chihuahuas love to bark. it’s a perfectly natural thing for them to do, just as it’s normal for us humans to speak. it’s when our chihuahuas bark excessively that it becomes a problem for all concerned, including the neighbors. the goal isn’t to to stop our chihuahuas from barking, but rather learn how to control the excessive barking.
“is a chihuahua the right pet for you? find out in caring for your chihuahua made easy: breed information, health care and nutrition.”
the fact is, chihuahuas bark. they do it when they’re excited or when they sense danger. some do it when they’re bored – or worse, for no reason at all. in these cases, you want to teach your chihuahua that barking is only permitted under certain circumstances.
the first step in modifying this problem is to determine the reason why your chihuahua is barking in the first place. once you’ve identified the cause or trigger, you can then plan your training solution.
why do chihuahuas bark?
- to express their needs (being bossy).
- they are staking out their territory.
- to alert other members of their pack (that’s you and your family) of impending danger.
- when playing, just through sheer excitement.
- barking at other animals. depending on where you are in the world, it could be squirrels or any other small animal.
- if they are isolated.
- some chihuahuas bark excessively when separated from their pack (you and your family).
- if they are trapped behind some type of barrier like a fence or window.
- just for fun!
- to express dominance (puppies normally test you out at some stage with a display of dominance barking).
- they bark because their owners have inadvertently rewarded excessive barking in the past (this is crucial to understand)
- through boredom or a lack of physical and mental stimulation.
- may feel stressed or uncomfortable for some reason. things like feeling threatened or if they don’t have an appropriate place to sleep can cause excessive barking problems.chihuahuas that haven’t been properly socialized often become nuisance barkers.
- may be looking for a response or some attention from their pack.
keep in mind that even though it may appear to you that your chihuahua is barking at nothing, this is not necessarily the case.
this is because your chihuahua has a much more acute sense of hearing, smell and sight than us humans. your chihuahua’s excessive barking is probably being triggered by something.
how to stop your chihuahua from barking
the most important piece of advice to remember when trying to modify any dog behavioral problem, is to clearly communicate to your chihuahua what is acceptable behavior and what is not.
one of the biggest mistakes us chihuahua owners make is to inadvertently reward our chihuahuas excessive barking. we actually encourage and reinforce the barking problem when we commit these three dog training sins:
- yell and scream at the chihuahua – this just gives them the attention they were crying out for.
- let them inside. If your chihuahua is barking his/her head off outside, then you let it in, this just rewards the barking.
- if your chihuahua is barking and you react by giving him/her a comforting cuddle or a treat of some sort, you are definitely encouraging your chihuahua to bark again. by doing this you are communicating to your chihuahua that you are happy with them. you should be making it clear that his excessive barking is inappropriate.
training techniques to try and reasons why your chihuahua barks
chihuahua goes crazy every time the phone rings
this is a very common and annoying time for chihuahuas to bark excessively. try these training techniques:
- never yell at your chihuahua.
- get your chihuahua used to the phone ringing, don’t make it such a big deal. ring your home number from your cell phone or get a friend to keep calling you. when the phone rings just sit there, don’t say or do a thing. repeat this process over a few days, your chihuahua will probably continue to bark for a while but will give up before long.
- if you give your chihuahua basic obedience training, behavioral problems such as excessive barking are easily controlled. your chihuahua looks up to you as their pack leader and is eager to please you in any situation. teaching the quiet! or stop! obedience training command will soon correct nuisance barking problems.
- you may have some success by changing the tone and volume of your ring tone.
chihuahua barks when you are not home
chihuahuas are social creatures, when they are separated from their owners they can become stressed and frustrated. this type of excessive barking is often caused by separation anxiety.
- keep your chihuahua well exercised (physical and mental) and provide fresh water, chewing toys and a nice comfortable place to sleep. you can also try to block your chihuahuas view of the street or other distractions. basically, make sure your chihuahua is happy.
- if you know your chihuahua has been barking while you have been away, you must ignore him/her for a while when you return home. this is difficult for lots of chihuahua owners, but if you don’t do this your chihuahua believes that their barking is the reason you came back home to them. just go about your business for a little while when you get home, ignoring your chihuahua. when they have settled down, you can then initiate contact with them.
