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:

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