Q: I just got a new puppy. She is a Chihuahua, about 6 months old and about 6.5 pounds. I brought her home on Saturday and she will not come to me at all. She is very skittish and runs away if I try and pick her up. When she was in the crate I tried to pet her and she snapped at me, although she did not bite. I have just been leaving her be and letting her come to me. It seems to be taking some time though. I'm sure I'm just anxious. Is there anything else I can do except give her space and time? As it stands I cannot get close enough to her to get a leash on her, so I cannot take her outside. She is currently going on the papers in the kitchen where she sleeps. Any tips or hints on how to proceed would be appreciated. Her name is Lucy. Thanks!
A: You didn't mention the situation from which this dog came, but that is not normal behavior from a dog that has been properly handled. My guess is perhaps she was kept in a kennel and not around people at all.
I adopted a Chihuahua when I was 16, at just about the age of yours, who had been kept in a kennel his whole life and never handled,. He did not snap, but would not let himself be touched at first. He made a lot of progress over several months, partly because he really did want to play with us.
Eventually I was able to walk him everywhere on leash. He was very trainable, and I taught him all the commands I could learn myself--from a few pages in an old dog book. It's hard to say how much your dog can overcome her problems, and if you paid a lot of money for this dog, you did not get a fair deal.
In a quiet home where you can control her environment, and are willing to give her lots of time and to work with her, she might turn out all right, although I do not like the sound of that snapping. If she will be around any children--yours or anyone else's--I recommend you have a trainer or behavior specialist evaluate her to see if they feel she is likely to behave aggressively.
Poor dog, I hope she gets better. If you feel it is best to return her to the breeder, that would not be an unreasonable thing to do, although I know it would make you very sad. God bless.
UPDATE Q: Kathy, thanks so much for responding so quickly. I just brought her home Saturday. I was a little distressed to get your response and feel that I need to provide more information. I bought her from a breeder-veterinarian whom I had visited several times. She has a lovely home, two cats, an Alaskan Malamute and four Chihuahuas. One of them was the one I took. The breeder lets the four small dogs sleep with her and sometimes they are in a large crate snuggled together. The dogs were very playful together but when I visited, a couple of them seemed very wary of me as a stranger and none of them would come to me. I do not believe the breeder-veterinarian did much socializing with the pup I got, as none of them had collars, which may be my initial problem.
When I brought Lucy home on Saturday she was, of course, in her crate. The breeder put her collar on her for me and put her in the crate. I took the crate to the kitchen and opened the door and sat on the floor in hopes she would come out of the crate. She seemed very scared. I made the mistake of going in after her and gently tried to pet her. She was backed into the corner and snapped at me, I think out of fear, although maybe I am wrong. She has not snapped since. The snapping upset me and she saw that I was then fearful. After speaking again with the breeder she advised me to just give her space and allow her to come to me.
Sunday she was coming in from the kitchen and would come up to my outstretched hand and lick my fingers. The place where we are at today is that she will not let me pick her up or pet her. We are going slow. She is wagging her tail in the morning when I let her out of the kitchen and still comes to lick my fingers, but is very skittish still. She plays, and is eating and I'm sure I am just being impatient.
I wanted to know if I am going about this the right way. I feel that she needs to trust me before she will come to me and I don't want to rush it, but how long do I wait? Yesterday I spent the day with her and she jumped up on the couch on the opposite end, and when I stood up she jumped down. Thanks again for a response. I hope I have provided you with more information than I did before.
A: Well, she sounds terribly unsocialized, maybe very loved in her former home, but not given the contact with other people and places that a puppy needs in order to develop healthy confidence. At this stage I think it would be difficult for even an expert in person to evaluate whether her underlying temperament is basically sound.
It could take a lot of time for her to develop confidence with you, and if your goal were to have her in public a lot, she could be the wrong dog for that lifestyle. I expect that she will get used to you and make a good pet in the home. How much beyond that, it's hard to say.
It's certainly understandable that you would feel impatient, as most dogs in their new homes are clearly enjoying their new owners right away. It will take a lot of patience to bring this little girl along. I think. Chihuahuas, with correct temperament and social experience, are bold little dogs.
One thing you might want to do is contact the breed rescue person for Chihuahuas, listed on the AKC's website at http://www.akc.org. That person would have a good idea of what you're up against with your dog, because they know the breed so well. I really would be concerned at this point--not trying to worry you, but it sounds like this little dog finds the world a scary place, doesn't it?