With just eight simple commands, you can literally change even the most mischievous, destructive Chihuahua into a very special family companion. A Chihuahua that recognises these fundamental commands is not only more obedient but also more alert, waiting for your next command. Tasks provide the Chihuahua with a mental challenge, and the trained Chihuahua not only enjoys training sessions but also forms a very strong bond with her owner. A well-trained Chihuahua is an excellent canine companion.
The Well-Mannered Chihuahua Is Welcome.
One of the most common reasons dogs of any breed end up in shelters and pounds is because their owners did not provide basic training to their dogs when they were puppies. What were once deemed \\\\\\\”cute puppyantics\\\\\\\” ultimately become unpleasant behaviours as the puppy grows. By the time the untrained Chihuahua reaches eight or nine months of age, and has nearly reached physical maturity, she is \\\\\\\”misbehaving\\\\\\\” on a consistent basis.
The untrained Chi flees when called, evades anyone attempting to grab her by the collar, nips children who try to gently pet her, growls and snarls when anyone tries to remove her from her favourite chair, refuses to let anyone brush her coat or clip her nails (lest they feel like letting blood), and is completely unhousetrained.
Now the family is upset with the little puppy, and she is confined to the back garden. At this moment, the little dog is just one step away from the shelter. She dislikes being separated from her family. She barks constantly, digs, and scrapes at the rear door. (\\\\\\\”Why am I out there?\\\\\\\”) Chihuahuas do not thrive outside. She is filthy and infested with fleas, and this marks the beginning of the end. The saddest aspect is that this Chi was simply being a dog, exhibiting very natural dog behaviours.
Dog behaviourists recommend a full year of training lessons for your new puppy or rescued adult dog. If more owners made this effort (and the results lasted a lifetime—possibly twenty years), there would be considerably fewer unwanted dogs.
It is impossible to expect our canines—including the lovable Chihuahua—to behave perfectly unless we provide them with guidance, caring, and moulding as to what we expect. We must teach our Chis. the home rules, and the easiest way to achieve this is to teach them how to sit, down, stay, come, jump off furniture, take and give objects on command, and walk politely on a leash. With these few training techniques, socialisation is much facilitated, and your leadership role is firmly established in a calm and reassuring manner.
Choosing Your Reward.
To make the positive, reward-based training technique as successful as possible, you must first determine what secondary or conditioned reinforcement drives your Chi nuts. Some Chis would do anything for food, so modest training treats might suffice. For others, toys or the usage of a clicker may be the solution.
Treats
If you buy premade training snacks, be careful to read the nutrition label. Many of these sweets contain excessive levels of salt, sugar, and preservatives. You want to be sure that the goodies you give your Chihuahua are not only delicious but also healthful.
What is a nutritious treat that most dogs cannot resist?
A popular training treat is baked chicken cut into small pieces. Chicken is a great source of protein, but if you use it, make sure to increase your Chi\\\\\\\’s food quantities to account for the calories from the added goodies. Consult your veterinarian for dietary guidance; you don\\\\\\\’t want to deprive your Chi of any vitamins she might otherwise receive from her missed supper.
As a toy-breed owner, you should be aware that a Chihuahua can be overfed with a small number of goodies. As a result, you may want to try a variety of foods. One solution is to split your Chi\\\\\\\’s daily food intake into a fanny pack and carry it with you during the day. Herrewards will be pieces of food. To make this work, you\\\\\\\’ll need to urge her to learn and/or execute new exercises throughout the day. If you can\\\\\\\’t work in small chunks throughout the day, you can consider utilising a low-calorie choice for your training treat, such as Carrots have been chopped up.
Toys
Many Chihuahuas like receiving a highly coveted toy that is unique to each dog. (This is the most typical reward for Chihuahuas that serve as service dogs for the hearing impaired.) The toy might be anything, including a ball that is large enough to handle but not so little that it is swallowed, a small tug toy, a squeaky toy, a balled-up sock, or a rope toy.
If you can\\\\\\\’t find a rope toy small enough for your Chi, look in the bird supplies department of a pet store. This area frequently stocks toys similar to those for dogs, but smaller and easier for the Chi to handle.
