Chihuahua Training Techniques for a Happier Home

Anyone that has owned this tiny dog breed can tell you that chihuahua training isn’t easy. In fact, these little guys can be pretty stubborn at times. The best way to get started training your chihuahua is to begin as soon as you bring them home. Set clear rules in place, discourage unwanted behavior, and above all, be consistent.

A Spoiled Breed

If you plan on spoiling your chihuahua, allowing them to do whatever they want and treat them like they’re your baby, you could end up with a dog that doesn’t listen or one that’s excessively dependent on you. Ultimately, how your dog turns out is up to you.

Obedience Training

These little guys can be pretty headstrong, and they’ll probably want to take over the role as pack leader in the home. Because of this, obedience training for chihuahuas is essential. These guys need structure and definitely thrive in a home where the rules are clearly laid out. Chihuahuas are very intelligent. They will thrive with both mental and physical training.

If you’re new to obedience training and want a convenient way to teach your new pups the dos and don’ts of your household, click here to read our Doggy Dan’s Online Dog Training review. This program is designed to teach you effective ways to train your dog, in the comfort of your own home.

Chihuahua Potty Training

Each breed seems to struggle with certain aspects of training, such as the struggle that comes with crate training German shepherd puppy. With chihuahuas, it’s always potty training.

Despite their small size, these guys are maybe some of the toughest dogs to potty train. And why? Because they’re stubborn and they have this do as I please attitude. Even when they are potty trained, it’s pretty common for these guys to still go in the home if it’s raining outside or too windy, or too hot. You name it. The key here will be consistency.

Right from the beginning, show your dog the door. Whatever age chihuahua you bring home, treat the dog as though it was still a young pup and take it outside to use the bathroom every hour for the first week. As your dog becomes accustomed to your home they’ll get the hint and will begin to alert you when they need to go the bathroom.

However, as we mentioned, they’re very picky about where they go the bathroom and are often deterred by the weather, especially the rain. In inclement weather, you’ll need to stay on your dog and take them outside once every one to two hours.

If you’re trying to potty train a puppy, the same rules as above apply in regard to taking them out once an hour until they’re able to alert you when they need to use the bathroom. However, you may also want to put out a puppy pad if they’re less than six months old. Most trainers can agree that chihuahuas under six months of age are not quite ready for potty training and are not able to hold it in long, if at all. If you’re worried about your new puppy having accidents in the middle of the night and you don’t want to crate train them, then put out a puppy pad a few feet away from their sleeping area. This will give them a safe, easy to access spot to use the bathroom and it will also make it clear that this is the designated spot for doing their business. However, you should also keep in mind that once you use pee pads that it can be difficult to break them of using one, especially at night. But some chihuahua owners don’t mind continuing to use pee pads in the home and feel that it’s a solid way to guarantee their dog will not have an accident.

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