Before bringing home a newly adopted Chihuahua, make sure that you lock away all the common household items that could present some dangers to your dog. Some of the necessary tasks of puppy-proofing a house or apartment are quite similar to those of expectant parents preparing their home for a baby’s arrival. Like babies, young […]
Although this breed is highly adaptable, one thing to which a Chihuahua should not have to adjust is being alone for extended periods of time. Does this mean you are not a suitable Chihuahua owner if you work? Certainly not. For most people work is a necessary part of life. Americans work more than anyone […]
Teaching your Chihuahua to respond to basic commands is the obvious benefit of training. Including these training skills into your daily life will make your interaction with your dog a success!! For example, perhaps your Chihuahua regularly launches into a barking frenzy when the doorbell rings. Chihuahuas are naturally territorial, and this may have begun […]
The difference between practicing obedience skills with your Chihuahua at home or as part of a class and competing in formal obedience trials may be subtle to some owners, while quite significant to others. Your perspective may largely depend on both your own personality and the general temperament of your dog. A Chihuahua should be […]
You can save money by purchasing the right Chihuahua supplies. Shopping for your puppy’s supplies in advance gives you an opportunity to compare prices and select the right size or design. Online retailers usually offer the most competitive prices and the largest selection. However, it can be tricky to correctly estimate the proper size of […]
Once you have decided on a Chihuahua, you must narrow down your choice. The breed standard will guide you through some of these decisions. These official descriptions formulated by each breed’s national parent club provide detailed explanations of ideal traits and serious faults. No Chihuahua is perfect, but the standard gives you a clear idea […]
Most people assume that a dog that guards her resources – like food, bones, chews, toys, or stolen goods – is a very bad, dominant, aggressive dog. Precisely the opposite is usually true. Usually, and this is most obvious in a pack of dogs, the alpha Chihuahua doesn’t need to guard her resources from the […]
Down: When you need Dinky to stay in one place for a long time, you can’t expect him to sit or stand. This is when the down command really comes in handy. Begin teaching the down command to your Chihuahua in the sitting position. Say “Dinky, down.” Then show him a tidbit, and move it […]
Educating your Chihuahua can never begin too early or too late. With a very young puppy, train for even shorter time periods than you would an adult. The exercises every Chihuahua should eventually know are sit, down, stay, come, and heel. These exercises will be demonstrated with the help of a budding Chihuahua genius named […]
Even Chihuahuas need to be trained. A well-trained dog is a safer and happier dog. Around the house you may need your dog to stay while you leave the door open for a moment, to sit out of the way while you prepare his dinner, to lie down while you groom him, or to come […]
If you have other pets, they should also be included in your Chihuahua’s socialization program. If your Chihuahua is a puppy, begin socializing him to other species as young as possible. Puppies are far more willing to form friendships with other species. If these introductions are made during his intensive socialization period between 8 and […]
Every dog has the instinctive potential to be fearful or aggressive, and situations will arise when fight or flight are the best options. This can be especially true if you happen to be the smallest individual in a particular encounter, which is generally the case for Chihuahuas. However, many Chihuahuas resort to these extreme reactions […]
Communicating with your Chihuahua is extremely important when it comes to training your puppy. To understand how a dog communicates can be crucial in our training efforts. Voice. Dogs are extremely sensitive to human vocal tones. Although your Chihuahua doesn’t have the capacity to understand English, his ability to understand you can easily give this […]
Even the best Chihuahuas with the best owners can sometimes do the worst things. Too often distraught owners get their training advice from the next-door neighbor or dog trainers who don’t have a scientific background in dog behavior. Veterinarians can sometimes offer advice, but few are extensively trained in behavior. Fortunately, great strides have been […]
Litter box or paper training your Chihuahua can be the ideal solution. Puppy pads are readily available, and will absorb the urine, making it easy to dispose of. Litter box training has also becoming much more common for small dogs and can be used much like a cat litter box. The puppy pad or litter […]