It is critical that the Chihuahua only has access to this toy while being trained. As with youngsters, if she has constant access to the toy, it loses its appeal. Furthermore, several kids these toys require close monitoring. For example, a Chican will tear apart a squeaky toy in order to get the squeaker and choke. Balled-up socks can also be a choking hazard.
Clicks
For Chi owners with good dexterity, a clicker could be a fantastic training tool. Many expert and amateur trainers prefer a clicker to verbal praise or a treat because it is more exact. Your dog understands when she has done the right thing, even if you are a long way away. The click also signals to the dog that the exercise is complete and acts as an automatic release. To use a clicker for training, first condition your Chi to associate the click with a food reward. To accomplish this, you will only click when you have your Chi\\\\\\\’s full attention, and then you will Treat promptly. After a few days of practice, your Chihuahua should anticipate a treat every time she hears the click.
What if I can\\\\\\\’t hold the clicker, leash, and treat at the same time? You are not alone! Police K-9 trainers use a cluck instead of a clicker because it is hard to hold both a firearm and a clicker at the same time. If you\\\\\\\’re not very good with the clicker, you can use a cluck of the tongue, a finger snap, or a brief, sharp whistle toot instead of clicking.
The Importance of a Quiet Environment.
Chihuahuas are not often known for their intense attention. In fact, as a puppy, the Chihuahua is readily distracted. For this reason, it is critical to prepare your Chihuahua for the best chance of success. This implies you must find a peaceful, distraction-free location in which to train.
Have patience.
Once your Chihuahua is consistently and confidently performing the desired behaviour, you can consider working on the skill in a somewhat more distracting environment. The key word here is \\\\\\\”slightly.\\\\\\\” You don\\\\\\\’t want to go from training your Chihuahua in the peace of your living room to expecting a flawless performance in a crowded city park. A better step would be to start with the quiet of your backyard, then your front yard, followed by some work while walking around the neighbourhood, and finally moving to a park (while it\\\\\\\’s empty), the park while it\\\\\\\’s crowded (but working from a safe distance away), and then gradually moving closer to the crowd. Remember that anytime you modify the position, you\\\\\\\’re changing a variable. Rather than expecting your Chihuahua to complete an exercise at the same difficulty level she had been performing in your home, you should start with the most basic level and work your way up to the competency level your Chi demonstrated in the home. This allows your Chihuahua to work with confidence, even if the new setting is rather distracting.
If properly taught, your Chi will be obedient and responsive to your directions.
Position Tips
When training a Chihuahua, it is equally critical to prepare oneself for success. It\\\\\\\’s no secret that bending over to mould a Chi into a sit or perform another chore can be physically demanding. Kneeling or sitting on the floor to work with your Chi is entirely appropriate, and it provides much more comfortable access to your dog. If you like to stand, consider training the first elements of these fundamental commands on a grooming table or another slip-resistant counter-high surface. When you begin your training on a raised surface, practice your Chi until she is dependable and confident (eleven out of twelve correct repetitions) before introducing her to the floor. Consider altering positions (from table to floor, seated floor to standing floor, and so on) as a variable. In other words, when you return to a seated floor position, start the practice from the beginning—as if your Chi had not learnt anything the first time. She\\\\\\\’ll fly through the early stages, gaining confidence despite the uncertainties of her new surroundings.
For ease of description, a click has been used to represent a verbal or mechanical notification that the Chi has done the right thing. Rewards refers to the primary reinforcement of treats, toys, balls, or verbal praise followed by physical praise. The phrase \\\\\\\”Repeat eleven out of twelve reps\\\\\\\” means to repeat the exercise until the dog can perform eleven out of twelve correct and confident repetitions.
Sit
If you only teach your Chihuahua one command, the sit is perhaps the most useful. It is simpler to calm an agitated Chi with a sitson instruction. A nice sit can make it easy to attach a leash to a bouncing Chi\\\\\\\’s collar or prevent your Chi from jumping up with dirty paws on your clean pants. Furthermore, being able to give your Chi the \\\\\\\”Sit\\\\\\\” command while feeding her supper eliminates many spills.
Free Shaping of the Sit
If you want to teach the sit using the free shaping method, you must keep a close eye out for any opportunities to catch your Chi while sitting. You should also keep a clicker (if you are using this training tool) and a hidden favourite toy or treat bag with you at all times when you are with your Chihuahua. You should be prepared to reinforce this behaviour at any time.
