I found a Chihuahua mix dog abandoned on a tropical island. She was abandoned about six months ago and is about ten months old now. She has not been spayed. I decided to bring her back to Buffalo with me. She stood out from the rest of the dogs and caught my attention right away because she was so little, about four to five pounds but seemed very smart and determined. She just loved the affection I gave her every time I saw her.
One behavioral problem I expect to have is housetraining. A free roaming dog will urinate or defecate wherever and whenever he wants to do it. This would be a problem in a home. According to lectures, the socialization period (22-84 days) is when social behaviors like elimination to a certain area are starting to develop. …show more content…
This could be directed towards other animals or even people. This may be due to not being properly socialized as a puppy as well as because of the breed itself. Again from the class lectures, the socialization period is generally between 22-84 days and this is when there is a fast development of social behavior patterns. Also, experience and familiarity with other animals in this stage helps to lessen the aggression and promote acceptance with other animals in the home. The free roaming Chihuahua does not have this experience with living with other animals in a closed environment. I would introduce other animals in the house slowly, giving each time to adjust with positive reinforcement for correct behaviors. According to the website, dogbreedinfo.com/chihuahua.htm some owners treat Chihuahuas differently than bigger dogs because of their small size. Allowing small dogs to get away with bad behaviors reinforces bad and dominant behaviors, This gives the small dog the “pack leader status” instead of the owner. This then could lead the dog to more aggression. The dogbreedinfo.com/Chihuahua website suggests gentle but firm training with positive reinforcement to promote good behaviors. This website also suggests walking the Chihuahua on a regular basis not just for exercise but for mental stimulation as well (dogbreedinfo.com/Chihuahua). This will allow for more socialization for the dog to other people, different situations and to other animals too as socialization is not limited to the 22-84 day
One behavioral problem I expect to have is housetraining. A free roaming dog will urinate or defecate wherever and whenever he wants to do it. This would be a problem in a home. According to lectures, the socialization period (22-84 days) is when social behaviors like elimination to a certain area are starting to develop. …show more content…
This could be directed towards other animals or even people. This may be due to not being properly socialized as a puppy as well as because of the breed itself. Again from the class lectures, the socialization period is generally between 22-84 days and this is when there is a fast development of social behavior patterns. Also, experience and familiarity with other animals in this stage helps to lessen the aggression and promote acceptance with other animals in the home. The free roaming Chihuahua does not have this experience with living with other animals in a closed environment. I would introduce other animals in the house slowly, giving each time to adjust with positive reinforcement for correct behaviors. According to the website, dogbreedinfo.com/chihuahua.htm some owners treat Chihuahuas differently than bigger dogs because of their small size. Allowing small dogs to get away with bad behaviors reinforces bad and dominant behaviors, This gives the small dog the “pack leader status” instead of the owner. This then could lead the dog to more aggression. The dogbreedinfo.com/Chihuahua website suggests gentle but firm training with positive reinforcement to promote good behaviors. This website also suggests walking the Chihuahua on a regular basis not just for exercise but for mental stimulation as well (dogbreedinfo.com/Chihuahua). This will allow for more socialization for the dog to other people, different situations and to other animals too as socialization is not limited to the 22-84 day