Chihuahua Information Center
Your Subtitle text
Topic of the Month - Each Month, New Chihuahua Information
Monday, July 12, 2010Do You Have a Stubborn Chihuahua?
Many owners use the word “stubborn” to describe their Chihuahua who does not listen to commands or seems to be very independent and does not do as the owner wishes.
For example, if your Chihuahua pulls on their leash while you are walking and seem to want to choose their own route for the walk…or if they lay down when you give the “Sit” command, you may think that your Chihuahua is being stubborn.
Are dogs “stubborn”….do they have “minds of their own” and can they purposely decide to ignore you…ignore commands and just do as they wish? Is this a personality trait?....OR is it a sign that an owner must implement different training? Can a stubborn Chihuahua be trained to listen? Is a stubborn Chihuahua always going to be this way?....Or can this be fixed?
Let’s dive into this new topic for any Chihuahua owners who have a “stubborn” dog…and see what can be done about this.
Read about the benefits of home cooking for your Chihuahua and some surprising facts about how manufactured dog food affects a Chi. More
Is This a Personality Issue?It is easy to just decide that your Chihuahua is stubborn, accept it and learn to live with it… But there is a way to train your Chihuahua to listen to you, to be more a “part of the family” and to enjoy your time together more. You should know that when a Chihuahua acts stubborn, it is not really a personality trait…it is most often a training issue.
Now, while all dogs DO have their own unique personalities, dogs in general do NOT have an inner instinct to be stubborn. Deep down, your Chihuahua DOES want to please you….So with some training and some dedicated time, you can fix this issue. Your Chihuahua may simply not have learned some basics that are needed in order for them to listen to you. Without those basics, they may seem to be acting stubborn, but in reality, they are often confused….they do not have the discipline that is needed to follow along with what you wish for….And they really do crave to have an “Alpha Dog” tell them what to do.
All dogs feel much happier and much more comfortable within the family environment when there is an “Alpha dog”. You see, this dog instinct goes back many, many generations! Back when there were just wild dogs, before domestication, dogs ran in “packs”. Just like the wild wolves that exist today, each pack is led by the “Alpha dog”. This is the dog, or in today’s time, the human, who is in charge. It is the person who makes the decisions, who gives orders and whose job it is to provide food, shelter and, yes, commands.
When a dog does not know who the “Alpha” is…or if they are confused and think that perhaps THEY are the Alpha, many problems will occur. And one of the biggest problems of this type of thing is that dog then acting stubborn. After all…WHY should your Chihuahua listen to you if they do not see you as the “Alpha”?
So, let’s dive into this more and fix this issue.
Motivation
When a dog has motivation….When they have a REASON to listen, they will. Dogs are very smart, testing has shown us that dogs do not just “follow along”… with other dogs OR with humans if they do not see the LOGIC in doing so. Therefore, motivation is vital.
Now, it is very important that an owner does not think that not having a punishment is enough motivation! When a dog is hit, isolated or otherwise punished for not listening or for being stubborn, this does NOT work. ONLY positive reinforcement works. When a Chihuahua has a positive, happy outcome because they listen, this works 1000 times better than having something bad happen if they do not listen.
So, jerking your Chihuahua around as you walk (which is VERY dangerous for your Chihuahua if you are not using a harness) or yelling when they do not listen will do nothing except frustrate you…and make your dog unhappy. It creates a negative environment that will affect not just your Chihuahua, but all member of the household.
Giving your Chihuahua positive reinforcement takes more skill and devotion on your part…And you will find that it is the best decision that you ever made to slowly, yet steadily change your stubborn Chihuahua into a happy dog who listens to you and enjoys pleasing your by doing so.
How to Train a Stubborn Dog
Before you begin, remember that every dog has a distinct personality. For that reason, we are going to discuss the main idea of this training. Then, you as the owner ( the person who knows your Chihuahua the best ) can fine-tune this training….As you will know that your Chihuahua loves the best, what actions prompt them to want to please you, etc.
Strategy Number 1
This is actually rather easy and works well for many dogs and the owners who are trying in vain to make them listen!
If your Chihuahua is the type of LOVES your attention and if your Chihuahua is the type of loves to play with you… this will work great.
Whenever your Chihuahua does not listen to you or acts “stubborn”, you simply say “Too bad”...And you WALK AWAY. By doing this, your Chihuahua has just lost one of the things that they love the most: The attention that you give to them!
