I have no advice except to find a trainer. You could have a potentially serious problem with these two breeds if a real fight breaks out.

Sorry Zach, but it is territorial.

Do not let them hang out under your feet while you are eating.

Train the dogs to stay somewhere, a rug, a dog bed.

Right now we are keeping our pit on a leash in the house while we eat, while enjoying a bone. Good start to the training? It's tough for our pit to stay put

Leashing the dog is not training. 3-5 times a day for 5-15 minutes each time, train the dog to lay on a piece of rug.

i would crate BOTH of them while you are eating. under no circumstances would i allow either or both to be anywhere near you during meals. if he's acting this way at 5 months, you are going to have major issues when he matures if you don't do something right now.

a chi, no matter how "alpha" she may be to the new pup, is no match for a powerful bully breed. this is a disaster waiting to happen. crate, crate, crate!!!

Yep I agree with Nina 100%.

I have a Chi/yorkie I would never introduce a breed with the reputation of a Pit into the family. I'm sure a pit can be a lovely and lovable furbaby but a chi and a pit together are a risky combo. Look what's already happened. How soon before this behavior leaks into other areas, toys, a spot on the sofa next to their human ect there's a real possibility of this happening. What about night time when your in bed? Are they crated or have the run of the house?

Right now the Chihuahua sleeps in our bed and the pit is on his bed, next to our bed. Have not had an issue with that.

Its really shocking that I'm getting all these "poor breed mix" responses. We have been training our pit for sometime now and have discussed our Chihuahua and our pit a lot and have never heard of not mixing the two...heartbreaking.

My girl and I pride ourselves on taking care of our animals and had no idea that this breed mix was a poor idea.

There is zero wrong with the ''breed mix'', other than the size differential and current behavior haspotential for damage. You've got a Mini Cooper against a Hummer here.

There is definitely something wrong with the level of training by the owner though. You have a small dog that you've indulged, and let get away with poor manners, like grazing under you while eating. And you are rewarding her by letting her have premium high value access to the owners, like sleeping with you in the bed, increasing that territoriality and bad dog behavior even more. She is the source of the conflict. Seen it hundreds of times. People don't have the same standards of training for small and cute, and it's always a source of problems.

Now you want different rules for your new guy. And that is the conflict. He wants to have those privileges too. And neither dog really is trained. Of course that is a potential clash! You aren't treating them equally, or training them equally. You obviously have a favorite and spoiled child. That needs to change.

Training is more about training the owner how to deal with dogs, and not anthropomorphize them into little humans. Your Chi hasn't gotten that message. She probably doesn't think she is a dog. You need to take both dogs to kindergarten training and start off teaching both of them proper dog behavior. Like Sit. And Stay. and Down. And Leave It. You may need to go all the way back to a NILF training for your Chi since she hasn't been made to behave in such a long time.

Kennel them BOTH when you cannot directly supervise them. And at night. No more rewarding the bad little cutie by sleeping in your bed while the new guy looks on jealously.

Treat them both like dogs. Demand the same behavior from both. And spay or neuter if that hasn't been done. Hormones increase territoriality.

i'm pretty sure this is gonna turn into the great american novel so i will apologize in advance. there are just so many things going on here so, here goes...

"a spot on the sofa next to their human "

i think mamapinky's description is exactly what is happening right now. the only difference is that your dogs are using mealtime as their "spot", so to speak. i don't know if you give them a little piece of whatever you are eating but that would definitely lead to this sort of "guarding" behavior. even if you don't feed them while you eat, chances are that something has fallen to the floor at some point and if this happens often enough (or if you are feeding them little bits), one or both of them will eventually assume this sort of guarding behavior. even if neither dog has eaten so much as a crumb, in their minds, the possibility of a yummy morsel exists and being dogs, they will go to any lengths to assure that morsel ends up in THEIR mouths.

there has been (and still is) a very long discussion on a friend's facebook page about pit bulls and reputations and nature vs. nurture, etc. i have several friends who are professional dog trainers who have been in the business for many years and who will be the first to tell you that when it comes to pit bulls, or any bully breed for that matter, nature wins out every time. you can raise a pit bull with all the love on ten planets but these dogs have been SO overbred in the past 10 years or more that the "nanny dog" we all wish was still true has been overtaken with very powerful, very unpredictable dogs who, far too many times, have ended up in the hands of those who either fight dogs or support that abhorrent practice. in this case, nature overtakes nurture far too many times because these fighting dogs are extremely valuable to their owners and they are bred over and over and over again because others who participate in this "sport" (for lack of a better term), WANT the most ill-tempered dogs they can get. unfortunately, many times these puppies end up not being quite up to par in the fighting ring so they are sold or given away to unsuspecting people who have no idea of their history.

