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Chihuahua Aggression

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Agressive Chihuahua

Chihuahuas have the unsavory reputation of being yappy, snappy little dogs. The breed as a whole did not create this behavioral cliché all on their own, but the much of it can be traced back to the owner! You can both stop aggressive problems as well as prevent them all on your own with some of the most common training methods that anyone can do!

Why Are Chihuahuas Aggressive?

The fact is that Chihuahuas are not aggressive, but they can be reserved towards strangers and other animals. Chihuahuas were bred for generations as loving and loyal small companions for humans, and were never really meant to be social butterflies or dogs that share their toys. Today’s Chihuahuas may bond with only one or two people, but they can be accepting and relaxed around other people and pets if taught properly!

A behavioral condition known as Small Dog Syndrome runs rampant among all small dog breeds, and is most prominent among the smallest of small breeds, especially Chihuahuas! Small Dog Syndrome is not a health condition, nor is it something that any dog, no matter his genes has ever been born with.

Many times Small Dog Syndrome is a direct result of improper or a total lack of basic obedience training, house training and boundary control. In other words, if your dog has developed Small Dog Syndrome you are the cause, however you are also the solution!

Symptoms of Small Dog Syndrome include reactive barking, resource guarding, leash pulling and over all bad behavior, including ignoring your commands! Reactive barking is most commonly seen when your dog barks his head off at the sound of a knock on the door or your doorbell ringing. He may also bark at the sight of strangers, other dogs, or other sounds. He is not being protective or cute, he is acting aggressively out of fear!

Resource guarding is the behavior you see when you try to take a toy from your dog. He will hold his head over the item he wants to keep, curl his lips and growl. He may even lunge to bite! Toys, food and treats are not the only things he may guard – he can guard over you, too! Again, he is not protecting you to keep you safe but he is acting out of fear of losing something he values as a necessity to survival. Resource guarding can be a dangerous behavior and dogs at shelters are often euthanized for fear of bites!

Preventing Your Chihuahua’s Aggression

If you have not yet adopted your Chihuahua, or are currently working towards properly and successfully raising your own Chihuahua puppy then you have the ability to prevent aggression and fear based behaviors through the use of socialization, basic obedience and boundary control. You have the opportunity to teach your dog to follow your command, and that he is safe. He will also learn to respect your commands and your requests, but not out of fear or domination. He will do it because he wants to do it!

Dogs of all ages can continue socialization, but puppies are exceptional as they go through two fear periods, one from 4 to 12 weeks and the other at 7 or 8 months of age. These fear periods help to “hard wire” their minds as to how they should react in situations that would normally cause fear.

If you can create safe and planned socialization experiences, most puppies only take about 5 minutes to learn! This doesn’t mean just meeting people and other dogs, but also learning about other floor types, objects like umbrellas or flowing coats and even loud noises. Let your puppy recover from the initial fear and provide positive reinforcement in the form of play or a treat!

Curing Your Chihuahua’s Aggression

If you have recently adopted an older Chihuahua, are fostering one or your little one already has the symptoms of Small Dog Syndrome and aggression, know that there is indeed hope! You can help your dog over come his fearful and aggressive tendency so that he may become a more comfortable and happier companion.

Two types of training can be involved. One is called counter conditioning which works best for reactive barkers in which they change how they feel about their trigger. For example, if your Chihuahua barks at the sound of door knocking then you can change his emotions from fearful to relaxed and calm. The other training method is called shaping in which you help to guide your dog into doing the right thing through positive reinforcement.

Shaping is best done with a clicker, but you can also say “Yep!” as a bridge between your dog’s good behavior and his reward. It simply lets him know that his did the right thing and he is about to get his treat.