For many dogs, this strategy works very well, because by doing this, you remove the opportunity for your Chihuahua to play with you. The motivation happens because you will be teaching your Chihuahua that they have 2 options:
1. Listen to you and continue to have your company
2. Not listen and be left all alone, bored and craving attention
Now, this only works if you stick with this. For example, if you are commanding your Chihuahua to “Sit” while you put on their leash in order to go for a walk and they are not listening, do NOT give the command over and over. After THREE tries, say “Too bad” and walk away. If you Chihuahua follows you.. IGNORE THEM COMPLETELY. You MUST ignore them 100% for at least 5 minutes. (You may need to adjust this time depending on your Chihuahua’s personality…some dogs get anxious and want that attention within seconds or a minute.. with other dogs, you may need to ignore them for up to 15 minutes).
This is where skill comes in on your par…It is not exactly easy to completely ignore a Chihuahua who is jumping up on your leg, whining, barking or jumping all over you as you ignore them and watch TV. However, remain strong! COMPLETELY ignoring them is the only thing that will teach them that: Not listening = they are invisible. Talk about motivation for a dog who loves attention! And remember, you are NOT being mean….In the end, at the end of this training, you will have a happier dog, who is proud that they are pleasing you!
After the “Ignoring” time, you will then try again…whatever command or activity that you tried the first time. If they do not listen… repeat the “Too bad” strategy. You can repeat this for as many times as it takes for them to listen…. IF you get tired of this, or if time does not allow you to continue, go about your business and begin the next day, with the same command or activity that you were trying for. IF they DO listen, you MUST act as if they just did the most wonderful thing in the entire world. Have a small treat in your pocket… something very special such as a crisp piece of real bacon.. Give them the treat, pat them a whole bunch, talk in a very proud and happy way. Make it 100% clear that by listening, they just did something WONDERFUL.
NOW, this is important! ---- If you were trying to give a command and your Chihuahua is chewing on a treat or a toy, the “Too bad” strategy will NOT work. This is because your Chihuahua will be very happy to just remain laying down and chewing on their toy, etc. In THIS case, you must say “Too bad” and THEN take away their treat or toy. THAT will then get their attention. Next, you will give the “Sit” Command. (Even if your original command was to “come” or whatever it was. If you must, help your Chihuahua by gently pushing on their bottom to make them sit. If they are jumping and bouncing around, upset that you took the treat or toy… just be PATIENT…wait until your Chihuahua calms down (which they will Eventually do – THIS is the part where you MUST have extreme patience – and remember that it WILL pay off in the long run). When they are calm, give the “Sit” command again…and ONLY give that toy or treat back when they listen to that command.
Then, at a later time, when they are NOT pre-occupied with a chew toy or other element, work on the “Too bad” training.
REMEMBER – YOU are in control of the rewards and YOU control the motivation.
Strategy Number 2
This is more detailed for when a Chihuahua just does NOT listen to a certain command. You will need to pay attention to the REASON that your Chihuahua is not listening and make changes….
For example, you Chihuahua may never sit when you command so….or they will not “Come” to you when you command it.
The following are elements that may have led to them not understanding the command or why they may know what it MEANS, but they feel that they have no reason to actually follow your command.
1. Your Chihuahua MAY not actually UNDERSTAND the command. Dogs do NOT automatically know what “sit” or “come” means. They will have ZERO idea until you take the time to train them those words. This is different than being “stubborn”. Take time each day… with nothing to distract your puppy or dog….And patiently teach them the command. Nothing teaches a dog faster than by giving a very special yummy treat when they listen. When beginning, you must SHOW your Chihuahua what to do. Our BOOK gives details, but for example… with “Sit”, you must gently press down on your dog’s behind as you say the word clear and with authority (but not in an angry or mean voice)….With “come”… be holding a fun toy or treat, clap your hands, act excited, have the tone of your voice say “Come and something good will happen”.
2. A dog cannot be properly trained if they are uncomfortable or distracted. When it is time to teach a command, do not have the TV on, do not do the training when there are other people around for them to look at/listen to….Make sure that you Chihuahua is NOT thirsty… Your dog should be hungry enough to want the treat that is given when they learn the command…BUT they should not be starving….. Do the command training 1 hour before dinnertime or 1 hour afterward. Do not have other dogs around. Shut off you cell phone. In other words, plan ahead for command training and be sure that your Chihuahua is comfortable and that there are ZERO distractions. ONCE your dog understands and learns the commands, you do not need to be so strict regarding having zero distractions.
3. This about what your puppy or dog wants the most. Each Chihuahua is different. What is the best motivation for YOUR Chihuahua? Is it a treat? If so, what KIND? You wouldn’t jump up and do something for a piece of broccoli! Find out what treat really gets your Chihuahua moving! You MAY need to cut out treats between meal times so that your Chihuahua really looks forward to getting one. Also, your particular Chihuahua may love pats, tickles or kind words more than treats… Or perhaps a special toy that you only take out during training time. Your Chihuahua may love to play fetch more than they love treats or pats… Find out what your dog loves the best and go with that.
