Guide on raising Chihuahua Puppies Successfully
It will be easier for your Chihuahua puppy to interact with others in a healthy way if you train it. This article offers advice on how to successfully train your Chihuahua puppy.
How to train a Chihuahua puppy
Follow the guidelines below to successfully train your Chihuahua Puppy:
1. Housetrain your puppy
When teaching your dog, this is the first issue that needs to be addressed. Teaching your dog where to discharge itself is known as “housetraining.”
One way of housebreaking is crate training. To teach your dog that crates and cages are cozy and secure spaces, take baby steps at first.
Smaller dogs have a tendency to stay out of their cages, so crating teaches them to hold it and only go outside when they need to. Treats should be given to your puppy to reinforce the behavior when they start to relieve themselves outside.
Puppy pads can be used to clean up any accidents caused by indoor bathroom breaks all over the house. Pee pads absorb smells and don’t smell as awful as litter boxes.
2. Socialize Your Chihuahua puppy
To acclimate your Chihuahua to seeing other people and animals, it is advisable to take them to public areas like parks, street corners, and restaurant patios.
A puppy’s lack of sufficient socialization can cause timid behavior, auditory sensitivity, and reactivity, especially in petite, neurotic breeds like Chihuahuas.
3. Follow a regular feeding schedule
Every dog breed has this tendency, but it’s especially true of the smaller ones. But be careful, as little dogs are more likely to become obese if they overeat.
By following a feeding schedule, you may establish yourself as the pack leader while also keeping your puppy healthy. As soon as they acknowledge you as the pack leader, they will readily agree to your choice of when to feed them.
4. Teach them basic commands
Use brief, forceful commands while teaching your dog new tricks to help him distinguish between commands and everyday speech.
Start with the fundamental instructions, such as “sit,” “halt,” and “heel.” When your dog obeys an order, treat them and give them lots of praise.
5. Curb excessive barking
Chihuahuas bark in response to outside disturbances like squirrels, larger dogs, or visitors at the door, like the majority of small breed dogs do.
Barking isn’t always a terrible thing, but you can curb a dog of habitual excessive barking by diverting them or altering their surroundings. Playing movies or audio recordings of dogs barking will help your Chihuahua become less sensitive to the sound.
6. Work with a dog trainer
Even while you can teach your puppy many fundamental instructions, a professional dog trainer can offer further help.
A trainer will observe the particular behaviors of your puppy and offer guidance on how to proceed with obedience training, tackling anxiety and behavioral issues, and raising a healthy, content dog.
Challenges you may encounter while training Chihuahua Puppies
The dog is highly spirited, which makes teaching them challenging. First off, the dog breed needs a lot of attention, especially when they’re not happy.
They frequently exhibit possessiveness and clinginess. If you don’t give them the attention they want, they could growl, bite, or nip at you. During the canine training process, give your Chihuahua lots of mental and physical stimulation to help them concentrate on learning.
Additionally, using specialized tools is necessary due to the small size. They can wriggle out of anything that doesn’t fit perfectly because of their small bodies and necks. Instead of using a choke collar, which can be uncomfortable, use a lightweight cotton or nylon collar or harness.
Chihuahuas have a tendency to chew up things. Chihuahuas experience separation anxiety, boredom, frustration, or despair much like other dog breeds, which is typically shown by destructive chewing.
Dog-proofing your home, giving your puppy lots of chew toys, and making sure they receive lots of exercises can all help you handle this problem.
tips for raising Chihuahua Puppies Successfully
Here are some pointers to assist you in training a young puppy or modifying an older dog’s behavior:
Note the breed’s traits
Since chihuahuas are naturally dominant and stubborn as well as highly bright and independent, you must establish yourself as the pack leader. When they see you as the leader, though, they are eager to please you.
Be Patient and Consistent
It takes time and effort to train a chihuahua that is stubborn. Expect to perform each step numerous times because repetition is the key to effective dog training.
To promote information retention, aim for brief (15 minutes) training sessions and take lots of pauses.
Use their favorite toys
Chihuahuas enjoy playing, so rewarding them with their preferred toy is a great method to reinforce good behavior. Positive reinforcement is used during playtime to motivate your dog to continue behaving well.
have their favorite treats on hand
Whenever your Chihuahua performs a task effectively, praise them with a dog treat. Given that most dogs are food-driven, a small treat will motivate them to maintain their good behavior.
Read Also: Guide on raising French Bulldog Puppies Successfully
