How to stop a chihuahua from barking?
Barking is your Chihuahua’s way of communicating with you. It’s a natural reaction triggered by their environment. Their bark can be a form of greeting that means they’re happy to see you. Or they bark when they’re alarmed or stressed. They bark when they’re lonely and they also bark when they’re bored. They bark when they demand your attention and they bark when they’re hurt. There’s just constant yappy barking, especially for these small furry fellows. Known to be fiercely loyal and territorial companion dogs, Chihuahuas bark to protect and guard you against other people, sometimes even members of your own family. They are bred that way.
Your Chihuahua’s constant barking can be noisy and annoying at times. You would also notice that your furry pet is a Drama Queen and tends to react over anything and everything. This is a common behavioral problem among these little fellows. They bark at pedestrians, passing cars, house guests, delivery men, other animals or objects. Their inappropriate barking can be stressful. Some states even have laws against excessive barking. Once they’ve proven that your dog’s barking is a nuisance, you can be fined and they can ask you to keep your pet indoors or even get rid of it. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that.
The thing is, Chihuahuas are smart dogs and you can train them to stop their unnecessary barking. Experts say that barking is a nature and nurture behavior. Yes, it is in their nature to bark but you can also train them to stop excessive and obsessive barking that annoy you and people around you. The most recommended way to train them is through the Speak and Quiet Commands. This training is about positive reinforcement of desirable behavior. You need to teach your Chihuahua when to bark and when not to bark. To teach the Speak Command, use any stimulus that would normally cause your Chihuahua to bark. For example, invite a family friend to your house. Before your friend rings the doorbell, command your dog to bark by saying “Speak”. When your Chihuahua does so, reward it with a treat and shower it with praises and affection. Repeat this method until your Chihuahua learns to bark on your command. Your next agenda is to teach your pet the Quiet Command. To do this, tell him to Speak. While your Chihuahua is barking, place a treat under its nose. If it stops barking to inspect the treat in front of him, give the treat as a reward and again shower your pet with praises and affection. Just keep on doing this until your furry friend learns to keep quiet on your command.
When your Chihuahua barks, it means it’s trying to tell you something. But when barking gets excessive, you can get them to stop through proper training. This way, you and the people around you won’t be disturbed and will have a good time around your furry little friend.
