For a little over a year, i have been living with my boyfriend and his mothr. My boyfriends mother has a 5 or 6 year old chiwawa named Ziggy. This dog is the only dog in the house, however there is an elderly cat who ziggy loves to chase around the house. She'll be just sitting or laying down on the floor and when he see's her his ears go up and he chases her out of the room, and if he see's someone, like me, my boyfriend, or my boyfriends mother pay any kind of attention to the cat, he automaticaly comes around and steals the attention away from her. Thats just the beginning, this dog is extremely food agressive. When he is given a treat, sometimes he will go and hide it which is fine, but there was an incident when i was laying on the couch and he comes up to lay with me. He sometimes digs a little to make a comfy spot for himself on the couch in the blankets, so he was doing that and about 6 minutes later he was still doing that under that blanket, so i stuck my hand under the blanket slowly to lift it so i could see what he was doing and he bit me. Later on that night he did the same thing to my boyfriends mother. (turnes out there was some of the cats treat between the cushions) Then if my boyfriend is sitting on the couch and i want to join him, i tell the dog to get off the couch. When he doesnt listen to what i'm telling him, i gently scooch him off the couch, where he will start growling at me, and then my boyfriend will tell me that me that the dog doesnt like that and that i should leave the dog alone. (I have had dogs all my life and i have never deemed it OK for a dog to threaten or be agressive with a human in any way) Then when we sit down to eat, i make the dog go lay down in his bed so he wont beg. Devon (my boyfriend) disagrees with this also, and tells me this when I make the dog go lay down. (the dog does see this behavior from Devon) Devon and I were sitting on the floor one evening watching a movie, and ziggy was on devons lap. I gently rested my hand on devons leg and ziggy started growling at me and whent to bite me. I firmly patted the dog on the head and said no. Then I told ziggy to go lay down. Devon immediately picked ziggy up and started comforting him, because devon thinks that its ok when a dog is agressive and thats his baby and he feels like he needs to soothe him. Where as I beleive that by him showing affection to ziggy immediatly after an agressive eppisode, he is nurturing ziggys agressiveness, and and by doing that he's basically telling the dog that its ok to bite me and growl at me. i should probably also add that ziggy is only this agressive with me. He does not display this behavior to Devon or his mother. If devon and I have company over, ziggy will come and be curious and say hi to everyone and stand or sit on their laps, however if they pet him for too long then ziggy will growl at them. (I tell him no when i see this behavior and have him go lay in his bed, but sometimes devon will again, call ziggy to him and comfort him and show him afection) Another way ziggy is food agressive, is there will be times when devon or I will put a small peice of fat or meat in his bowl, as a small treat. Sometimes the juice from the meat will get all over his food and the dog will not stop eating. I dont want ziggy to get sick so, I take his food away, but when i get close he tries to bite me and i have to scooch him away with a pan so i can get his food away from him so he wont get sick. I think that the reason that ziggy is this way with me is because, he is devons buddy, and when i'm not there ziggy get all of his attention, however when i am there ziggy doesnt get all of his attention. So honestly i beleive that the dog is jelous. Ziggy is also agressive with other dogs. The reason i am asking for help is because devon and I are expecting a baby, and when the baby comes in 3 months ziggy wont be getting verry much attention at all from anyone because the baby will be the center of attention, and i am affraid that ziggy will not only be agressive with me but he will also be agressive with my baby and i want to figure out a way for my baby to see her grandma without having to lock the dog in a room while we are there with the baby. Any advice would be fantastic, Please help me.
ADA:Keep i mind that this is not my dog, this is my boyfriends mothers dog and she wont allow confiinement, there is also no way to keep the dog outside, she lives in a condo.
