something to calm her or to fix it. Just ignore it and don't throw her a pitty party.

If she has limited access to the people with whom she has no problem, it may force her to look to you more for the things she needs.

Like I said before, it could be that only marginal improvement will be made IF A) she has a lousy temperament and B) if she had an improvershed socialization history from birth to 3 or 4 months. Hopefully, some improvement will be made. But I can almost guarantee it won't happen in just a few weeks.

My chi was a lot like yours when I brought her home. (no screaming tho) but was terrified...no....beyond terrified.


Doberluvs' advice is golden. I can tell you first hand that I used this method and it worked 100%..you'd never know the dog had an issue before.

Did take several months tho. So don't get discouraged.

Stop scaring her! How would you like to be chased? Give her time. Be soft and gentle. She will come around.
My Lilly was like that for two months when I first got her. She would not come out from under the couch, now she is my best friend.

Just take all the advice from above. I had a cairn terrier who wouldn't come out except at night after everyone else had gone to bed. She would then come out and let me pet her. I had her a year before anyone even knew I had a dog. ....seriously, I would tell people I had one, but she would be in hiding, and since I didn't want to scare her more, I woldn't go looking for her, so many people thought I had an imaginary friend dog. LOL.
Take your time, be patient.

That's priceless! :rofl1: I love that whole story. So, you let your dog do her thing. You did your thing. You both lived in the same house, breathed the same air and let it be. Eventually, she came around a little or a lot, right? When did people start believing you weren't making the whole thing up?

LMAO!!!! Now you have me cracking up!!! :lol-sign:

Haha, wow, that's amazing

I know dogs and cats are different, but I do think it helps with both not to force things. One of my cats is very skittish and was from the time I got her at 12 weeks. She is bold and playful with me and my youngest son, and she would go into her shell and under the nearest furniture with the rest of the family. They were determined to make her something she was never going to be and tried forcing her to let them hold her.

At 8 years old, she has become much more social with the family as a whole, but it is still very obvious that she loves 2 of us, and the rest she tolerates. To this day, I think it is because we let her work things at her own time and accepted the fact that she might not ever be what the ideal pet in our mind was.

I think following the advice above of not interacting with her but dropping treats when she's close by is good. It seems like she would start becoming comfortable in her environment that way, and I think that's what she needs the most is to feel safe and comfortable right now.

Nice story Mjb. You guys did a terrifc job with the cat.

I did not see any replies about taking the dog to a vet to make sure there are no medical issues. Have you taken the dog to a vet for a complete checkup?

Part of the o.p.