When your Chi sits completely and properly on her haunches, say \\\\\\\”Sit,\\\\\\\” then click and reward. Because you are only clicking and rewarding when you catch your Chi in a full sit, you cannot do any instant repeats. You must wait for the next opportunity. After a day or two of clicking and rewarding your Chi\\\\\\\’s sits, you can say \\\\\\\”Sit\\\\\\\” when your Chi is nearly finished with his or her sit. As soon as her haunches are on the ground in a full sit, click and reward.
With any exercise, begin by saying the order only after the dog has completed the desired behaviour. If you say \\\\\\\”Sit\\\\\\\” before your Chi is all the way to the floor in a complete sit, you are teaching your Chi that you are searching for a semicrouching position rather than a full sit.
Your next step will be to provide the \\\\\\\”Sit\\\\\\\” command when your Chi begins to sit, and then click and reward when she completes the entire sit. Next, deliver the command when your Chi is close to you and fully focused on you. When she sits straight, click to reward. At this time, you can begin repeats rather than waiting for the moment.
Using Lures
If you\\\\\\\’re attending a training class, your instructor will most likely employ the food lure method to shape the sit. You will gently take your Chi by the collar and hold her in front of you. In your other hand, you\\\\\\\’ll hold a treat. Gently glide it from the tip of her nose, between her eyes, and over the dome of her head. She will fold into a sit as she rocks back for the treat (she is unable to walk backward due to your gentle restraints). As soon as she is in the proper position, give the instruction \\\\\\\”Sit\\\\\\\” and instantly click and reward. Repeat the movement until your Chi can easily rock back. Repeat eleven out of twelve repetitions.
Next, utilising the food lure, say, \\\\\\\”Sit!\\\\\\\”\\\\\\\”Your Chi is rocking back to sit. When she is fully seated, click and reward. Repeat this until she is correct and confident eleven out of twelve times. When you initially start moving the food lure, say \\\\\\\”Sit\\\\\\\” and wait until she gives a full sit before clicking and rewarding. Finally, you will merely hold the treat and say \\\\\\\”Sit,\\\\\\\” then click and reward when she sits.
Down
In terms of in-home utility, the down is pretty similar to the sit. It\\\\\\\’s a comfy posture for your Chi if you want her to stay in the same position for an extended period of time, such as when you eat dinner. She can even be on her side, deep asleep, while obeying the \\\\\\\”Down\\\\\\\” order.
What you may not be aware of is that the down is a submissive position for dogs. This command can thus be an excellent training strategy for establishing leadership with a problematic dog or controlling dog-dog aggression. Because the down is a submissive position, a dominant dog who challenges your leadership will be extremely reluctant to learning this order. This is the dog who requires this command the most, so keep working on it! If you are really struggling, seek help from a trainer.
Begin by gently holding your Chi\\\\\\\’s collar as she stands and faces you. With your other hand, slowly transfer the goodie from the dog\\\\\\\’s snout down to your Chihuahua\\\\\\\’s chest. She will rock back and fold down. When she is completely into her down, say, \\\\\\\”Down.\\\\\\\” Click and reward. Repeat 11 out of 12 repetitions.
You can, of course, free shape any of the commands in this chapter. The concepts are the same for all—first, you\\\\\\\’ll need to capture your pup or adult Chi performing the desired behaviour independently. Only until you\\\\\\\’ve created a solid link between the command and the desired behaviour can you begin to request that she repeat the command exercise.
When your Chi performs this solidly while using the goodie, you\\\\\\\’ll Give the command \\\\\\\”Down\\\\\\\” when she is nearly all the way down. Click to reward. Repeat eleven out of twelve repetitions, then issue the command when your Chi begins to descend. Only click and reward when she has fully dropped to the floor and is in her down position. Repeat eleven out of twelve times, then say \\\\\\\”Down\\\\\\\” while holding the treat at her nose. As with all difficulty levels, only click and reward when your Chihuahua is in a down position. Repeat eleven out of twelve repetitions.