think of all of the times you have read about pit bull attacks on other dogs, children, joggers, etc. you would have to be living in a bubble (i mean NO offense here) to not realize that this breed can be, and often (through no fault of its own) IS extremely dangerous. just in the last couple of days, a 90-year-old woman was mauled to death by a pit bull that was adopted by her daughter who apparently lived with her. this dog was only a year old and already had a bite history. how it ever got into the hands of this family is completely beyond me. but this happens far too often to chalk it up to "just a dog being mean".

zachary, you say you have been training your pit for "sometime now" but he's only 5 months old. at 5 months, a typical puppy would still be very playful and "mouthy" (as in play biting which should be discouraged with ANY breed), and it would be unusual for a 5 month old pup to be showing true aggression unless it is a trait that is inborn.

some questions for you that will tell me a lot with your answers...

1 - did you see the parents of this puppy when you got him (i assume you got him as a small puppy)?

2 - how old was he when you brought him home?

3 - was he being raised IN the house and and being exposed to things like children, other dogs, normal daily household routines?

4 - did you have a chance to see him more than once before you brought him home or was it a case of "finding" him, buying him, bringing him home?

5 - and probably the most important question...was the breeder reputable? a reputable breeder will show her dogs and most often will finish them to their championship before s/he even thinks about breeding them. a reputable breeder will stand behind her puppies and will be there for you with lifetime support should you run into any problems with your pup. should a person, for whatever reason, find themselves in a position where they cannot keep their dog, no matter what the reason, a reputable breeder will take that dog back and either keep it or rehome it to a person s/he would trust.

if you got your dog from anyone other than a reputable breeder, you bought from what is commonly called a byb (back yard breeder). i prefer to call them "greeders" because they are only in it for the money they can make off of a litter of puppies.

i have been rescuing great danes for going on 10 years now. i am one of countless people who help clean up the messes that these back yard breeders create. i have been extremely lucky in that my rescues have been wonderful dogs with stellar temperaments but i have been extremely lucky because i know many people who have taken in problem danes, dogs that cannot be allowed around children, other dogs, etc. dogs that cannot go to the dog park because they are aggressive. dogs that cannot even be walked on a leash around other dogs because they are so extremely reactive, it just isn't safe. when you are dealing with a 150# dog, you just cannot take the chances. the same goes for a 70 or 80# pit bull. it may not be as big but it is just (if not more) powerful than an out of control dane.

sorry, i knew this would be a ridiculously long post and maybe NONE of this applies to you but i am curious to see your answers. they may help me and others guide you. :)

ETA, sophie and i were typing at the same time! LOL

Thank you so much for your response Nina. I did indeed read it all! Here's the answers for you

1 - did you see the parents of this puppy when you got him (i assume you got him as a small puppy)? Unfortunately I had very little info from the SPCA here in the Bay Area before I adopted him, all I know is that he was brought in a litter by an owner a few days before I came in.

2 - how old was he when you brought him home? he was 8 weeks (already neutered!!!) spent the first week of his days with us in the hospital fighting off Parvo. SPCA here did a poor job of checking for Parvo. Within two hrs of having him home he was showing symptoms

3 - was he being raised IN the house and and being exposed to things like children, other dogs, normal daily household routines? as for my house yes he currently in routines such as walking/eating/training. Does spend a fair amount of time in our backyard to play. not sure about his original owner

4 - did you have a chance to see him more than once before you brought him home or was it a case of "finding" him, buying him, bringing him home? It was a "love at first sight"

5 - and probably the most important question...was the breeder reputable? a reputable breeder will show her dogs and most often will finish them to their championship before s/he even thinks about breeding them. a reputable breeder will stand behind her puppies and will be there for you with lifetime support should you run into any problems with your pup. should a person, for whatever reason, find themselves in a position where they cannot keep their dog, no matter what the reason, a reputable breeder will take that dog back and either keep it or rehome it to a person s/he would trust.

did not get him him directly from a breeder, he was a rescue

My neighbors had a pit notice I said had...this dog was these peoples baby (they are childless) for 6 years, he was well trained, healthy, lovable and extremely attached to his humans. He loved neighbors, children, family and friends, just a well rounded wonderful dog, until the day out of the blue while his humans were having a cookout he attacked his humans sister whom he has been exposed to hundreds of times while she sat at the picnic table sipping a diet coke. Ran up and grabbed her arm and mauled it. She almost lost that arm.

Why did this loved dog do this..no one knows. Vet said its breed in its genes..

The dog was held for 3 days than put down.

They bought this pit as a puppy from a local newspaper ad.

No ones picking on you dear, just giving advice that could save you a lot of heartbreak. Good luck and please I hope you respond to Ninas questions, she's the one that can truely guide you on what to do.

