Hi there... I was wondering if you had ever watched any Dog Whisperer episodes about chihuahuas; they even did an exclusive chihuahua-only episode. The very first show they had was about NuNu and the lady who owned NuNu is now working for Cesar. http://www.cesarsway.com/dogwhisperer/follow-ups/Tina-and-NuNu

I am just throwing out some ideas here, from what I have learned from watching the show and with our own dog.

Our guy is a very high-energy dog, part Boston Terrier and Australian Cattle Dog mix. He needs to be exercised a lot.

Now, walking doesn't come naturally to some dogs, (our old family dog hated the leash and would make horrible noises like she was choking to death and would dig her feet in, but yet she would follow just fine without a leash on!). You may have to try walking him without the stroller first so you can learn to read his behavior. Like if you see him looking in some other direction and start going the wrong way, a gentle tug on the leash should remind him, Hey we are going THIS way.

I have heard tying your dog's leash to your waist and walking around the house several hours a day forces him to learn to follow you and not bounce all over the place. He may need some physical direction from you, though. It sounds like he thinks he can do whatever he wants, and that he's the boss, so if you notice him trying to walk ahead or away from you, one thing to make sure is your leash is shorter, and you can easily tug him back. Try to make sure he isn't walking ahead of you, beside or behind a bit is better. If he tries to pull ahead, pull the leash to the side, and not back, because when a dog is being pulled back while he is trying to go forward it just makes him want to keep moving forward.

And just because he is cute and tiny, don't be afraid to stop for a moment in the middle of your walk and possibly touch him like Cesar does to distract him. Just enough to sort of say HEY! Our dog used to be pulling at the leash to try to run to a dog to meet him, but we did some foot or hand touching, and once in a while if he didn't listen even made him lie on his back with our fingers on his throat (not to hurt or choke, just to tell him STOP. That is what mother dogs do when they telling their pups that this is inappropriate behavior.

Our dog used to start looking at other dogs, but now all I ever have to do is just give a quick tiny tug at the leash so he knows to look away. Some dogs don't like to be looked at by another dog, because they think it is a challenge, and our dog doesn't mean to challenge but he always thought he was the boss and he should go meet this other dog, but WE are teaching him that WE are the boss and he doesn't have to meet the dog across the street, we're walking right now.

Same problem when people come to the door. He used to jump at them to say hello. He is much better now, because we do the reward with treats for sitting on his bed, and if he ever does get out of hand, we flip him on his side, like I mentioned earlier. It doesn't hurt him, it helps him calm down, and then he's not throwing himself at someone or knocking a child over.

I can sense just from reading what you wrote that you are very frustrated. Perhaps your dog is picking up on that frustration too, which can make him more anxious. He knows you are upset but doesn't know why. He doesn't mean to make you feel that way. He just feels, my pack leader is upset! What do I do? Maybe if I get some attention or bark I will feel better! If possible, try to take a deep breath, not saying anything (because they associate yelling or high-pitches with weakness), and in a calm and assertive manner claim your space with your body and posture, and don't reward him with sound or affection or treats until he calms down. If he's yip-yip-yipping even when you are calm, try the flipping over on his back and fingers touching his neck like a momma dog does. Don't let go until he is calm. Once he is calm, this was the desired behaviour, so either reward him, give him affection, or walk away. He sounds like he needs lots of practice though, so hang in there and remember to take a deep breath and count to 10 before offering discipline so he isn't feeling your frustrated energy and you will be calm and assertive, not nervous and upset from the barking.

We have trained our dog not to sit and look at us and whine anymore, and yes it used to be distracting and annoying when we are trying to relax on the couch. We have done this by giving him a little bed and telling him he has to go to his bed (or carpet, or couch, or whatever little designated place you have just for your doggy); we associate this with a treat. We make sure we don't use it like punishment, it is a safe place that he needs to go to when we are cooking in the kitchen or eating or whatever. If you go to bed you are a good boy, here is a treat. Or we tell him to lie down, and he just lies down, because he knows that is what is expected of him.

When we are eating we will tell him to lie down and he has been shown where we want him to lie down, so he knows we need extra space while we eat. We also give him bones to chew (good thick ones like soup bones from the pet store or from the meat deli) and he likes to take out some of his energy this way too. We walk him at least 30 minutes a day, sometimes more) and also play with him 30 minutes or more a day. We also socialize him by going to the off-leash dog park and visiting other people with dogs.