There’s a few things to look for when it comes to signs of a healthy Chihuahua. The following describes four signs you can monitor: Gum Color: The simplest yet most overlooked checkpoint is your dog\’92s gum color. Looking at the gums is so simple, yet virtually no one does it – except your veterinarian, who […]
Your Chihuahua looks at you with big sad eyes. A subtle whine, some barking and perhaps a hopeful tail wag when you look his way, or a paw scratching on your leg. Someone has done a “great” job on how to train a Chihuahua not to beg. That’s right, poor table manners were learned, initially […]
After your Chihuahua is sitting still and relaxed for more than a second, you should start to teach him how to lay down. Not only is it a more comfy position for your Chihuahua for an extended period of time, but your Chihuahua is also less likely to pop out of position without being released. […]
There’s a few ways to train a Chihuahua to potty outside. First thing in the morning take her to that quiet location that you previously scouted out for suitability. Your puppy should be leashed and escorted to the potty spot, as puppies get easily distracted and will “forget” that they had to go. Use a […]
The quickest behavior to get under control is a sit. With a good sit comes a solid stay. After all, what good is it if your Chihuahua hits the floor like a champ, but can’t hold it long enough for it to be a useful skill? But first let’s see how you can teach a […]
When new Chihuahua owners think about training their puppy, the first thing they think about is a group obedience class. Though that may be good for some puppies for a variety of reasons, you have some other options that might be better. Here’s a few ideas to find a training program for your Chihuahua. The […]
It can be difficult to narrow down what your Chihuahua really needs to know, and overwhelming to know where to start. There are dozens of potential skills and tricks you could teach, but how do you know what you should start with, and what is really necessary? It is a good idea to start training […]
Understanding how to apply positive reinforcement training to your Chihuahua can be overwhelming when you just want a well behaved, well adjusted companion. Not everyone wants to master an entire scientific discipline, they just want a pet they can live with. With that in mind, the following basic principles can address most issues that will […]
Behaviorists identify up to fifteen different kinds of aggression in dogs. An important point to remember is that aggressive behavior serves a function to the aggressor and is therefore reinforced when conflict happens and the outcome is in his favor. However, this also means aggressive behaviors can be changed, and more appropriate behaviors can become […]
There are many mistaken assumptions about how dogs really learn: It’s all in the voice (usually, deep, loud, and booming); you need to show them who’s the boss (by rolling them on their back to make them submit); endless repetitions (often with “corrections” for wrong behavior); old dogs can’t learn new tricks; and so on. […]
Clicker training refers to training using operant conditioning principles, using a behavior marker linked to positive reinforcement of high value. Clicker trainers routinely leave out negative reinforcement and positive punishment, due to the unwanted side effects of inhibiting behavior and forming negative associations with the trainer. Of course, not all behavior makers are created equal. […]
You can assume that your Chihuahua’s behavior has some sort of intention, as crazy as that might seem sometimes. Social behavior or signals that are directed at people or other dogs, with intention, is communication. Chihuahuas routinely communicate to their two-legged family members, using a range of signals, including playful, fearful, and aggressive communication. How […]
There is a wide array of aggressive behaviors that any Chihuahua has the potential to exhibit. Ethologists identify over a dozen different kinds of aggression, ranging from maternal aggression, the hormonally mediated defense of offspring, to food-related aggression, a subset of resource guarding. Defining the term itself is complex and controversial, and its definition […]
There is no such thing as “best dog diet”. Each dog responds differently on different type of diet. Healthful foods should meet certain parameters, but the food you choose must also agree with your individual dog. What provides one dog with vibrant health and energy may not do so for another. Here is some of […]
