Hi all. I am new here. I have had one of my chi's for 4 years and she is just wonderful - the sweetest dog on earth. I recently adopted another chi so she would have a friend. He has been abused and neglected pretty much his whole life and his behavior is unpredictable. He has already bitten me twice but I know it is just bc he is scared. He is also very food aggressive. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could help put his mind at ease? I have to keep him and my other chi separated when I am not home but I would like to be able to let both of them have the run of the house! I also have housetraining questions. He has never been housetrained and when I take him outside on his leash, he just lays down in the grass because he is so scared. Any tips? Thanks so much!!!!!!

i would say a lot of patence and love.

One day at a time, this dog has to learn to trust you and the outside world.  Remember, everything is foreign to him.  Sadly, Chis can & do develop that big dog `tude and it can be very difficult to overcome.

As for the food aggression, the best way to overcome that is for you to feed him by hand.  Place a couple of kibble in his bowl, let him eat, then place a few more, and so on.  The idea is that hand near bowl GOOD...all GOOD things come from the hand.  It can be a slow & arduous process and you may get bit a few times until you overcome it.  Just remember, NEVER let the dog know you are scared of him, never hesitate when placing food in the bowl...dogs see this as insecure & will take the opportunity to dominate you (i.e., bite you).  NEVER end the exercise on the dog's note, you say when the exercise ends, and always try to end it on a happy note.  This same thing holds true for trimming nails, baths, brushing teeth, etc.