I have a 9-month Chihuahua puppy who recently became aggressive towards me. I know that the cause of his behavior is my own fault. What can I do to correct this?

Hello Mr. Frawley,



I am a college student that got a chihuahua puppy about 7 months ago for a companion. I live in a 1 bedroom condo in San Francisco. He's almost 9 months old now and lately he's been showing a lot of aggression towards me (growling and showing some teeth) when I pick him up or hold him. I've been at a loss of what to do and I heard to alpha roll him and so I have been but it's only seems to make things worse. He's very stubborn and persistent and I don't want to make him submit if it means hurting him. I've tried yelling and squirting him with water but that only makes him hide. I looked at your site and realized that he acts the way he does because I've let him get away with too much -- he sleeps with me, he leads the way out of doors and down stairs, I feed him scraps from the table... I feel even worse now knowing that it's my fault. What is the best thing I can do at this point? Since I looked at your site I've been putting him in his crate and ignoring him for a little bit to show I have control over him and his environment. I also completely stopped all the things that made him think he was the alpha male. He also barks at new people he meets and is very timid of other dogs and people. How can I help him socialize and be a friendly dog?



Thanks for your time, I greatly appreciate it.



John