Hopefully some of these ideas help. I suppose another thing you could try is take him to dog manners classes, because sometimes owners need some ideas on what to do when dogs act a certain way. We were thinking of taking our dog to agility training, and even doing some therapeutic training. We don't have children though, or enough money so we are probably going to just continue doing things on our own for now. Once you figure out things, don't forget to train everyone who comes to your house what your preference is for the dog behavior. We have lots of friends who come over and know that if our dog jumps up at them, they can tell him firmly NO and point to the floor, or to go to his bed. We also give our friends treats to give to Bruiser for when he is behaving. By the way you don't have to use expensive treats, just use regular dry dog kibble, or pieces of carrot, banana, or apple are okay because they are healthy.

I have heard that some dogs have special allergies to their dog food, too, but it's rare that it could affect their behavior. Usually it just affects their fur falling out, or they get really itchy, but if foods can make humans hyper from allergies, maybe it can happen to dogs. Maybe you need to switch the dog food you are using to something your vet recommends.

I also have the same problem with my american bulldog..I find the only way to stop that is a nice long run or have him submit to you till he calms down.. It is very frustrating and hard to stay calm and assertive so the run also helps me...good luck!!

The problem is that a dog needs someone to act as the alpha as the website suggests. Basically, because dogs are pack animals and, from other things that I have read, a trait most common in smaller breed dogs (which I do believe a beagle would fall under) is that they tend to exhibit the desirability to be the alpha of a pack moreso than other larger breed dogs. Because you have introduced the dog into being coddled and, as you have said, treated 'him like a baby,' you've spoiled him into thinking that he is to get what he wants as far as your attention is concerned. I say this with 'he sleeps with me at night as quiet as a mouse' as supporting evidence to this theory. Just as with any child that acts out, your dog is acting out in hopes of receiving your attention. The best way to correct his behavior is to, first, get him used to being away from you. The best way to do this is to find something to do, deviating your attention away from the dog. I've found that doing laundry (folding it and then placing it into the appropriate rooms of my apartment) was the best. I would first place the dog inside of my bedroom with a toy, close the door behind me, and would re-enter the room (preferably before she started whining and barking for my attention). I would then walk into the bedroom, place my clothes in the proper drawers and all the while ignoring her, not even offering eye contact. The short time away wasn't a big deal to me as it shouldn't be a big deal to the dog. Gradually build up time apart and you'll notice her whining and (with any luck) her attention seeking ways decrease, as she will understand that she -can- indeed be alone. Before you know it, you can start trying out that same tactic with crate training. Let the crate be available to your dog 24/7, open and with some sort of comfortable surface to lay on with a couple of toys safe enough to leave with her unsupervised (kong balls would be ideal.) Also, you do need to establish dominance with your pooch as it seems he does not respect your demands. Remember, he is in YOUR living space and must adhere to YOUR rules. Start from square one. Be strict. A routine in training your dog is a MUST. Dog training is not for the faint of heart. Good luck! :)

well for a few mins there i thought you had my dog :P ... i have a choc lab, 1 1/2yrs old .. i have cured the walking thing she doesn't pull anymore ... i have one of the pincher collars on her but as long as you can move the collar up higher on her neck it should be fine ...one of the things cesars says is put the collar right up on her neck and it works wonders, makes it much easier to pull her to the side when she tries to pull ... i have it just behind her ears and she walks so nice for me now ...hope this helps ... as for the running away thats one i really need help with too ... grrr

I am trying all i am reading with my 9 month old Black Lab who was just spay and she is allowed to return to normal activity, she started to dig but I put some stuff in the holes and it stopped for now, I have only had Bella for 3 weeks and I think I am expecting her to be like my 13 year old dog who just went to God, She is in training daily with me and I am pack leader, I really have no idea how she was raised , or if she was abused in any way , she seems amazing and I no it will all come together I am just not used to her ways yet. she is the sweetest pup i have ever had but I have Fibromyalgia and am in constant pain and she helps me come out of myself and not think so much about the pain, I have to wait 3 more weeks till her boosters are done( she had no shots at all, and she is now spay and recovered amazingly) I walk her for 45 mins in the backyard (school training) then we have play time, I need to socialize her and in the backyard she goes nuts over the birds so other dogs will be a real test, I do not no what to do about any of this stuff, I need to calm down I no that, but I cannot do what you do, Please help Lynn in Canada I have emailed 4x though I no your busy, but I also no you care in your heart to help, so please help...........Lynn