Working with my 2 adopted Chihuahuas has been an interesting challenge. We adopted Minki and Max in August 2020 and love them to bits! But they came with some socialisation issues. They’re brilliant with people, but terrible with other dogs...
Beach trials
We initially tried taking them to the beach when it was mostly empty to avoid crowds and other dogs, but our huge beach is pretty dog friendly, so avoiding them was tough. Many owners take advantage of the beach to let their dogs off-leash, which doesn’t work for us. Our 2 tiny terrors go into protection mode and want to fight off the oncoming “friendly” dog.
The problem is that one little snap from a big dog, even a friendly one, and they’ll be goners!
Home sweet home
I then chatted to a behaviourist and she asked if they’re good with people? yes! Happy at home? Yes! Got room to run in the garden? Yes! And then she said, “Well then why do they need to go to the beach?” I guess it was more for my enjoyment than for theirs. For them it was stressful and scary.
But I’m still keen to try again but in a new way. Our new tenants have a gorgeous gentle old poodle that is blind and initially Minki and Max both barked at the fence between our two yards. But over time they’ve got used to her presence and these days they sit and observe without all the racket. So if they can get used to a dog on our property, surely we can make an effort to mix with other dogs.
Leaving home - eyes straight ahead
My new socialisation effort is to get Max comfortable in the doggy backpack. Every time I go hiking the group of ladies bring their whole pack of dogs that all get on so well. And it’s so sad that Minki and Max are left at home. So hopefully if Max can get used to being in the backpack to start with and get used to all the smells, then he can potentially get used to this pack of dogs in the future.
We made it!
Step one was a walk from home to the beach in the backpack. He was mostly well behaved and only reacted badly when dogs walked direct towards us. If they took a wide berth around it wasn’t as stressful for him. Once we got to the beach he could all the big dogs running freely. He gave a little moan while he watched them, but didn’t try to chase or bark (baby steps).
we may need some chi sunglasses for Max
We will try again this week and hopefully we can make some more progress. This time I’ll remember to pack the treats - such a rookie mistake on my part.
Now I just have to make sure my legs can carry him (all 3kgs of him 😂).
Watch this space for an update - or maybe a Minki walk in the backpack! We’ll see...
