Chihuahuas have a reputation of being biters, and that reputation is not entirely undeserved. The breed has a tendency to become snappy; however, that doesn̵7;t mean you should accept your Chihuahua̵7;s biting behavior. The key to stopping your Chihuahua from biting is to identify the reason the dog is biting and then take steps to make the necessary changes--or do the necessary training--to keep your Chihuahua from biting.
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Medical Issues
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Before going any further with trying to determine why your Chihuahua is biting, you should take your dog to a veterinarian for a complete checkup. Warn the veterinarian in advance that the dog bites. The veterinary staff may have you muzzle the dog for part of the examination. If the Chihuahua has a medical issue, or is in any kind of pain, this could be causing the biting and aggression.
Teething
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If your Chihuahua is younger than 9 months the biting may not be an aggressive behavior. It̵7;s likely the dog is simply going through a stage all dogs go through--teething. However, this is the time to teach your dog that biting is not acceptable. If your Chihuahua puppy bites a person or another animal, hold her mouth closed, tell her ̶0;no bite̶1; and re-direct her to an appropriate chew toy. If you are consistent in this training, the dog should soon learning that biting is not acceptable. At this age, it is especially important not play tug-of-war or wrestling games with your Chihuahua. This encourages the puppy to think that biting is acceptable.
Training
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Training your Chihuahua not to bite requires consistency. As you form a bond with your dog, the dog will want your attention more than she wants anything else. If your Chihuahua bites you, yelp and then ignore the dog. Do this every time the Chihuahua nips, snaps or attempt to bite. When the dog is calm and not biting, praise her lavishly and give her treats. She will soon come to realize that she gets the behavior she wants from you when she is not biting. Never hit your dog or yell at her because she bites. This does nothing to change the behavior, destroys the bond you have with your dog and is likely to cause an increase in the biting behavior.
Self-Defense
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Because Chihuahuas are such small dogs, they are constantly encountering a world in which everything and everybody is bigger than them. It may be that your dog is biting out of a misplaced sense of self-defense, especially if there is a history of abuse in the dog̵7;s past. With a dog that bites out of fear, building trust slowly and with patience is the only means of stopping the behavior. Socializing your dog to accept strangers without biting may never be possible and you may have to take precautions when the Chihuahua is encountering people with whom he has not yet bonded.
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