Help! Adoped Chihuahua Problems :(

There are several questions that jumped to my thoughts right away as I read your post so please bear with me and we will see if the collective can't help you out with Little Ms Star.

Is this your first dog? First Chihuahua? What breed did you have before and who took care of it?

Why did you think with a schedule a full as yours currently is that you actually needed a dog right now? What was the notion that prompted you to get a dog at all right now?

IS she a full bred dog? and I believe you mentioned rescue what was the story behind her ending up in rescue? Is her breeder involved or accessible?

Have you heard the expression  " Going down the lead" ??  IT means basically that when you are angry, nervous, happy ..whatever your dog, show or companion will know it , as your emotions go straight down that lead.  If you had to pin point the changes in the dog can you see where they may relate to changes in your own schedule or life?  Increased school load or fewer hours at work = budget stressing...

Is little one housebroken reliably and if not or in the event of mistakes how do you correct or handle it?  IS she lead trained? Do you use a leash or since she is teeny tiny do you carry her every where? Do you put her  in a tote bag?  Have you ever dropped her? Squeezed her, it doesn't take much... Where does she sleep, Is she crated when you are both out? Where Is her crate set up placed?

These are not question to try to pin point blame , but rather questions that may allow you to figure out why the roomie seems to rate so highly with your little one.   You can bust you buns to make it all work but the dog may only pick up on your exhaustion, irritability or even hurt feelings.   They are smart little beasties. Your roomie may be a favorite just now because she is more relaxed and able to ignore her...  The more intensely you feel or worry the more she may feel things are messed up somehow.  Have you trained her to sit, down etc?? Major important things.  A dog with a job or clear command sense tends to feel stronger and more secure.

Best of luck !! And when I read your replies I will see if I can offer some easy suggestions on how to make things work better for the 3 of you.

Welcome to the site yourstar84. Just a little something to get you started.

Maybe try a special treat that only you give her at a special time of the day without rewarding her for barking at you.  Maybe when she is not in her crate, and she is sitting across from you, gently toss it close to her.  If you normally feed her kibble and treat her with the usual kind of treats, try a small piece of cheese or hot dog.  If she takes it, try one more piece and then leave it until the same time next day. Edit:  If she doesn't take it, leave the room and see what she does.  If she takes it that is a small start.

Some folks just leave food out for the dogs.  She needs to know that you are providing for her so hopefully you have structured feeding times and she needs to see that it is you that is putting it out for her.  If she refuses to eat, then take the meal away and try again at the next scheduled feeding time. 

Good luck.

yourstar84

Sometimes when I am sitting in the living room watching TV and she is sitting on the couch across the room, she will just look over at me and start barking.  I don't even look at her, I make sure I keep my attention focused on the TV.  

You might want to take away furniture privledges for now.  And, research Nothing in Life is Free.  It worked very well for us. 

yourstar84

I have tried the ignoring thing,

I think maybe have your roommate ignore her.  And, you take over all aspects of her care. 

 Can you try hand feeding her all her meals, it should help.

First off, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has offered suggestions so far.  I will try and answer everything as best as possible.

 Bonita of Bwana:

