Puppy Runs When Called

[animallover12]

Hi everyone i have a problem with my 18 week old chihuahua named Rascal when i call him to come to me he either ignors me and stays where he is or runs from me. I haven't did anything bad to him what so ever his loved,cuddled,pated and taken everywhere with us. When we first got him he slept in bed with my boyfriend and I for 3 weeks, Then my mum says to put him on the floor which i did. Now when he was allowed to sleep in the bed i didn't have problem with him coming when called, He runs away from me the most when it is time for bed. When he was sleeping in bed with us he would not go to anyone else in the family. What could be the cause of this? Could he feel rejected or not loved? I want the Rascal i feel in love with back, He used to run to me all the time when called or not. If i sat down he would come runing to me but now he won't, The way he is at the moment makes me regret getting him, Don't get me wrong i love him but i don't like it when he is disobedient. I can't take him to obedience club as my bf or my parents won't take me. He knows the sit command, I've had Rascal for a month now and it took him a month to just learn the sit command. have i choose the wrong breed for me? What should i do about this? Thanks in advance.

Tara

[Jed]

When you call him, and he comes, what happens?

Do you call him because you want to do something with him - ie, groom, put outside etc. that he may not want to do right then?

When you call him, and he comes, make a big fuss of him - stroke him, say "good boy" in a happy, encouraging tone a few times, and give him a treat (ie, dried liver). Call him sometimes for no reason, except to reward him for coming.

Now that he wont come, you have to walk up to him, make a big fuss of him, and give him a treat.

If you could go to obedience, they could show you how to use the "come" command, which would help.

Also, if you call him, and he doesn't come, try walking away from him, and see if he will follow.

[animallover12]

Jed when he comes i do make a fuss over him and give him a treat. What happens when i call and he comes i tell him he is a good boy give him a treat and let him lay on my lap while i play with him, sometimes he just lays on my lap. When he doesn't come i do just walk away he doesn't care and goes back to what he was doing. This is what is making me think i have choosen the wrong breed.

[Guest kitakins]

maybe try some higher value treats? the ones you are using might not be tasty enough.

[pipppy]

a game of hide and seek is good, position yourselves hidden around the house or yard, one person calls him and when he finds that person he gets the treat, our pup loves it and will play for ages going from one person to the next, he only gets the treat from whoever calls him,if he goes to the wrong person, no treat, and it has helped with getting him to come more often in a normal situation as he thinks it is a game.

[mita]

The third bit of this suggestion is going to sound silly...but I've seen it work for dogs who won't come.

1. Get down low & put your arms out to the side when you call the puppy.

2. Gently teach him 'Come' by putting a longish lead on him & doing 1 above. Hold the treat against your leg so he follows the urge to come right up to touching range when he 'Comes'.

3. For some practice to get him into the habit of coming, because he wants to, lie down on the ground, cover your face in your hands & make high-pitched squeaky sounds. A nose should soon arrive burrowing in to see what's going on. Reward with treat.

[Muttaburra]

I haven't did anything bad to him what so ever his loved,cuddled,pated and taken everywhere with us.

It sounds like your dog is getting it "all for free" so have a bit of read of the NLIF program in the training section.

Chi's are very intellegent little dogs and should be quite trainable. They are sensitive though. Try and make the cuddles and pats part of the training program, so for a while try to refrain from patting and cuddling. If he comes to you when you call, give enthusiastic pats or cuddles (if he likes them), otherwise ignore him. Try it, you may be very surprised.

[animallover12]

Thanks everyone for the help i will try what you have all said Rascal is getting a bit better will the comming when called, But it could still need some improvement. All i have to do know is start him on the drop commands then work on the stay, He knows the sit command which took him a month to learn but every dog is different. He will get it sooner or later. I'm still having problems socializing him with people and strange dogs, All he does is run from people and when he sees another dog coming up to him he yelps and trys to run away. I've said NO to him and have ignored this behaviour as to tell him that behaviour is not acceptable, But he still does it. I guess i'm going to have to keep working on it and hopefully 1 day he will not yelp and accept other dogs.

[Muttaburra]

I've said NO to him and have ignored this behaviour as to tell him that behaviour is not acceptable, But he still does it. I guess i'm going to have to keep working on it and hopefully 1 day he will not yelp and accept other dogs.

He's only little, everything looks mighty big to a Chi! At this stage it would be preferable to avoid those stressful situations completely, or he is likely to develop a very big fear. On the TV that lady from "its me or the dog" demonstrates a good technique, of quickly turning the dog as soon as they see another dog and start to react. This needs to be done quickly, and then you start to walk away from the other dog. Also keep in mind, Chi's are vulnerable, basically one bad bite or shake, and that is enough to kill them, so please be careful where you take him.

If you can show your little dog confident leadership, then the dog will have more confidence and feel secure. If you are a namby pamby, or an erratic leader then the dog will think they have to take on the lead role of protection for both of you, and he won't be the first or last hysterical small dog to freak out because of poor leadership.

Have you thought of trying puppy training school? There is no reason it should take a dog one month to learn the sit command, either the rewards aren't being given quickly enough, or the dog gets too much for free or too much smooching. Perhaps you could try the training session an hour or two before the main meal, so that there is some appetite there. Keep the sessions brief and always end on a high note.

Any photos of your Chi, my parents had 3 of them and they all had different personalities. Soft boy and dominant girl.