Shaping works through building onto behaviors. For instance, if you want your dog to stop pulling on his leash you would click your clicker or say “Yep!” every time he did not pull, and reward him. Then, you would build onto it from a loose leash to rewarding only when he was beside you, and so on.

 angry Chihuahua

Shaping works for almost any behavior you want to train your train you Chihuahua to do from sit to letting you take a toy or treat away from him. When you are training your little one to stop resource guarding, you will work on what is called the trading game. You give him a treat in exchange for letting you take a toy from him. You start with a high value treat and a low value toy. He will want the treat more than the toy. Then, build up to using a high value toy and a lower value treat, like kibble. It takes time and practice, but remember to keep training sessions short and always end on a good note!

Counter conditioning does not require your dog to do much, but it requires you to be mindful of your surroundings. If your Chihuahua is barking reactively at the door when guests arrive, then you start in a calm and quiet situation on the floor with your pet. Knock on the wall beside you just once and lightly, and immediately reward him! You want him to learn that the sound a precursor to getting a treat, but you want to keep him under his threshold so he does not get carried away barking. Build criteria until you can knock on the door without making him bark!

Slow is Always Fast

If you are ready for your Chihuahua to lose his aggressive behaviors, then it is time to keep an open mind and accept that you are your dog’s one and only chance to change his ways! If you feel that you are not ready to tackle his problems on your own, don’t be embarrassed to ask for help from a professional dog trainer or animal behaviorist. Making your Chihuahua feel relaxed and comfortable is the number one priority.

Thor

Thursday 10th of February 2022

We are experiencing aggression after breeding and and our dog is a bostonuaua he is 18 months his agression has increased after breeding and he bit me. He is attached to my wife And we encourage some of the agression but want it to be minimal.

Cathy

Thursday 10th of February 2022

I used to be a breeder and never had a problem with my males becoming aggressive after breeding so I'm not sure what to tell you Thor. Maybe it got his hormones all riled up. I am curious though why you would encourage any aggression at all.

Kailyn

Wednesday 1st of September 2021

Hello! Do you have any suggestions of a behaviorist who specializes in chihuahuas? I need help with my two little guys and have been having trouble finding the right fit :)

Cathy

Wednesday 1st of September 2021

No, sorry, I don't know of any. I did find a directory where you maybe you can find one: https://avsab.org/directory/

Eileen

Friday 20th of November 2020

We rescued a 4yr old chihuahua,that barks and pulls when walking. He goes crazy at cars. Do you think a clicker training would help or any other ideas. He even does this if we are sitting in a car and someone backs car out to leave.

Cathy

Saturday 21st of November 2020

Yes it could help. A good training class would help too.

Maria Cerritos

Friday 6th of November 2020

My dog wasn’t as aggressive when I got him five months ago. I don’t know what happened in him to get more aggressive to the people that live with us. When they enter he growls and tries to go bite them I yell at him and I don’t like hitting him but i don’t what else to do. I do distract him with toys it happens when I take him to work too. Anyone he meets he growls and tries to bite them I have to get his last shot but I haven’t been able to go anytime soon yet. I need help I don’t want him to be aggressive. I had a dog that was mixed with jack Russell but he was more happy to meet others.

Cathy

Monday 9th of November 2020

A few things that may work. Get a tin can and fill half full with rocks or coins and tape it shut. When he starts growling, shake the can. It startles them. Or get a squirt gun and shoot him with water when he starts acting up. Finally, when he starts being a brat, say no in a firm voice, pick him up and without another word, put him in a room away from you for a time out.

JA

Sunday 5th of July 2020

I have had an aggressive Chihuahua, who was just allowed to just run FREELY out of its home, (owners just stood at the door BLANK faced with no recall!), and this dog attacked baring its teeth towards my 2 Jap Akitas who were being walked, under effective control. My boy just pinned it down into submission. Mind you he is groomed with other dogs next to him - no reaction.

Now I have to deal with my council, as this off lead aggressive Chihuahua and owners have broken the law.

Cathy

Sunday 5th of July 2020

Ugh, that's a pain JA. I wish people would take care of their dogs properly.