Thank you for your lengthy response!  Star is my first dog that I have had on my own.  She is also my first Chihuahua, as I was raised with small breed poodles.  The poodles were always family dogs and we each took equal time to care for them.  I researched a lot before picking Star, because of my busy schedule.  The rescuer that I adopted her from knew of my schedule and actually helped me choose Star based on my schedule.  I was told that she was used to staying in her crate and that she is most comfortable in there, which really does seem to be the case.  When I am not at school or work, I spend as much time at home as I can to help her get used to seeing me there.  I wanted to get a dog because I felt I needed that companionship that a dog can provide, and I was right.  She's great to have around and keeps me company even though she won't come near me!  She is a full breed long hair chihuahua.  I was told that she was rescued from a puppy mill and she was used just for breeding purposes.  It appears as though she has had at least one litter of puppies.  The breeder is not accessible, but the lady that I adopted her from is always accessible through email.  I have thought about emailing her, but she only had Star for a short time before I adopted her, so I'm not sure if she would know much about Star's personality.  The most I got from her was that she was most comfortable in her cage.  I have heard that expression before, and when I handle her, I always keep in mind.  I am typically a very calm or happy person, so I don't think it's my mood that affects her.  I've had less amount of school hours that I had when I first adopted her, and my work hours have remained the same, so I don't think that's part of the problem.  She is housebroken, and has only made a few mistakes since bringing her home.  I always catch them too late, and I haven't punished her for them.  I don't know if she is leash trained, but the vet reccommeded not keeping a collar on her and not putting a leash on her because she has a build up of scar tissue in her throat from having her vocal chords removed.  She doesn't stay on a leash outside, but she also never runs.  She stays very close in the yard and comes inside right after she has done her business.  I don't carry her everywhere, and I definitely don't keep her inside of a tote bag.  If she travels with me, I will carry her to my car and she sits in the front seat while I drive.  While my roommate and I are both at work, she is kept in a crate.  We each have different lunch times and we go home on lunch, so there is a long period in the afternoon when she is not kept in her crate.  Her crate is in the living room along with my roommate's dog's crate.  It is out in the open, and we usually leave the patio blinds open so that they can see outside.  Star has been sleeping with me since I got her, and she has her own blanket on my bed.  She's like a rock when she sleeps and doesn't move until it's time for her to wake up.  I think she clings to my roommate so much because my roommate doesn't pay much attention to her, as she is caring for her own dog.  She doesn't push her away, but she also doesn't shower her with extra attention.  She does know to sit and she knows that when I tap on the top of her crate that she needs to go inside.  I hope I have answered all of your questions--if you have any more that you think might be able to help, please let me know!

 Bruister:

I have not tried to give her a treat, but I think I might try that tonight.  She does take pieces of her kibble from my hand, so I don't think she'll have much of an issue taking a treat from me.  This is a great idea and I will let you know how it works out.

 Willowchow:

Do you have any suggestions on how to take away furniture priveledges?  She is very comfortable in her crate, and she does stay in there sometimes without going to lay on the couch.  My roommate does ignore her and I am the one that is the primary care giver, so I'm not sure what to change there.  I was also planning on researching Nothing In Life is Free tonight.

3girls:

Sometimes before she eats I'll hand feed her a few pieces of her kibble.  She'll take it from me and then she'll eat the rest on her own. 

Again, thank you to everybody that has helped me here!  I will try any suggestions and I will definitely keep you updated!

Relax.  The more worried you are, the more she picks up on it and the worse she gets! 

A few points to remember: try not to loom over her, or approach her head on.  Avoid direct gesture which she could construe as confrontational.  Make yourself small and quiet, give her "I won't hurt you, puppy" signals.  So, hang back, crouch and turn to one side, avoiding eye contact.  Yawn a little.  Invite her to you, use a calm, quiet and happy voice

Have you done any training with her?  Who feeds her and walks her?  What is her favourite toy?  Her favourite game?  What activities do you do together?

I would hand feed her meals for the next couple of weeks.  Start by dropping bits of food on the floor for her and work up to actually feeding from your hand as she relaxes.  Don't pressure her to accept anything from you at this point..... give her a bit of breathing space and give yourselves a chance to relax and start afresh. 

I would also experiment with a clicker.  It's a fun game, learning experience and bonding for both of you....  definitely worth a shot!  All you need to do is choose a marker (a clicker is easiest) and pair it with a reward (usually food).  So, you click -> treat, clik -> treat.  Rinse and repeat!  Once she has paired them together in her mind, you can use it to teach, shape or capture almost any new behaviour, or you can do The Box Game to encourage her to be creative, play, think and have fun working with you.