- this next method takes time and patience, but can be a very effective. it’s based on that important rule applicable to all training situations. praise or reward when your chihuahua does something good, create a negative association when they do something bad. leave the house as you normally would, but just hide somewhere nearby. when your chihuahua starts to bark spray him/her with water or throw a tin can full of coins or rocks in their direction (this is the negative association). try to keep out of your chihuahuas sight while doing this if possible. go and hide again, if he/she is quiet for a while, go in and reward their good behavior with some praise and maybe a treat. this process may need to be repeated over and over until you have broken the excessive barking habit.
chihuahua barks for attention or to demand something
this is one excessive barking problem that can be corrected very quickly.
- if you establish yourself as the pack leader or alpha dog in your owner-chihuahua relationship, this type of barking problem won’t occur. you’ll also form a strong bond with your chihuahua based on trust and respect.
- another effective method you can try to stop this attention barking is simply ignoring your chihuahua. your chihuahua will probably become frustrated and bark a lot initially, but once they realize that it is not getting them anywhere, they will stop. this training method can be hard on the ears for a while!
chihuahua barks at passers by
workers like the postman and delivery driver’s are constantly being barked at throughout their day.
- your chihuahua perceives these type of people as intruders or a threat to their territory. they bark and every time they bark they are rewarded as the intruder goes away. your chihuahua is then very pleased that they have averted this threat, which leads them to do it again and again. their behavior is reinforced and therefore this can be a difficult problem to turn around.
- if possible, you could try to block your chihuahuas vision or access to the area where these people pass by.
- if your chihuahua consistently barks at a particular person, you may need this person to help modify your chihuahuas behavior. just say your chihuahua gets really agitated each time the postman arrives. have a chat to your postman and give him some of your chihuahuas favorite treats. each time they deliver to your house, they can also deliver a tasty treat to your chihuahua. in your chihuahuas mind the postman goes from being a threat, to a welcome guest.
if you consistently apply the above training techniques and add a little patience, you should have your chihuahua under control before long.
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source: dog-obedience-training-review.com/how-to-stop-your-dog-from-barking.html
125 Comments.
Hi Great site. We have a 15 month old chi – sasa, who is great around the house and well behaved when we’re out, but we have a barking problem when we take her for walks, some days okay but mostly she barks at anyone walking past. Any ideas?
I have 6 of this little angels,ages 12yr’s,2 at 6 yr’s. 2y’s,11 mo’s & 7mo’s. and yes they do bark.but we love them to death.But it does drive us crazy sometimes we really have to stay on top of them to stop their barking.We have a male 6 yr. old that has become aggressive toward the others and us sometime, does anyone know if there is a mental cause of this ,he didnt use to do this ,he is a good dog ,HELP
The Craig’s Paw Old Fashioned Bark Stopper. I’m pretty sure this will work well on your chihuahuas as how it works well on my dog. It is so easy to use, when your dog starts to bark excessively, simply get the Craig’s Paw Old Fashioned Bark Stopper, shake it, and regain control of your dog’s barking. It’s just that easy, dog barks, you shake hand, and dog stops. craigspaw.com
First of all, I LOVE your site! Second, I have a 6-lb Chi named Roxy and a 15-lb terrier-poodle mix named Anna. I’ve had Roxy for about 7 years (since she was a puppy) and Anna for about 8 years (since she was about 18 months old.) While I’m at work during the day, Roxy hangs out in her crate in my bedroom and Anna is allowed full run of our apartment. She has food, fresh water, soft blankets, and a little kong with a treat in it. For the most part, my girls are very sweet and well behaved. Unfortunately, they both bark like crazy when I’m not home. The problem is exacerbated when they hear noise outside our apartment or from the neighbors upstairs. The neighbors upstairs have complained several times and I have tried some of your training techniques to curb their barking, but they just keep at it when I’m not home. My landlord is getting frustrated, my neighbors are getting mad, and I’m getting desperate. Someone suggested using shock collars for both of them to teach them not to bark, but if there is a behavior modification tool that I wouldn’t be willing to do to myself, I certainly wouldn’t use it on my girls. Do you have any suggestions?
