Free Tips for How to Train Chihuahuas

Classified as a toy breed by the American Kennel Club, Chihuahuas are the smallest of dogs. Although they weigh only six pounds at their heaviest, these dogs are resilient, intelligent and stubborn. Chihuahuas have a self-important attitude and are self-reliant and confident. Many owners overlook training Chihuahuas because of their small size. However, this breed's independent personality requires training to avoid behavior problems such as chewing or aggression, which are irritating and dangerous, even in small breeds.

  1. Your Training Attitude

    • The first thing you should remember about training your Chihuahua is that your attitude needs to be positive. Chihuahuas do not respond well to anger or frustration, but staying upbeat and happy will encourage your dog to follow your lead. Treat training like a game. The more excited you are to teach, the more excited your dog will be to learn. Always keep treats available to reward your dog when it follows a command correctly. This encourages it to try again. You should start by rewarding your Chihuahua when it tries to follow instructions, even if it doesn't know how to complete the command. As it gets more and more comfortable with your commands, you can give fewer treats.

    Train on a Shedule

    • Some training, such as potty training, will require you to work with your Chihuahua 24 hours a day. To teach obedience commands, however, you should develop a schedule. Training sessions should never be longer than 5 to 10 minutes because Chihuahuas are intelligent and learn quickly. Your Chihuahua will get bored and lose interest in longer training sessions. Holding two or three regular sessions a day will reinforce your commands in your Chihuahua's mind and help it to remember what it learns. Choose one or two tricks to practice. If you force your dog to learn too many commands at once it will only get confused.

    Be Consistent

    • Consistency has two parts. The first requires you to choose a training method and stick with it. Don't use rewards at one training session and punishments at the next. This will only confuse your Chihuahua. The second part of consistency is enforcing the rules of the house. Chihuahuas should be given rules to follow because they are independent and will make their own rules if given the chance. Chihuahuas are very sure of themselves. They will take control of the house if they don't recognize you as a leader. Once you make a rule, you must enforce it all the time. Don't allow the dog in the kitchen one day and expect it to stay out the next.

    Start with Basics

    • Every Chihuahua should learn at least four commands. These are sit, down, stay and come. You can teach these alongside potty training and the rules of the house. They are the basic foundation of a well-mannered dog. Fortunately, they are also the easiest commands to teach because they involve movements that come naturally to your dog.

    Vary Your Location

    • It is important to start training your Chihuahua in an area without distractions, such as your bedroom or living room. Move your training sessions outside when your dog can follow commands consistently in the house. Birds or other distractions in the backyard add difficulty to your training sessions. When the distractions in the yard are no longer a problem, take your dog to a park and continue training there. This will help increase your Chihuahua's focus and teach it to follow your commands more reliably in distracting situations. Due to their small size, Chihuahuas can get themselves into trouble if they refuse to listen. A confident Chihuahua might pick a fight with a much larger dog, which can lead to injury or even death. It is your responsibility to teach your Chihuahua to respond to your commands in distracting or even dangerous situations.