4. Is your dog physically able to do the action that you ask for? That is always a crucial question to ask. If a dog has an injury or bad hips, he might have difficulty performing tasks such as lying down. Luxating patella, hip dysplasia, a torn muscle.. the possibilities are endless…But do pay close attention to see if there is some type of medical issue that is preventing your Chihuahua from wanting to do an action…and then of course, have them checked out by a reputable and experience veterinarian.
Example of Training a Stubborn Dog with 4 Different Strategies to Make it Work
Here is an example of a training exercise and 4 strategies for motivating a stubborn dog to do the correct behavior. You might have to do many repetitions of a behavior in each situation before you can feel confident that your dog knows the behavior. Don’t get frustrated. Pay attention to making a bit of progress each session and eventually you will have success. One of the biggest mistakes novice trainers make is that they have expectations that are too high…Don’t expect your Chihuahua to change overnight. Don’t expect a command to be learned in 1 day. And IF your Chihuahua knows a command but IS being stubborn, do NOT expect the “Too bad” strategy training to work in 1 day. Be patient, STICK WITH THIS TRAINING…and depending on how many issues your dog has or how fast a learner that they are, you should find success within 1-3 weeks.
In this example, a dog is asked to LIE DOWN and he doesn’t do it.
Here are 4 strategies to try if your Chihuahua doesn’t lie down when they are commanded to do so:
1. Put a really great treat in your hand, get your dog to lay down (by following the “too bad” training discussed above OR showing your dog what you expect if they do not know the command)… and reward.
2. Put a really great treat in your hand, get your dog to lay down (by following the “too bad” training discussed above OR showing your dog what you expect if they do not know the command)…, get really excited; give praise such as “Good Boy!” BUT DO NOT give him the treat reward. Then, quickly take food out of your hand, give the command again and ONLY reward when they do it a 2nd time. THIS strategy is used to motivate the dog to do the behavior ON THEIR OWN without a lot of coaxing from you.
If your Chihuahua ALWAYS gets a reward and then rewards stops, they will be a bit frustrated. You want to work your way up to having them do the command and being happy with a simple “Good dog!”. So, the goal here is to sometimes give a treat AND sometimes to give words of praise with NO treat. So…give the “lay down” command again… and wait to see if your dog does the behavior on their own. If not, give them just a little bit of help such as a more subtle hand signal. Your Chihuahua might start to anticipate what you want them to do and start lying down. Great! That is the point; your dog is starting to understand to do the behavior when asked. Alternate rewards with treats, then with just praise, then a treat, etc… And as time goes by, do more praises and less treats.
3. WIN THE WAITING GAME. Command your Chihuahua to “lay down” and then just wait. DON’T say the command again. If you see a delay A LOT, focus more on helping to show them what to do. BUT, the goal is to wait…and eventually have your Chihuahua follow the command on their own, without you having to repeat it 15 times.
4. Say “Too bad” turn around and leave. Then, come back after a short period of time (5 seconds) and ask for the behavior again and reward. If he doesn’t do it again, help by luring with a treat or using a hand signal without a treat in your hand. This is a way to teach him that he has to do the behavior when asked in order to play with you. Don’t rely on this strategy more than one or two times in a row. If you do this constantly, it is a good indicator that your dog doesn’t know the behavior or is too distracted. In this case, SHOW your Chihuahua what the command means OR find a good place to train WITHOUT distractions.
Tips to Help
The GOAL with training consistent behaviors is to create a response through repetition. Think of repetitive movements that you have learned such as playing a sport, typing, or even learning the alphabet. Everything involving learning and physical movements takes repetition for any animal or any human.
Focus on saying the command ONE TIME and helping your dog get it right. If you find that your dog is too distracted, move him away to a less distracting location, or provide more help. More help would mean using a lure to help your dog do the behavior, gently guiding him with the leash or hand, tapping your leg to get his attention or motivate him to come to you, etc.
Another important strategy is to do SHORT training sessions. A session might be only one minute to start. You don't want your dog to get tired of training or to become frustrated with commands that they have yet to master; you want your Chihuahua to want MORE. Do short training sessions and stop before your dog wants to stop.
If you focus on being a good, patient and dedicated TEACHER and being consistent while using a variety of rewards that YOUR dog wants, you will both do great.
Don't forget to become a PetChiDog Member - You will be able to receive friendly reminders when we add new information, update the Cutest Chi Photo Gallery & be able to suggest topics !
Looking for much more Chihuahua information? Do you have Chi questions and would love direct advice from the PetChiDog Experts for ALL questions for FREE for LIFE? Forget about those silly little Chihuahua books that already tell you what you know ! It is time for something different!
Looking for much more Chihuahua information? Do you have Chi questions and would love direct advice from the PetChiDog Experts for ALL questions for FREE for LIFE? Forget about those silly little Chihuahua books that already tell you what you know ! It is time for something different!