Eta...my post went in before I seen your response to Nina

I want to say first that I am not against pit bulls or any of the bully breeds. However, I think this is a really bad mix of dogs and you need to find a new home for the pit. Chihuahuas are very alpha dogs and very owner bonded. You have a 10 years old dog that will be very set in her ways. I had a Chihuahua I know. The pit BY ITSELF would be a great pet, but mixed with your current dog not. It needs a home without small dogs or cats.

I usually do not recommend rehoming a pet once adopted. I cannot believe that the shelter let you adopt when you had a small dog. However, if they let one go with parvo, they must be overwhelmed.

I pray you will follow the advice you've been given, for the sake of both the dogs, otherwise there's a good chance the pit will kill your chihuahua and that is going to happen sooner than later. personally I would never have gotten a pit if I had a 10 year old chihuahua. Good Luck

first off, let me say thank you for being so receptive to suggestions and not getting defensive! too many people would just say to heck with it and not even come back to the forum. *sigh*

Unfortunately I had very little info from the SPCA here in the Bay Area before I adopted him, all I know is that he was brought in a litter by an owner a few days before I came in. this screams byb. i wonder if they surrendered the mother, also. this will be the first obstacle you will have to overcome. for all intents and purposes, this pup is a blank slate to you. you don't have any information about where he lived his first few weeks (in a loving home as opposed to an outdoor kennel...i can pretty much assure you it was NOT in a loving home). so, we have a pup that was likely not exposed to a lot of human interaction. we have a pup whose lineage we know absolutely nothing about. there is no way we can know the temperament of the dam OR sire of this pup. dogs not only inherit the physical characteristics of their parents, they also inherit temperament. with having one strike against him just by the fact that he is a pitty, not knowing the temperament of the parent dogs is what i would consider the other 2 strikes. i'm not saying he couldn't be a wonderful, loving, gentle dog...we will address that later.

he was 8 weeks (already neutered!!!) spent the first week of his days with us in the hospital fighting off Parvo. SPCA here did a poor job of checking for Parvo. Within two hrs of having him home he was showing symptoms being neutered young isn't something i would recommend but what's done is done so to us now, it has to be a non-issue. what concerns me much more is the parvo diagnosis. this is inexcusable, the shelter should NEVER have let him or the other pups in his litter go to new homes. if he started showing symptoms within 2 hours of having him home, he was surely sickly while he was in their care. you are very lucky your little chi did not contract the disease. just the fact that i'm sure the chi is vaccinated does not necessarily mean that she couldn't have caught it. something you should be aware of now is that the parvo virus can live in the soil for up to one year. i don't know if you have taken the precautions necessary but in order to rid your home of the disease, EVERYTHING must be cleaned with bleach.

as for my house yes he currently in routines such as walking/eating/training. Does spend a fair amount of time in our backyard to play. not sure about his original owner nor can i be sure, obviously, but having seen this scenario countless times, my thought is that the mom and her litter lived in a kennel, most like outside. if the puppy was 8 weeks old when you got it, it was probably taken from it's mother at 7 weeks, tops. the first 10-12 weeks of a puppy's life is the MOST important time when he learns from his mother and his litter mates the proper way to behave. a puppy that was taken from it's mother too soon will almost always have a plethora of behavioral issues that, no matter how much we try to teach and train, we simply cannot do it the same way a mother dog can.

It was a "love at first sight" and there is nothing at all wrong with that!! the ideal situation, however, would be to visit a litter at 5-6 weeks of age, fall in love at first sight with a puppy, but leave it with it's mother at least until it's 8 weeks old, 10-12 weeks being ideal but we both/all know that isn't likely to happen unless you are buying from a reputable breeder.

did not get him him directly from a breeder, he was a rescue i applaud you and i thank you for rescuing!!! in that sense, you are my hero! :) however, as you are finding out now, there are just as many questionable rescues as there are bad breeders. take the above example of a pit with a bite history being adopted out to a woman who lived with her 90 year old mother.

now, as to the issue of what your pup's temperament will be like as he grows. simply put, we don't know and there is no way we can. what we can do is have him evaluated by a behaviorist. i know this will cost money, all things worthwhile do. but, with a 5 month old puppy already showing signs of aggression/guarding behavior, and especially considering his breed, this is not something the average dog owner (me included) is prepared to take on. a good behaviorist (or at least a professional trainer, at the very least) can watch your pup in different situations and will be able to evaluate what does or does not "set him off" and, assuming s/he determines that these behaviors are not already over the top, can give you training methods that you will be able to work on. i cannot stress this enough, the life of your chi depends on it. your pitty pup comes from a completely unknown background, one you will never know. that being said, he will grow into a powerful adult that, at the very least, could become hard to control, if not impossible. it only takes one second of your back being turned that he could go after your chi and as a powerful adult dog, i can 100% guarantee you, you would not be able to intervene before your chi is mortally wounded or already dead.

