Anne, Thanks, I'd love some tips on teaching her to sit. We have not been very successful with training, I'm afraid.
I didn't know a lot about Chi's when I got one and I know that I have made some mistakes, possibly irreparable. Tootsie is 6 months old and has very few manners. She comes when called (mostly because she wants to, I'm sure) and she is relatively well house trained. She goes where I want her to 99% of the time. That's pretty good in my book. As for the ankle...I think she just adores it. I can't see anything at all abnormal about that spot (although if she keeps licking, something may develop!). --- In [email protected], "AnneL" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Re the overenthusiastic greeting. Your chihuahua is new to your house and she's insecure. Dogs have a very poor sense of time,, and when you leave, she doesn't realize it's only been a little while. Also, chihuahuas will commonly bond more strongly to one person (sounds like you), so the presence of your husband and son doesn't really affect how glad she is to see YOU come home. She'll probably calm down with time. However, you can (and should) train her to behave herself when greeting people. Teach her the "sit" command, and train her to greet someone coming through the door by *sitting*, not jumping on you. If you have any trouble teaching the "sit" command, LMK and I'll pass on some excellent techniques my trainer taught me. > > Re the licking. Some chihuahuas are just endless lickers. I have two chihuahuas, Chiclet and Luna. Chiclet rarely licks, and when she does, it's generally one or two kisses when she's settling down to sleep. Luna, OTOH, will happily lick all day -- she'll wash Chiclet's face until Chiclet FLEES from that inescapable tongue. She'll also happily wash me all day -- my face, my chin, my hands and wrists, but especially (believe it or not) the backs of my earlobes. I think she likes the way it makes me squeal and shudder. I do notice that she tends to lick places where sweat and skin oils would be more predominant. > > Now, Luna used to also be very big on licking her own front paws, enough to discolor them, and this kind of licking can be a sign of food allergies. Since I've switched my chis to a homemade diet, the paw licking has tapered down to normal grooming, but she'll still happily lick Chiclet or me till we're actually sore. Some chihuahuas just have a licking fixation. Draw some boundaries and don't let her just continuously lick, but DO say "Thank you, baby, I'm so glad you love me," and reassure her that the message is received. > > One final comment on the ankle licking, since your chi is picking one particular place to lick. Have a look at your ankle and see if there's anything unusual there, especially a mole or discolored patch on your skin. If there is, *show it to a doctor*. It's well documented that some dogs have the ability to detect the early changes of cancer in a mole, and they will often demonstrate that by licking persistently at the area. So if you have a mole, sore or spot that she's continuously licking, please play it safe and have a dermatologist take a look at it and maybe biopsy it. Your chi could be delivering a lifesaving warning. > > Or she could just adore your ankles.<G> > > Anne > ._,___ > " Lets talk about our wonderful little friends! Join today! " Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chihuahuas/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chihuahuas/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
