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Chihuahua training differs from training other breeds of dogs because of the small size of the dogs. Gentle handling is especially important with toy breeds. Gentle handling works with most dogs, but is especially important with Chihuahuas.

Training isn’t an option. Train your Chihuahua or you may end up with a spoiled brat. Many Chihuahuas have a terrier disposition and can develop a real attitude if not trained. Shirk your responsibility to teach your dog to behave in a reasonable manner and you’ll be looking for another home for your dog. Don’t let that happen. Train your dog.

Remember you must be the leader in the relationship with your pet. You must decide what is and isn’t acceptable behavior and patiently guide your pet toward your goals. Be patient but firm and persistent.

Housebreaking A Chihuahua Puppy

Housebreaking a Chihuahua puppy should start early, but not too early. The puppy must be physically capable of controlling elimination. Many owners choose crate training as a fairly quick way to help puppies learn to control elimination. Crate training confines the puppy in a fairly small area and the dog will usually try not to foul the nest. Watch your puppy closely and you can usually tell when it’s time to whisk the pup from the crate to an appropriate spot. Just a few days of intense effort can be all it takes for house breaking a Chihuahua puppy.

Socialization for Chihuahuas

A well-balanced Chihuahua must be comfortable in whatever the setting he finds himself in. If a dog grows up around other dogs, the dogs teach each other by give-and-take and normal interaction. Puppies that leave their birth place at a young age miss that interaction. The pet owner must provide the training to teach the dog how to fit into the society where he or she will live.

Make sure to protect the puppy from scary and overly stressful experiences. Tiny dogs are often fearful as well they should be. Even other dogs can be seen as scary giants! Do as much as possible to expose your puppy to all the experiences you expect as normal activities including car trips, visits from other people, and trips to the vet.

Obedience Training

Just teaching your pup simple commands like “come”, “sit”, and “stay” can help you and your dog to have a better relationship. Think of obedience training as teaching basic communication skills, an important part of Chihuahua care. It’s a way for you and your dog to understand and respond to each other.

If you don’t know anything about Chihuahua training, don’t hesitate to get some help. There are resources available to help you train your pet…to help you learn to communicate with your dog. The training of the trainer must come first. Get the early training wrong and avoid much future trouble.

Remember that each dog is different and you must learn your individual dog. Your Chihuahua will surely respond positively to firm, but gentle direction. Clearly communicate your desires and reward acceptable behavior and you and your dog will make quick progress.

The down command is the next lesson to teach in your dog obedience training schedule. It should be taught as soon as you and your dog have mastered the sit command.

The down command is a fundamental ingredient of your overall dog obedience training program. It provides the foundation for many other advanced commands/skills and establishes you as the leader in the relationship you share with your dog. The reason for this is that the laying down position is a submissive and somewhat vulnerable position for your dog to be in, especially when you are standing tall over the top of your dog.

The down command is a very handy tool you will come to rely on in many situations. Popping your dog down into the lying down position is great for times when you need to go into a shop or for occasions when there are small children around. It can take a bit of practice to reach this level, but it is worth the effort.

Learning The Down Obedience Command

When you are in the learning phase of teaching the down command, start out by making it simple for your dog, then slowly turn up the difficulty level.

Move your training sessions to a public place.

Increase the time you keep your dog in the down position.

Bounce a ball around your dog when he is in the lying position, or scatter some food around him. The idea is that your “down” command will be so strong in your dogs mind, that none of these other distractions matter. He can only get up to chase the ball or eat the treats when you release him from the down command.

What you are trying to achieve with the down command is to have your dog quickly get down into the laying position, belly touching the ground and his front legs extended out in front.

In a familiar environment to your dog with no distractions, lets get started!

Down Command Technique 1 – Off Leash

Put your dog into a sitting position.

Grab your dogs favorite tasty treat and hold it a couple of centimetres in front of his/her nose. Move your hand straight down to the ground. Your dog should follow it down (you can praise and encourage him down). As soon as his belly hits the ground, with his legs out in front, lavish him with praise and give the treat.

