Chihuahua Training Guide

Many of the people who have experience with training this small breed emphasize that force training is a bad method to use. Instead, focusing on positive reinforcement will go a long way in training the Chihuahua. Some key things to keep in mind as you try to move your Chihuahua toward the behavior you want to see is that: punishment does not work.

With this breed, being timid, harsh training will only instill fear. Your best option for training success is to focus on the positive; guiding the dog toward the behavior, you want to achieve, using praise and tiny treats.

 

Chihuahua Training Guide

The Chihuahua is a tiny dog that makes a good companion, but this breed is also known as courageous, proud, and very lively. The dog will show intense loyalty to its owner, in fact sometimes bordering on jealousy. Keep in mind that many Chihuahua owners have found the pet will follow them closely when strangers are around, a habit that can be hard to break. While the Chihuahua does relatively well with other dogs, early socialization, slow introduction, and training will help.

The Chihuahua is a curious and sometimes mischievous breed and can clutter the house with torn papers and other items if the owner allows the pet to become master of the house. To get the dog to stop this type of manipulation, you will need to ensure rooms are blocked off but also, that the dog is worked with to understand the behavior is not acceptable.

For this, use a firm, but loving voice while showing the Chihuahua the mess, saying “No”. Training of this breed follows a fine line, being a strong willed breed but also one that becomes embarrassed easily.

Other owners and experts report that the Chihuahua can be difficult to train, though they are very intelligent and usually learn quickly. One of the greatest challenges of owning this breed has to do with housebreaking. For some reason, the Chihuahua tends to be a slow learner. Although eager to please its master, potty training can be a frustrating process. To reach the goal, you need to use crate training, along with a lot of patience and consistency. Once the Chihuahua “gets it”, you can be certain it would rather die than have an accident in the house.

 

 

Although it may seem odd for such a tiny dog ever to show aggression toward other animals, it can. To help in this situation behavioral and obedience training is advised. The problem is that the Chihuahua does not like to share its family. Some obedience training to keep the Chihuahua from wanting to rush to the door barking when you have visitors, even showing its teeth to strangers is a good idea. Again, a firm but positive and consistent guidance will most often work with the Chihuahua that displays this kind of behavior.

Some Chihuahua owners have had to work with their new pet to control the amount of barking or “yapping” by the dog, which can be annoying to the family and visitors alike. Sometimes, just a firm “quiet!” can work if it is said consistently and with confidence that you are in control.

In addition to these basic techniques, other Chihuahua owners will tell you that obedience classes are not always a good idea for smaller dogs and breeds with the temperament of a Chihuahua. Instead, you would probably do best to learn proper training methods and then applying them yourself.

 

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