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 when you call. Dog training is not a matter of making a servant out of your dog – after all, no self-respecting Chihuahua would stand for that.
Instead, training should be a way of strengthening the bond between you and your dog by helping your dog understand what you are trying to tell him. When you train your Chihuahua the right way, both of you will look forward to spending a special time of learning together. Your job is to make training exciting and rewarding, incorporating play and using lots of toys and treats for rewards.
Using Training As a Game
Chihuahuas learn best both when they are thinking and when they are having fun. That’s why the old fashioned methods using force training make for slow progress – or none at all. The best Chihuahua trainers know how to make training into a challenging, but always winnable game.
Despite their size, Chihuahuas can be tough. They don’t like being pushed around, and they are apt to respond to such insulting methods with defiance. In the old days when force-training methods were the accepted way, such dogs were labeled as stubborn and stupid. Professional trainers knew better. They could train such dogs to do just about anything because they didn’t use force-training methods.
They knew that to get a thinking dog to do what you wanted, it also had to be what the dog wanted. One way to do that is with the use of food and play as rewards.
Food as Reward: Professional animal trainers and animal-learning scientists have shown that food training is highly effective. Food is used initially to guide the dog and later as a reward. The dog is then gradually weaned from getting a food reward for each correct response but, instead, is rewarded only at random correct responses. This random pay off is the same psychology very effectively used to induce people to put money into slot machines.
Timing: Great dog trainers have great timing. The crux of training is anticipation. A dog comes to anticipate that after hearing a command, he will be rewarded if he performs some action, and he will eventually perform this action without further assistance from you. Your timing is everything. Remember the following sequence:
1. Name: Alert your dog that your next words are directed toward him by preceding commands with his name.
2. Command: Always use the same word in the same tone.
3. Action: Don’t simultaneously place the dog into position as you say the command, which negates the predictive value of the command. Instead, give the dog time to assimilate your command, then get him to perform the desired action.
4. Reward: As soon as possible after the dog has performed correctly should come a signal (“Good!”) followed by a reward.
The sooner a reward follows an action, the better the association. Rewarding a dog instantly is often difficult. You can do the next best thing by immediately signaling the dog a reward is coming. The best way to do this is with a noticeable sound the dog does not otherwise hear in everyday life, such as a special word or sound. This special signal is given immediately after the correct action and just before the reward.
In summary, the proper timing sequence would be “Dinky” – pause – “Sit” – pause – (give him the treat).
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