Training Chihuahua puppies is challenging but rewarding. Even a tiny dog needs to learn good manners and obedience. A well-trained Chihuahua is a pleasure to own and to meet, and is welcome in many places where dogs typically are not permitted. An untrained Chihuahua, however, can become a tiny tyrant, terrorizing its family with yaps and nips while ignoring commands. To avoid the latter outcome, start training your Chihuhua puppy the day it joins your family and practice obedience training each and every day throughout its life.
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How to Reward Chihuahua Puppies
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Giving an appropriate reward to a Chihuahua puppy is challenging, to say the least. A puppy weighing only a few pounds is likely to have a very small appetite. A few treats will result in a puppy who is full and no longer interested in training. Not only that, but a Chihuahua puppy given too many treats will eat less of its regular, balanced diet, and may develop nutritional deficiencies as a result.
Fortunately, there's an easy and creative solution to this problem. You'll need a long wooden spoon dipped in peanut butter, baby food or cream cheese. Reward your Chihuahua puppy during training with a single lick of the spoon. This allows you to give frequent rewards for up to 15 minutes without filling the puppy up or causing it to lose interest in its regular meals.
Teaching Behaviors to a Chihuahua Puppy
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Now that you have a way to reward your Chihuahua puppy, it's time to start teaching learned behaviors. Use a clicker or a distinctive word like "Okay!" as a bridge signal that marks the exact moment when the puppy has performed the right behavior.
The bridge signal tells your puppy, "That was right, and a treat is coming!" Give the puppy a lick from your treat spoon within one to two seconds of the bridge signal for optimal effect. Scientific studies have shown that a bridge signal is more effective than simply giving praise or treats for good behavior.
A good first behavior for a small dog is touching a target. Choose a long object easily held in one hand as your target or purchase a dog-training target, available at most brick-and-mortar or online pet supply stores. Good household objects for use as targets include rulers and spatulas.
Hold the target out and wait for your puppy to make a move toward it. Even flicking one ear in the direction of the target counts! When your puppy makes even the slightest move toward the target, use your bridge signal and offer a treat. Continue to reward any motion toward the target until either the puppy learns to touch the target for a treat or until he or she begins to lose interest in the activity.
Be patient. You may need to repeat this lesson over several short training sessions before your puppy understands that you want him or her to touch the target for a treat. Once this behavior is mastered, teaching other behaviors will be easier. You can build on targeting to teach other fun tricks like making a figure-eight or jumping a small obstacle. You can also use the target for practical reasons, such as training your Chihuahua puppy to hold its nose on the target while its nails are trimmed.
Ongoing Training for Chihuahua Puppies
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If you keep your training sessions short and fun, your Chihuahua will always be left wanting to learn more. Contrary to popular belief, Chihuahuas are smart and bold by nature, not recalcitrant and timid. It's due to a lack of training and socialization that some Chihuahuas seem unwilling to learn. If you start early, your Chihuahua can learn almost anything a big dog can learn. Just scale the activities down. For example, instead of pulling a dog cart, you could teach your Chihuahua to pull a doll's carriage.
A Chihuahua that is well-behaved and knows a few cute tricks such as "Wave Bye-Bye" or "Say Your Prayers" can go almost anywhere with you. Canine sports are also an option for Chihuahuas. Despite their small size, they can excel in Teacup Agility, Canine Freestyle, Rally Obedience or Flyball. Chihuahuas also make excellent therapy dogs for children or the elderly.
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