Chiweenie Q&A

I bought my Chiweenie from a breeder when he was 4 weeks old his name is Brex. He and my 2 other cats have been getting along since the day we brought him home I never had a problem with them getting along. I noticed he was afraid of dogs the first time I brought him to the vet there were other dogs in the office that day and they were all very friendly. I tried to get him to play or at least sniff the other dogs and he wanted nothing to do with them. He tried to hid behind my back and he started shaking a lot. He never growled at them or showed his teeth he just kept trying to run away and hid. He did the same second time I brought him to the vet. The vet has an office cat and Brex will run and hid from the dogs but the second the office cat comes from around the corner he is ready to play. Well about 2 weeks ago my boy friend found a Lab mix laying on the side of the road. It looks to us like he had been beaten and someone tried to slice his neck opened. So we have been doctoring him up and he now lives in our back yard. We named him Carter he is very sweet and loves to play with our neighbors dog. We tired to let Brex meet him and Brex put his tail between his legs, started shaking and breathing really hard. We normally would take Brex to the back yard to go to the bathroom but since he is scared of the big dog we have been bringing him in the front yard. Now every time Brex goes outside he acts really funny and keeps trying to run back inside. Instead of him going to the bathroom right away like before it now it takes him 15 to 25 mins to go. He wont even go near the front or back door anymore and really starts to shake or act very nervous when we do try to bring him outside. What can I do to help fix the issues and still be able to keep up with Brex's potty training?

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Answers (3)

You bought it from an irresponsible breeder. First off you CAN'T separate dogs from their moms until they're minimum 8 weeks. He is probably scared of them because he either has separation anxiety or he's not use to the dog


Four weeks is far too early to take a dog from it's mom unless there are extenuating circumstances which necessitate it. This was a disservice to the puppy, and to you. But since this is the situation you need to realize that Brex simply didn't have the opportunity to be properly socialized with other dogs. He may always have a fear of them but maybe you can minimize the issue, mainly with slow and consistent to exposure. The longer he is isolated from Carter to potty, etc., the longer it'll take to correct things. Hold Brex and 'hang out' near and with Carter, even if Brex is nervous and shakes the whole time. Giving them both treats at the same time and petting them together may gradually show Brex that Carter is a 'good guy' and he has nothing to fear. Occasionally there are dogs who just naturally dislike other dogs, but if you are to have a multiple-dog household you need to at least establish a reasonable solution if for no other reason than to make your life easier. I have seven dogs, all different mixes and sizes, and they all had adjustment issues at first as we adopted most of them as young adults (except for our Chiweenie who was and is a puppy), but with time and patience we basically found a way for all to live in relative peace. If all else fails, ask your vet to recommend a pet behavior specialist who might be able to help with only a few lessons and/or advice. Good luck, and bless you for rescuing Carter. Judy


Brex will probably adjust to Carter in time (may be a slow process) but if all else fails and he refuses to go potty outside, you can always paper train him to go inside. A bit of a pain, for sure, but lots of people do this with their dogs especially if they live in apartments so it isn't really an unreasonable solution. Good luck. Chiweenies are great dogs - ours is a real spunky love :)



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