Thinking of introducing raw food to your Chihuahua’s menu options? Here are the pros and cons. The growing trend of feeding uncooked meat and vegetables to our dogs has resulted in a whole refrigerated section full of new options. The appeal? Less processing and fewer mystery ingredients. But there’s a downside: the potential for pups […]
Prepare to lose at least one good pair of shoes. Chihuahua puppies are endearing and curious, and they love to chew! Just like their human counterparts, Chihuahuas go through a teething stage and then, a little later on, an even more rambunctious “teenager” phase. These stages are an absolutely normal and healthy part of […]
Here’s a few tips on how to introduce the crate to your Chihuahua: Start slowly. Toss a treat into the crate, let your Chihuahua run in to get it and come out immediately. Praise and give her another treat. Get the Chihuahua interested in playing with a toy, then toss the toy into the crate. […]
Food is the strongest driving force for animals in the natural world. Of course, most dogs are happy to munch on what their owner provides on a regular basis and occasionally supplement it with what they hunt (find around the house). Unfortunately, many puppies are not taught from day one that you have the […]
Avoiding common dog handling mistakes can make all the difference in the world to a dog’s life. By setting up the home properly and abiding by a few time-tested principles, you can prevent disharmony and ensure a loving partnership that benefits all. The following ten bad owner habits are common errors pet behaviorists often […]
Before starting the house training process, it is important to realize that from the perspective of new puppies or untrained dogs, there is no good reason why they should not potty inside the home. It is up to people to give their dogs the tools they need to succeed in a domestic world, that […]
Does your Chihuahua desperately scratch the door to pieces whenever you go out? Does he cower and shake with every clap of thunder? Every dog carries his own set of personality traits – likes, dislikes, wants and fears. But certain dogs carry more fear and tend to be anxious, easily excites and sometimes just […]
There’s a few training methods you can use, to deal with unwanted dog jumping. Find below the most common methods, to correct this bad habit: Redirecting Unwanted Greetings If your dog loves retrieving games with toys or balls, take one with you to the park. For the first ten lessons, make sure the dog […]
So how to stop a dog from jumping up at you or at your visitors? Dogs seems to be obsessed with face-to-face contact, wanting to lick and nudge our faces and mouths with theirs. This is rather like our preoccupation with shaking people’s hands when we meet them. Between dogs this is an important […]
There’s a few things you can do to prevent play biting in dogs. From day one, avoid playing any games that involve mouthing. If your puppy tries to solicit attention from you by play biting, ignore him. Just get up and walk away. Alternatively, take hold of the puppy by the scruff and say […]
In this post we’re going to talk about some different techniques you can use to prevent dog attacks. Every park user, whether a human or a dog, has a right to go for a walk without being bothered by unsupervised or uncontrolled dogs. A dog coming wildly toward you might be friendly and have […]
Here’s few general tips on how to deal with an aggressive dog in different situations: Don’t take a fear-aggressive dog to places where there is a high concentration of dogs, like dog clubs or play areas, if you’re trying to socialize it. This will increase your dog’s anxiety, not lessen it. Don’t use physical […]
Many dog owners are asking the same question: why is my dog aggressive? Let’s look in more detail at the many factors that can contribute to or exacerbate aggression in dogs. Lack Of Socialization This cause of aggression is very common. It’s comes about because of poor socialization between six and twelve weeks of […]
Dogs that are aggressive toward other dogs, irrespective of sex, size, or breed, tend to be motivated by a sense of fear. Specific aggression toward dogs of the same gender usually tends to be of the dominant type and can be stimulated by competition coupled with a strong inherited drive to be in charge. […]
Usually the main cause of dog aggressions toward visitors is based on fear, see them as a threat to their safety – they often feel trapped or view a visit as an intrusion on their territory. Dominant dogs often push forward to inspect or bite or nip the visitor; fear driven dogs can react […]
Preventing aggression in dogs is much easier than correcting it later on. There are many different reasons why puppies display aggressive behavior, but all aggressive dogs should be handled with the help of a professional. Aggression in dogs can occur when they trying to escape from a frightening situation. When puppies are not socialized […]
