Jealousy..perhaps??...help

stanton

so I know it's not the retrievers size that scares him.

How od you know this?  I regularly encounter spiders and have done all my life, but they still scare the bejesus out of me.  What is his body language like twaords your retriever?

stanton

1. With the retriever being the puppy, he is getting more one on one exercise, training, and just as happy as could be walking in 10' of snow and ice cold temps....the chihuahua HATES cold weather, so I don't walk him in the winter, otherwise walking them together's not an issue. The chihuahua sleeps with me, always, whereas the retriever sleeps in his crate, all dogs get equal treats, and I try to spend as much one on one time with my 2 dogs especially, but it's hard.

I can appreciate why it's hard to walk you chi in that kind of weatherm but he would probably benefit hugely from more stimulation in other areas.  What sort of play/training do you do indoors/in the garden with your chi?  What sort of 1 on 1 attention does he get and how much?  Does he get lots of things to chew?

stanton

2. The retriever absolutely loves the dog park, my 2 other dogs hate it, but they do enjoy car rides, going to Home Depot, etc....so I always try to make sure they get the car rides, and the retriever gets the dog park.

Why dp you think this is contributing to the problem?

stanton

3. I know 4yrs ago when my chihuahua had his blood tested his thyroid was a tad below normal, I need to get him tested again, as I'm wondering if low thyroid could be causing attitude issues

This is definately worth checking out!

stanton

 Also, this chihuahua has gotten to where he'll growl at me at times, like if I'm checking his teeth (all are finr and clean).

What is his body language like?  Has he had a thorough vet check?  Perhaps something is paining him.  Perhaps the retriever has played a tad too rough at some point (as puppies sometimes do) and he has received an injury which has gone unnoticed and is causing him discomfort?
 

I don't think this is jealousy.  I think it could beone of these... (or a combination of 2 of them or all 3)

1. An underlying health issue that  is causing or exacerbating the problem.

2. A wariness of you or the other dog due to existing pain, or some past experience (even if it doesn't hurt anymore he will still remember)

3. A lack of stimulation and therefore frustration for the chi.

Also, what are their names?
 

The chi probably needs a full health check -- but not just a regular thyroid check.  I would have the vet send the thyroid to Michigan State - it is NOT the same as sending it to a lab.  It will give you a definitive answer **for his breeds** and in the case of difficult cases to nail down it is *worth* it.  Trust me .. been there done it!!

Beyond that, my first guess is your three aren't treated like a pack really -- the pup is treated completely differently -- including the fact that he's crated where the chi shares your bed?  Wow ... that's a set up for attitude problems.  The chi thinks "this dog is lower than dirt and I'm certainly not going to give him an inch"

 At my house, the chi would be busted to the floor until you get a handle on ALL negative behavior.  Growling at *you* is absoultely intolerable.  Find out if there is a health issue first, and then I'd put all 3 of them on "Nothing In Life Is Free" a.s.a.p. -- everyone on the floor ALL the time. 

No toys, no 'possessions' left around -- that means be careful of them sharing you as well -- how often is the chi aggressive to the pup when *you* are present.  Particularly when the chi may be sitting with you or is near you and the pup approaches?

The chi needs more exercise -- particularly if you are feeding a high protein food.  If you feed a high protein food and then don't give the dog adequate exercise that's like feeding rocket fuel with no where to go.  They'll internalize the energy they don't know they *need* to expend.  It just winds up making them edgy and  sometimes nasty.

Next question -- are they all altered?  Particularly I'm wondering about the pup vs. the chi?  That surely could add to the problems.

Often people don't realize when they bring in a new dog it possibly will change the entire pack structure.  Take a dog who truly just wants to be an *only* dog ... then you add another small dog and they will tolerate each other.  But add a high energy, much larger 3rd dog?  Wow -- it can be a recipe for disaster.

It's not as bad of an issue as you're thinking, they do get along as well, but the chi does have an attitude.

The chi had a full physical not too long ago, everything's well, in fact the vet thought he was in perfect shape.

The 3rd dog really isn't even moderate energy, in fact I'd label him mild energy for a retriever.

Yes, they are all fixed...so you're saying by my allowing my chi to sleep on my bed, *I* could be causing the *pack issue*?

We have been doing intermediate dog training classes with the retriever, in which, they told us not to allow ANY of the dogs to feel that they have the power over the other, so we do squirt the offending dog with water whenever they try to growl or steal something from the other.

stanton

The chi had a full physical not too long ago, everything's well, in fact the vet thought he was in perfect shape.

 The vet thinking he is in perfect shape is not really reassurance.  An underlying issue with the thyroid is not something the vet can rule out or determine in his surgery.

stanton

so you're saying by my allowing my chi to sleep on my bed, *I* could be causing the *pack issue*?

Callie would NEVER say something like that.  It is not in her nature to be accusatory.  In fact she is one of the nicest, gentlest and most diplomatic people here. 

She has a point; the chi being allowed on the bed (a high place, very comfortable, close to you, a valuable resource) while the retriever is not may well be contributing to the problems.  That's not YOUR fault.  You may not have known it could have had contributed to problems.  Try keeping them all on the floor and implementing NILIF and just see if it helps.  What do you have to lose?

stanton

We have been doing intermediate dog training classes with the retriever, in which, they told us not to allow ANY of the dogs to feel that they have the power over the other, so we do squirt the offending dog with water whenever they try to growl or steal something from the other.

How do you know which is the offending dog?  Dogs growling at one another is not a crime.  It is one way they communicate.  For example, "hey, I am not comfortable - back off a bit".  What do you think happens when you take away that warning, but the dog is no less uncomfortable? 

Rather than react when one of them crosses a line, take the lead and be proactive.  Make them all feel safe and secure so they don't NEED to growl at one another.  For example, if they have crates, then crate them when they have meals or goodies - that way they can't steal off one another and no one need growl because none of them NEEDS to defend what they have.

Please don't take offence when none is offered.  All you have been offered is advice, honestly
 

Sometimes, because we are merely human and don't really "speak dog" as our first language, we can inadvertently set up a situation that says a completely different thing to a dog than we intended.

The bed is always, at least in *my* personal experience, a potential sticking point.  I'm not telling you that you're awful, but I think you could be sending a stronger message than you intend by reinforcing the dog "king of the hill" attitude by allowing the chi on the bed. 

Pack sleeping positions can be complicated -- and the pup has no choice, and the chi has the primo spot.  Equalizing that without the chi thinking he has to over-compensate can be tricky.

By putting him on the floor, he's still got more status than the pup *IN* the crate will have, but it takes away the "I'm equal to the humans" status. 

Make sense, I hope??

Please know, by no means did I mean to imply that I was reading/taking anything offensive, I was just simply asking if I was causing the problem....that's all.

I'm here to learn and will take in what I can gather, I have nothing to be offended about, my dogs are very well taken care of and I do my best so that they all get along.....just need to learn more info..

Thanks for all the input

Not jealousy, dogs are not jealous, the bed problem has a lot to do here for sure, sleeping on the ground like the others might help but maybe the Chihuahua will keep thinking he is avobe the others, first things first, no special privileges like sleeping with you