Why Are Chihuahuas So Aggressive and Angry? (Growling)
Chihuahua owners often hear unkind comments about their loved pet’s temperament. Even strangers who have never had a chihuahua also comment about their pets. If you want to understand the breed’s temperament, this article will surely help you out. This is an important thing to understand.
Every dog has its specific characteristics. Every chihuahua is not aggressive but some can be of an aggressive nature. Aggression originates from the below:
- Pain: Many dogs show aggression because of the pain they have felt. They want to keep the people away from them. They don’t like people touching them. If you pick up the chihuahua and get bitten. It may be because you have hurt the chihuahua while you were attempting to pick the dog up.
- Learned Behavior: Chihuahua are small in size and thus many owners allow them to get away with many things. It is best if you don’t allow them to get away with things just because of their small size. Let’s say it was a large breed dog. Would you have allowed the dog to do the same thing which you allow your chihuahua to do? Well the answer is No. Hence don’t consider the size. If something is wrong you need to train them and make them understand that what they did was wrong.
- Wiring: Some dogs are aggressive since they have been puppies. This makes them aggressive when they grow up. However, this generally is in certain dogs and you should not blame the whole species for it. Sometimes this behavior is related to poor breeding and early trauma. These behavior leads to euthanasia in large breeds for the safety of humans.
How Do I Get My Chihuahua To Stop Being Aggressive With People?
You must first understand why the Chihuahua is aggressive with other people. Listed below are some of the reasons:
- Circumstances: Sometimes dogs being aggressive is because of the person who is try to hold or touch the dog. They might have been rough with them. Dogs can’t say no, they also don’t like to be treated like a teddy bear and that is exactly what people do when they see a Chihuahua.
- Resources: Sometimes strangers approaching the things Chihuahua love can be an issue for them and the only option for them is to show aggressiveness. If this is the concern then there are numerous ways to deal with it.
- History: If your Chihuahua is adopted. They may have had a bad past and might be abused by the previous owner which you might not be well aware of. Maybe your Chihuahua lived in a house which had many children who used to handle it roughly like a toy and that is the reason why it is not very comfortable with people around them. Once you have found out the reason for the aggressive behavior you can address the issue in a better manner.
Here are certain strategies to start using when your Chihuahua gets aggressive with a human.
Listed below are certain things which you need to start using as strategies:
- Dealing with Humans: If you see that someone is handling the Chihuahua roughly. You must immediately intervene. As a pet owner you have the authority to intervene and act like a guardian. You have to respond when the Chihuahua is in need of help. If you don’t do that they would reciprocate aggressively as they want to protect themselves from others treating them like soft toys and hurting them.
- Dealing with resources: If your Chihuahua is interested in guarding its treasure you must make him understand that if they misbehave the treasure will be taken away from them.
To help them be nice when they have the treasure, certain steps need to be followed.
- Pick the toy that your Chihuahua loves but does not guard.
- Pick the toy and give it to him. Then play with your dog for a few minutes.
- Then in a stern voice ask it to “drop it” and if he lets go, you need to reward him with a treat.
- Walk away with the toy & then come back and give it the toy again.
- If it gets upset when you take up the toy, get it away from it, leave the room that very minute and ignore him for a couple of minutes.
Try this for a few weeks and then see if there is any change in the behavior of the Chihuahua. If it does not work seek advice from a trainer.
Positive Reinforcement Training
If you have come to know that the Chihuahua was abused by children you will need to start a positive experience for your Chihuahua.
Try this regime, for this you would need kids who are friendly with dogs:
- Make the children walk by your Chihuahua and put treats on the floor without paying attention to your dog.
- Leave a trail of treats to your Chihuahua’s favorite place and get the child to wait there with a blanket along with your Chihuahua’s bed.
- Ask the child to read a book or watch television but to ignore the Chihuahua.
- If your pet is brave enough to approach and eat the treats it is a good sign.
- Gradually ask the child to feed the treat by his hand.
- You can now place treats on the blanket which is kept in the child’s lap to encourage the Chihuahua to interact with your pet.
- Now ask the child to pet the Chihuahua and also ask the child to give the Chihuahua a treat.
In this way your Chihuahua has now associated itself with a child and has happy memories which includes its treats, blanket and his favorite bed. If after utilizing all the advice which is listed in the article, you have not noticed any visible results, then it is best that you seek advice from a professional dog trainer and also ask your veterinarian to prescribe appropriate medication for your Chihuahua. This may benefit your pet. You may even ask your Veterinarian to refer a reputed dog trainer for your Chihuahua.
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