Stay
The \\\\\\\”Stay\\\\\\\” command is a variation on the \\\\\\\”Wait\\\\\\\” command (explained on page 160). The difference is small, but your Chihuahua will notice immediately. The \\\\\\\”Wait\\\\\\\” instruction indicated a brief pause before release, whereas the \\\\\\\”Stay\\\\\\\” command specifies a longer time period that can be followed by another command or sequence of ones. To teach the stay, your Chi must be comfortable and adept in either the sit or the down position. Both the sit-stay and the down-stay are taught in the same way, but to keep things simple, the stay exercises detailed here will be referred to solely as the sit-stay. Another prerequisite for teaching the \\\\\\\”Stay\\\\\\\” command is to recognise your right from your left. When you walk away from your Chi with your right foot first, you are indicating that you expect her to remain in place and in position. Stepping away from your Chihuahua with your left foot first indicates that you expect her to move and keep up with you.
When delivering commands to your Chihuahua, make sure your voice is constantly enthusiastic and pleasant. In reality, you should only train your Chihuahua if you are in a good mood and have enough of patience. This will help to create a fruitful training session while keeping your Chi motivated and confident.
Lean over and place your right hand in front of your Chihuahua\\\\\\\’s face, palm facing her. Say, \\\\\\\”Stay.\\\\\\\” Stand back up, but don\\\\\\\’t move away from her. Stay still. After only a few seconds, click to reward. Repeat eleven out of twelve repetitions.
The initial variables in the sit-stay will be the time you ask your Chihuahua to stay in place and the distance away from you she is expected to remain. To make this more difficult. You will initially increase the duration of your exercise. To ensure that your Chihuahua continues to succeed, increase the time between the instruction \\\\\\\”Stay\\\\\\\” and the click and reward in fifteen-second increments until you get a successful sixty-second sit-stay.
Remember to release your dog verbally with a \\\\\\\”Okay\\\\\\\” after each correct repetition of an activity, followed by plenty of tactile and verbal praise.
Now you will start increasing the distance variable. Give your Chihuahua the \\\\\\\”sit-stay\\\\\\\” command. Return to a standing position and, with your right foot, take a step to the right side, then immediately return. Click to reward. Repeat 11 out of 12 repetitions. Give the \\\\\\\”Stay\\\\\\\” command, then move two steps to your right before returning instantly. Click to reward. Repeat 11 out of 12 repetitions.
To reintroduce time, give your Chihuahua the \\\\\\\”Stay\\\\\\\” command, take one step to the right, pause for a few seconds, and then move back. Click and reward. Repeat eleven out of twelve reps, then give the \\\\\\\”Stay\\\\\\\” command, take one step to the right, pause for fifteen seconds, and step back. Click to reward. Repeat eleven out of twelve reps, gradually increasing the time and distance until you can undertake other activities—such as walking around your dog, jumping up and down, or walking away from her and standing for many minutes—while she is still in her stay.
Come
Teaching your Chihuahua to come when called can not only save you time and frustration, but it may also save his or her life one day. Countless pet owners share stories of narrow escapes when a dog or puppy became loose and only averted a car accident or an encounter with a hostile canine because she responded when called. As vital as this command is, rookie handlers typically mistrain the recall because they forget the fundamental rules. Here are the most crucial points to remember:
\\\\\\\”Come\\\\\\\” should be treated as an emergency command only.
When your Chihuahua is on leash, always rehearse this command so that he or she responds every time.
When your Chihuahua is off leash (either in the backyard or within the home) and thus out of your direct supervision, use her name as a signal for her to check in.
Every time you say the word \\\\\\\”Come\\\\\\\” and your Chihuahua does not reply, it will take at least twenty repetitions at an equivalent level of difficulty (which will take some time to build up to) to overcome the fact that your Chihuahua now believes she is not required to come.
Never call your Chihuahua in an angry tone. Who wants to come and be punished?
Consider replacing the verbal command with a whistle or another loud sound. That way, your Chi will never notice the tension in your voice when you\\\\\\\’re pleading for her to come to you. (Always have the whistle handy, though.)
Make \\\\\\\”big\\\\\\\” over every brisk, quick remembrance. It must be a fantastic reward.
Say, \\\\\\\”Come!\\\\\\\”\\\\\\\” just once; if you repeat an order two or three times, your Chi soon learns that only after you\\\\\\\’ve spoken \\\\\\\”Come!\\\\\\\”She only needs to react two or three times.
