Chihuahua puppy training can be quite a task at the beginning due in part to the fact that the puppies are so tiny. Handling your puppy gently and carefully is essential to successful training. You must have two critical characteristics as you begin to train your puppy: perseverance and plenty of patience. Your Chihuahua will not get the command the first time, or the next, or even sometimes after a dozen times. Do not give up! Also, do not get angry with your little pooch. Fear is not the way to go about training a dog. Rather, trust and consistency will get you your desired results. You have set goals for these results, right?
Your new puppy needs to socialize with other people and dogs. Social training is the first step to successful Chihuahua puppy training. If you want a well-behaved dog, you must get him comfortable with other people and dogs at a very young age. Socialization, to be the most effective, should begin before the puppy reaches three months of age.
While your new treasure is something you certainly want to protect, you must allow other people to handle and interact with your pup. Have people around to meet and play with him, make sure he is held in places where people and other mellow-tempered dogs will be.
As your dog begins to make headway to becoming comfortable in social situations, you can begin standard behavior training. You must use gentle tactics if you want a healthy and emotionally secure adult Chihuahua. Never, even under the most frustrating circumstances, allow yourself to kick, hit or otherwise abuse your puppy.
Physical punishment-oriented training is not recommended for any kind of dog, and most definitely not in Chihuahua puppy training because they are so small and delicate. Instead of punishing behavior you do not want, opt for positive reinforcement instead with praise and a limited amount of treats. Of course, negative behavior can be addressed with a firm “No,” but certainly not with physical punishment.
A dog can be taught to change their attitude at any most any stage of their life, but it is easier to train a young pup than an older dog already set in his ways. Start now, stick with it and you will have a well-behaved, loveable adult Chihuahua. This advice only scratches the surface of what you need to know for Chihuahua puppy training.