I have two chi’s one male and one female. My chis have been well scocialized and I have never really had problems with them barking before our last move. My little girl was just recently attacked by a neighbors vicious pitbull. She is now very squemish with strangers and other dogs. I don’t even know how to start trying to “re-socialize” her without scaring her to death. She deficates and pees herself in the presence of other dogs now. I don’t want to traumatize her even more. Any help?
please can some one help i have 2 male chihuahuas and they are 3-2 years old they are both intact they are growling and barking at each other and the 3 year old snarls what can i do
IM sure others keep there animals under control , I have neighbors with 4 of these chi chi dogs . We live in a townhouse and there dogs are no more then 15 feet from our windows. They never shut up ! We have dealt with this for 4 years now and finally we had to call animal control and the police a few times in the past . The last year has been a little better , I say a little , but these dogs have been a living hell within our own home. We walk by our own window and they bark at us !! They have taken the life out of my wife and I . It has been nothing but a nightmare for us. This is supposed to be a quiet complex , these dogs bark at anything and I mean anything , these good for nothing animals bark at flies ! I don’t blame the animals as much as I do the owners. And im grateful animal control was on our sides and threaten them with fines if thy did not shut there animals up. Although they still haunt us both , by the grace of God (animal control) we have a little more peace in our home but the scars remain.
I rescued a 2 mo. old chiwauwa that had been kept in a cage 24/7. Eating, drinking , doing his business in the cage. When I got him he wouldn’t go potty outside so we got the piddle pads and he went on those. He’s about 9 mos old now and he’ll only go on those pads. He’ll urinate outside but the other only inside. Any suggestions on how to get him to go outside?Also he only goes in the bathroom like us. It’s not so bad but it would be nice to have it done outside. He’s very paranoid and has to be with someone all the time(he was alone for the first 2 months)
Try taking her to the Basic obedience classes at Petsmart.
I have a one year old Chihuahua. She came to us from our neighbor. Our neighbor had left on a business trip and left the dog without food, water, or a towel in 30 degree weather for three days on her patio. My mother and I took her in to our home, she was full of flees and you could see her ribs. When the owner returned we threated to report her to ASPCA so, she gave us the dog with a “fee” of $200 dollars. She is now well fed, very active, and now very loud. I love her like crazy but I cant take her anywhere. She barks at everyone who comes within two feet of me and lunges at them she does the same for dogs as well. I live in a bad neighborhood so I don’t want the barking to stop all together, But when we go out I would like to have her feel more calm and happy about being outside instead of threatened. Someone suggested a spray collar but that would make her stop barking even at home when someone unwanted comes around. I want her to protect the home but have QUIET fun outside. How do I accomplish this goal? Any hints.
I have a 4 month old male chi and am having problems in two areas:
First, he hates having a harness on. Do I just put one on and leave it on permanently until he gets used to it.
Secondly, he barks constantly at people when they come into my house but loves all the girls who live here. He also barks at people while we are walking. Sometimes I distract him with treats while the person nears and passes by which usually works, but other times this does not work.
Oh and he’s scared of strangers who try to pet him.
Please help me help my dog so he can enjoy meeting new people and stop barking!
hi amanda,
yes, continue to use the harness on your chihuahua and in time he will adjust. you will need to spend time training your chihuahua to refrain from barking when people visit. it will take time but continue to put the effort in to do this so he grows to be socially healthy.
i had a very first dog, my parents hate dog so much that they want to get rid of it.
The problem they are complaining is smell, and barking
I did a potty train but it doesn’t work well enough and every night we put him in a bathroom and he bark overnight.
Please help me or my chihuahua will be sent back to the seller!
i have 2 chihuahuas and my aunt has one also and everytime someone walks into my moma house they bark and it dont matter wat you do u can yell and throw sumthin at them nuthing works the only thing we have figured out that works is spraying them with a spray bottle filled with water. if neone knows of nething else please let me know because it would be nice. thanks alot .