Ensure that all other family members understand the rules of \\\\\\\”Come!\\\\\\\”.\\\\\\\” Any irregularities in training a command will confuse your Chihuahua and increase the time required to master the skill.
To train the \\\\\\\”Come\\\\\\\” command, attach a leash to your Chihuahua and begin walking. Start jogging backwards, saying your Chi\\\\\\\’s name, and being ridiculous to encourage her to follow you. When your Chi whips around and starts running towards you, say, \\\\\\\”Come!\\\\\\\”\\\\\\\”Immediately click and reward. Repeat eleven out of twelve reps. Then, do the same exercise but give the \\\\\\\”Come\\\\\\\” command as you start to step backwards. When your Chi rotates around and runs towards you, click to reward. Repeat eleven out of twelve repetitions. Now you should start recalling your Chihuahua when she is sitting or lying down. Place your Chi in your preferred remain, step out with your right foot, and walk to the end of the leash. (You must have learnt this level of staying with your Chi.) Turn to face your Chi and say, \\\\\\\”Come\\\\\\\” as you begin sprinting backwards. Click to reward. To train the stay at greater lengths, repeat eleven out of twelve reps using a longer line. Only move to an off-leash recall if you intend to compete in performance competitions.
To get your Chi ready for the recall, turn around and start running as soon as she approaches you. Chihuahuas enjoy chasing their owners, so this unexpected twist is tremendous fun for them. As usual, stop, click, and reward. When you\\\\\\\’ve got your Chihuahua racing in from a long queue, toss a favourite toy through your legs for her to grab. This surprising surprise will get your Chi racing to you!
Off
This is an excellent exercise to work on to keep a puppy or adult from believing that a specific area, cushion, or chair is hers. A Chihuahua that believes she is right and you are wrong might get rather aggressive if you try to remove her from her location. To avoid this issue, start by working from a low surface—you don\\\\\\\’t want any injuries! Use a food lure to entice your Chihuahua to leave her comfortable spot and follow the goodie to the ground. When your Chi strikes the floor, yell, \\\\\\\”Off!\\\\\\\”\\\\\\\”Click to reward. When your Chi is on the low surface, perform the same exercise with the lure for eleven out of twelve reps. Click and get a prize. Repeat eleven out of twelve repetitions.
Take It and Give.
These commands are taught in tandem and are excellent for preventing problems with what your Chihuahua can and cannot have in her mouth. Begin by looking for stuff around the house that you know your Chihuahua will easily take from you, such as a favourite squeaky toy or ball. Offer the object to your Chi, and as soon as she takes it, say, \\\\\\\”Take it!\\\\\\\”\\\\\\\”Click and reward. Repeat the technique without asking her to return the toy. Once she catches on to the \\\\\\\”Take it!\\\\\\\”\\\\\\\” instruction, find an object she will keep in her mouth but will not be possessive about giving it up. Offer her this object and say, \\\\\\\”Take it!\\\\\\\”\\\\\\\” and then—before the click and reward—offer her a delicious piece of food. When she opens her mouth and starts dropping the thing, say, \\\\\\\”Give!\\\\\\\”\\\\\\\”Click and reward. Repeat eleven out of twelve repetitions.
Walk nicely.
If you want your Chihuahua to walk briskly by your side without crisscrossing in front of you and tangling the leash, avoid using a retractable leash for at least a month. Your goal is to ensure that your Chihuahua can walk without dragging or dashing around with no external control. One of the simplest methods to capture your Chi\\\\\\\’s attention is to keep changing directions. Instead of walking straight down the path, go the opposite direction your Chihuahua is pulling. For example, if your Chi is tugging you ahead, go backward. When she notices you\\\\\\\’re going the opposite way and dashes back after you, click and reward. Is she straining to the left? Go to the right. Click and reward her when she rejoins you. Pulling to the right? Go left, click, and be rewarded. She will realise right immediately that she needs to stay with you. And, as always, make training fun! Working with pups and adults is a lot of fun, and you can see how their skills improve. You, too, may take satisfaction in having raised your Chihuahua to be a delightful, well-mannered friend.