Ask the Trainer: Stop that ankle-biting

Q: My dog is a chihuahua, and a small one at that. He is 2 years old and has developed a series of related traits that cause a problem for guests and when out walking.

He was lost for a time after the February quake in Christchurch and came to me rather shy and anxious and just a pup, so I had to be careful not to scare him and to build up his confidence. He is doing well with that but as chihuahuas can be, is rather reactive and protective.

He's very sociable among people and dogs he knows or in a familiar dog park. The problems are he likes to chase runners and bikes. If I see them in time, I put him on a lead and he is fine then.

At home, with men in particular but anyone who is larger, he will chase them as they walk and grab at their trousers or heels. I am working with people to ignore him when they first arrive as he is often excited to see them and jumps up - he settles down quite well. I don't know what to do with the ankle-biting though. Is it a protective thing, or fear-based perhaps?

A: The New Zealand Kennel Club website is a great resource for breed information and the temperament section outlines breed traits clearly.

It states: "The chihuahua is a good companion dog. Courageous, extremely lively, proud and enterprising, it gives and demands affection. Bold and saucy, it moves swiftly to avoid being stepped on. Chihuahuas are strong-willed, intensely loyal and become very attached to their owners, even to the point of jealousy.

Chihuahuas generally recognise their own breed, but sometimes disapprove of other breeds. They are very intelligent, although a bit stubborn and are trainable with patience, persistence and practice."

The behaviours are definitely being driven by protection rather than fear in your case. These breed traits require management. By management, I mean redirecting the behaviour before it occurs, rather than trying to correct the behaviour as it is happening.

The key to stopping his ankle-biting is your ability to prevent his reaction. Ask for a "sit" or "down" to get him to focus on you rather than your guests when they move. Positive reinforcement training will build the bond between you and by having him trust that you have situations under control, his need to "protect you" will lessen.

Teaching him a strong "leave it" command will also help with his cyclist and runner reactions.

Leashing him is your best option and you are definitely on the right track with your other issue management, so keep up the great work!

Paw point of the week

Behaviours which are unacceptable in large breed dogs are equally unacceptable in small breeds and should always be corrected with training.

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