It doesn’t matter that the Chihuahua puppy has a small mouth, she’s got teeth. And is able to bite quite hard. Before her milk teeth fall out and her adult teeth grow in, your Chihuahua’s teeth are quite sharp. Adding to your problem is the very nature of a puppy. These guys are very oral creatures and like to explore their environments with their mouths.
Sometimes they can go too far. They bite a little too hard, enough to even draw blood. The best way to stop this hard play is to do what one of your Chi’s littermates would have done. Yelp. Loudly. And then turn your back on the puppy and ignore her. There is absolutely nothing worse for a sociable Chihuahua than not to be able to play with someone she loves.
If after yelping and ignoring your puppy she still is attempting to bite you, calmly lift her up and put her in time out, which is her crate. Many times a puppy will bite when she is particularly excited, so placing her in her crate will help her to calm down. If she knows a few commands, you can say, “Aah!” when she bites (distracting her temporarily) and then give her the “Sit” or “Down” command (to initiate new behavior) and reward her for this good behavior.
Another option is to give her something to hold in her mouth. For example, it’s not uncommon for a puppy to go wildly happy when you come home. Often times these wild greetings include puppy bites to the ankles, toes, and outstretched hands. You don’t want to discourage your puppy’s enthusiasm; however, this is not the type of greeting you want to encourage. If the puppy has something in her mouth, she can still wriggle around and show you how much she loves you, but she can’t bite.
The easiest way to occupy your pup’s mouth in a constructive manner is to keep a few small latex dog toys by the front door – or wherever else you might receive an over exuberant greeting. Make sure the toys are something that the Chihuahua enjoys playing with and will want to have in her mouth. Before she can take a nip at you, offer her the toy and say the command, “Take It!” when she has the toy in her mouth. Praise her and give her lots of pats.
It is important to interrupt the act before giving your puppy a good behavior command. If you don’t have this time pause between when the pup has stopped mounting and the moment you give the command, your puppy may actually think she’s being rewarded for the mounting behavior.
Jumping Up
What harm can an excited, jumping Chihuahua cause that would make you wish you’d worked on training her not to jump up on you or other people? Let’s consider a couple of scenarios.
Scenario 1: You’ve just dressed for work, you’re in a hurry, and your Chihuahua comes barreling into your room and starts jumping up on you, succeeding in: a) tearing your hose or scratching your legs, b) snagging your slacks, c) getting your clothing dirty, or d) tripping you.
Scenario 2: Your friend comes over to visit and brings her young niece. Your Chi is very excited and starts jumping up on the little girls, succeeding in: a) scratching the little girl, b) toppling her over, c) tearing or otherwise messing up her clothes, or d) biting her on the hands, which she is flapping around because the dog is jumping up.
There are three solutions to getting puppies to stop jumping up. First, ignore the jumping and the Chihuahua until the dog calms down. If jumping up doesn’t get your Chi the attention she wants, she won’t do it. Second, exercise her more. If your Chihuahua puppy gets enough exercise, she’ll have less energy bottled up and will be much calmer.
Third, provide an alternate behavior. When your Chihuahua is most likely to jump up, give her the “Sit” command or put her in a sit-stay. Reward this behavior. It won’t be long before you’ll find that your Chihuahua will automatically give you the good behavior in instances in which she normally would have jumped up on you. Reward her!
Begging
Who can resist those beautiful brown eyes? You can, unless you want your three pound Chihuahua to become a small nine pound table, as broad as she is tall. She may look as if she is starving every time you are eating something; however, if you are feeding her correctly, she is getting all the nutrition and calories she needs.
Breaking down and giving in to those soulful eyes will only serve to escalate your Chi’s begging. Next it will be pawing, and then it will be whining, crying, and barking.
The solution? You can do one of several things, and all will involve ignoring your Chihuahua. First, don’t give in, and don’t reward your Chihuahua with attention of any kind for begging. Second, you can put your Chi in her crate with an activity toy or favorite chew to keep her busy. Third, if your Chi is good with her commands, you can put her in a down-stay for the duration of your meal.
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