all of this advice, and my thoughts, may be 100% wrong and this guy could grow into a big, lovable lug of a dog that wouldn't hurt a fly but do you want to take that chance?

he is totally adorable!! i truly hope this can evolve into a situation where you end up with a well balanced adult dog that you can be proud of and have absolutely no fear of. and by the way, what's the little guy's name so i don't have to keep calling him "the pup"?? :)

Oh believe me. We literally went to "Parvo school" at the emergency hospital. I was floored to learn about how contagious it is and how long it lives in an environment (up to 3 yrs in grass!!) the issue with the SPCA is too long to type, it's a sad story with a happy ending. They basically dropped the ball BIG TIME.

The pittys name is Ty and the Chi is Annie.

I reached out to a trainer/behaviorialist to come by our house and do some consulting with us. Hopefully between what you've generously shared and what he can see/add in person we can grow on from this and get both pups on the right track.

i can't *like* this enough!! i wish you the very best of luck with the trainer!! please keep us updated and take lots of notes when he visits. when is he coming? and how about a picture of annie? :)

i know i said i'm not a trainer/behaviorist but i gotta brag just a little. i taught my danes something that comes in really handy, especially when i am too worn out to play with them.

i taught them to...are you sitting down?...SLEEP like they haven't slept in months! bwahahaha

Haha. That's adorable. That's something our two lovelys have done, cuddle up to each other so again, this issue we are having is shocking to us. But we will work through.

I couldn't find a good picture of Annie. This is best i have in my phone. Also included a funny one of Ty he loves to sleep awkwardly.

Great advice from Nina who amazes me with her vast knowledge.

Thank You Nina.

thank YOU, mama! my knowledge comes from other peoples' knowledge that i have soaked up over the many years i've been in rescue. i surely don't know it all because i learn new things every day!

annie is cutie patootie!! it's nice to know that she and ty curl up together. obviously, they have bonded which is great!

oh, sleeping positions? ha!! i could write a book. these are just a few of eden's...

when i got eden, the assembly instructions were in chinese. it took me 3 tries to get it right. this was my first try. i worked for hours and got SO frustrated! LOL

SUCCESS!!!! LOL

and not to be upstaged, destiny has her favorite place to crash, too. ;)

if it fitz, i sitz!

Good Luck!

Boy. They are quite the majestic animals :) good job!

destiny and olivia are both rescues. over 10 years, i have had 7 danes. eden is my most recent, she came to us last august. eden was retired from the show ring when she was offered to me.

i had been on this breeder's list for over 4 years, just waiting for her to fit the right dog to me and my lifestyle. when she offers a retired show girl to a forever home, she goes to great pains to make sure it will work. lots of people told me i was crazy to add a third female but i know my dogs, the breeder knows eden's personality, and we were both satisfied it would be a good fit. she took to life on the farm with her sisters in a heartbeat.

just weeks before eden came along, i had lost one of my rescue dane boys to a genetic heart condition at the tender age of 3.5 years. he had only been with us for 7 months. it was a very sudden and difficult loss for me and i had decided to take a break from rescue for a while as he was the third dane i had lost in a span of only 18 months, all to genetic issues. eden came along at the perfect time and now that i have that well-bred dane, all of my future ones will come from rescue. :)

@Zachary Taylor...Pitts are not inherently aggressive and dangerous. People should stop spreading the idea that they are. Many of the "pitt bull" attack stories are just that, stories. These reporters have no idea that the dog is genetically a pit bull; they make an assumption if the dog has a blocky head or is stout and muscular. Every ten years, the media decides to vilify another breed. First, it was dobermans. Then it was german shepherds. Now it's pitts. I have a rescue pitt and she gets along fine with our other dog, a Chow lab mix. If anything, the Chow is more dangerous as he has bitten her a few times due to him aging and being in pain. The issue here is that you are allowing them to be at your feet while you are eating. The chi is territorial because like sophie stated, you've indulged her. Many people seem to think that little dogs can't be dangerous but they can be because (many times) they are treated differently than the bigger dogs. Both dogs have to be trained better, as do you and your fiancee (no offense--I just don't want any dog to be negatively affected because their owners are not educated enough on their needs).

This is not my website, but I have referenced it many times for working with my pittie: http://pittiesincity.blogspot.com/

This is also a great read for training any dog: https://www.amazon.com/Dog-Sense-Science-Behavior-Better/dp/B0064X82SY

just bumping this thread to see how zachary is doing with his dogs. hopefully, he's had lots of training success and can report back. :)

Bump! :)