I have a three month old female chi who barks to get attention when placed in her pen (during the day when we are home and at night – anytime that she is awake). I live in an apartment and cannot disturb my neighbors with her noise during the night. I know that she is learning that if she barks I will come. What do I do, it has been 6 days of sleepless nights so far?
hi lisa, you can try exercising and playing with her before bedtime so that when she is ready to go to bed she is all tuckered out and there’s a good chance she will sleep through most of the night. you can also let your neighbors know that you are in the process of training her for bedtime and to bare with you during these first few weeks and that if it becomes really bothersome to please let you know. most neighbors will simply appreciate that you took the time to tell them this and they will understand your situation. this will buy you time to really work with training your chihuahua.
I have a female chihuahua who is 4 months, each time i take her out for walks she starts barking at other dogs really loudly and acts aggressive towards them. most dogs are bigger than her and im scared she might get attacked. what could i do to protect her??
my chihuahua wakes me up at night with her barking…she barks whenever someone in my house walks around at night. its really frustrating. ive only had her for four days and i keep telling myself that hopefully she will get used to the noises at night and wont bark so much. what do i do?
i have a chiuahua female 5 years old and everytime i take her out around people she barks and barks this high pitched bark no matter what i do yell, etc i cant take her nowhere due to this and she loves going everywhere with me please help! i live in the country so all she really sees is myself and my husband shes rarely exposed to other people i dont have neighbors to work with me on this what do i do?
I could use some help with the puppy biting phase. If someone could point me in the direction of some tips, I’d appreciate it. I have researched many tactics but they are a bit too harsh for a pup that is only 15oz with the tiniest of mouths!
I have bones & toys I give her when she bites but she insists on biting my nose or shaking my finger! Lol HELP. twitter.com/o0ochillyo0o
My goodness, you all are acting just like male dogs….if you guys got together in person you’d probably have to have a pissing contest to see who is the baddest.
Owners are responsible for training their dogs, but there are better tactics for neighbors to use that getting aggressive with the sprinkler. If you can’t stand noise and barking or dealing with the neighbors and their pets, then go live in the country away from other people.
Good advice, Gino! Is that seriously your name? Anyway, Gino, Ken is absoultely right. My personal opinion is this is one of the worst breeds out there, but that’s not the point. If your neighbor can’t appreciate the golden rule and hides behind “well that’s what dog’s do” then I say take it inot your own hands as long as it doesn’t include harm or damage. And if that’s so offensive to you Gino, you can come over to this “cupcake” s house anytime for a talk or a fat lip, whichever you prefer.
Aye Ken, try giving them a nice tasty treat and be nicer. they are just being good dogs and just warning their dog of an intruder. If it were my dogs and I found out about your insensitive juvenile tactic I would beat your pansy ass near death. Ya got that cupcake
My neighbor’s dog troika consists of this type, mini pinscher and a small terrier. They come to the wire fence separating our yards whenever I’m present in my yard, and yap hysterically. I’ve set up a sprinkler–the long-range shooting type–and aimed in at the fence. This seems to startle them and at least backs them away several yards from the fence.
My dog baby barks when nobody’s home and is haveing excessive accidents as well, which i believe is out of anger, he has peed on my bed and my mothers bed, and poos in front of my bedroom door all the time. this behavior is completetly inappropriate for ANY dog to be doing, let alone a 4 yr old. i adopted him a yr ago and i will have to get rid of him is this doesn’t change FAST. any help would be great…
your dog is simply trying to tell you that he doesn’t want to be left home alone for long periods of time and he shouldn’t be. the behavior is appropriate because he can’t speak. its best to not get mad or upset with him rather see what you can do to resolve the situation so he is not yelled at in the process. dogs are sensitive to the tone of your voice. chihuahuas are not meant to be left alone for long periods of time. they are lap dogs and need to be around people in a warm and loving social environment.
I live in an apt and Mister barks when I’m at work and I am being threatened with eviction. I stayed home today to leave for a little while, staying in the courtyard, then if he is quiet while I’m gone, give him a treat. So far I’m up to 10 mins.. Is this the correct way to start the training? I also spray him if he whines or barks while I’m here. What about deterrents? Bark collars, perimeter sonic devices??
We use a bottle with nuts or something in it and you shake it when start barking and they should be quiet.