Repeat this action over and over in short sharp training sessions.

When your dog is “getting it” and going down right away, you can add the verbal part of the command. I use “down” other people use “lay” or “drop”, just choose the one you are comfortable with and stick to it (make it a one word command only). Add your command just before you start to move the treat towards the ground. This step is all about building an association in your dogs mind between the verbal “down” command and the act of him laying down.

The idea is that eventually, after plenty of repetition and praise your dog will only require your verbal command, and not the treat in your hand to lure him down. Also, in time you will be able to start the command not only from the sitting position but from standing and in any situation you and your dog are in.

When your dog is responding well to your verbal command, introduce some other variables which make the down command a little more challenging. Try the command as you go about your daily business, around other people or dogs and increase the duration of the command.

Down Command Technique 2 – On Leash

Put your preferred collar and leash on your dog – I just use a nice leather buckle collar when teaching the down command.

Place your dog into the sitting position and stand or kneel right next to him.

Basically you are trying to guide or coax your dog into the down position. How you do this depends on the size and co-operation level of your dog.

Always say your “down” command first, then immediately guide your dog down into the lying position. Grab hold of the leash and gently pull your dogs head down, at the same time guide him down by pressing down between his shoulder blades with the palm of your hand. You can also lift up your dogs front legs and extend them out in front of him, find the method which works best for you. Praise and encourage your dog all the way down. Then of course as soon as he’s in the down position make it clear to him that you are happy with him and that he has done a good job.

After lots of repetition your dog will respond to your verbal command only. Then try the command when your dog is in the standing position and in other settings. Make the command a little more challenging by adding some distractions and increasing the time he is required to stay in the down position.

Whichever method you choose to teach your dog the down command be consistent and keep at it.

When you are happy with your dog getting into the down position you will probably want to add a release command to it. This means that when you issue your down command, your dog goes straight down and is not permitted to get up until you issue another command. You can use “away” or “off you go” for this purpose.

Having a dog is an amazing thing. It has a lot of benefits and a dog is like a human being or even better, offering you affection, enjoyment and last but not least fun. Well, this is the case with well trained dogs. In order to have a good companionship, you must perform dog obedience training and teach your dog the basics and the things that you expect from it to do and not to do.

What is dog obedience training? Well, it is a technique to train your dog by imposing yourself as its leader. There are several dog obedience training techniques, you can choose whichever suits you and your dog most. The bottom line of such dog obedience training is to set a common language that both you and your dog understand and make your pet behave acceptably. One of these techniques is the collar or leash training. This is a hard technique. There is also a soft training technique and this is the reward training.

The collar or leash dog obedience training is less popular today, but has an important role when it comes to certain breeds of dogs that cannot be trained by using the reward method. The collar technique can have multiple degrees from soft pulls of the collar to stronger correction. The collar or the leash is the way you communicate with your dog. In other words, the leash is the common language for you and your pet. You use it to show your dog if it behaves ok or not. You can easily have control over the dog with the help of a collar or a leash and the dog needs to know that you can handle each situation and that you are the master.

The reward dog obedience training is considered to be the trendiest technique and is being used successfully by many animal trainers. Some trainers agree that reward training brings some of the best results when it comes to dog behavior. The basic thing about reward training is to teach a few common commands to your pet and make them give you the response you are looking for by manipulating some rewards. You must not think that rewards only consist of treats and that at the end of such a training your dog will become obese because of the many treats. The reward is not necessarily a treat: it can be a verbal appraisal, a pat or a positive reaction that you show your dog who has learned to be always willing to please you. You can say GOOD or use the clicker and your dog will know it has done a good job. Don’t try to teach your dog all in a week. Remember that you have to take one step at a time with this dog obedience training technique. Otherwise you might confuse your dog and not get any response at all.

All in all, the dog obedience training is a diverse means of making your dog be a good friend that will not let you down with inappropriate behavior. Choose a dog obedience training technique that you like and start right now.