Chihuahuas are one of America’s little darlings. Most Chihuahua owners are content with their pets as they are. They don’t give much thought about training them or improving their behavior, considering that they are so small and they seem incapable of inflicting harm. But cute and little as they are, they have a reputation of being aggressive and hardy. You need to train your them after all, and you need to do it while they are young.
Why You Should Know How to Train a Chihuahua
Chihuahuas have their own distinct ways. They have developed these traits for hundreds of years that they have been treated as personal pets. While it is good for dogs to be attached to their masters, this can also lead to aggression issues, especially if they are not provided with the necessary training and socializing classes.
Most Chihuahuas do not know that they are small, a large percentage of them act bigger than they actually are. This will put the it at risk for obvious reasons. These little creatures are known to be unfriendly and hostile against other dogs and kids. They easily get excited even with slight commotion.
How to Train a Chihuahua
The Chihuahua has a high sense of dominance. Being allowed to run freely in the house, it thinks that it is in control. If you want to train your Chihuahua, the very first thing you must do is to let it know that you are the alpha leader. Do not allow it to go just anywhere it likes. Establish boundaries and clearly define the places where it is not allowed to go. This will be clear enough to make the it learn that you are the one in control.
You should control its feeding times. Avoid giving it the chance to take control of its eating desires. Do not allow it to eat as it pleases, You should be the one to dictate when it is allowed to eat. This will make your it realize that somebody is in control and that it should submit, otherwise, its food will not come.
Exercise it two times per day to prevent it from getting bored. Choose which way to go. Do not allow it to dictate which direction you should take, as this can also trigger its sense of control. Use the leash as a signal that you are its leader.
Impose your leadership by not allowing the dog to go anywhere it wants, as it could give it a sense of control. Clearly impose boundaries and do not allow it to claim your space.
Do not caress your it each time you arrive or leave the house as this reinforces separation anxiety in them. You have to ignore it for at least 10 minutes. You can stroke it only when it calms down. This is a way to make it understand that good behavior is rewarded.
It takes an alpha leader to train a Chihuahua. They need to submit in order to remove their tendency to dominate.
Optimizing Mental Stimulation
Chihuahuas are small and they easily get tired, but most of them lack sufficient exercise because their owners don’t give them the chance. Stimulate it mentally by training it to perform basic commands like sit, stay, speak, quiet, fetch and other tricks.
You can train your Chihuahua by not allowing it challenge your authority. Teach it to perform basic commands to redirect its energy.
Stan Beck is an experienced dog training consultant whose free Dog Training Guide is an essential factor in improving your dog’s behavior. Find out how Stan Beck can help improve your dog’s behavior. Visit his website and get useful tips how to train your dogs the easy way.