Suggestions On Chihuahua Coaching
11 Jun 2010
A good obedience class to coach your Chihuahua is always useful. However, you don’t have to go to obedience classes. Many classes are particularly for handling huge, out-of-control dogs and may stress force strategies to try to control and calm these dogs. These techniques are not good for Chihuahuas or any dog for what it’s worth. If you run into instructors and classes like this, you are better off training your Chihuahua on your own or with other small-dog owners.
Old-fashioned force-training methods are ineffectual and no fun for your dog either. Chihuahuas reply best to amendable training and only the gentlest of methodologies.
Some guidelines to remember:
Guide, don’t force. Chihuahuas wish to please you. Your job is to show them what pleases you. If you force a Chihuahua you might bring out that scandalous Chi stubborn streak.
Punishment does not work. Chihuahuas seldom require anything but a mild correction.
Intensify the positive. Reward your dog for behaviors that please you.
Happy endings: Keep sessions short and fun, no longer than 10 to 15 mins. Begin and end each training session with something your dog can do well.
Chihuahuas are clever. Just because your Chihuahua lives a life of leisure does not mean she can’t learn tricks. Chihuahuas don’t hunt, herd or guard so they don’t have an opportunity to show off like some of the other breeds. Obedience and agility trials give Chihuahuas a chance to show what they can do. But you don’t have to compete in the competitions to enjoy training your Chihuahua. Training should be an enjoyable time for the two of you. Chihuahuas need to have some kind of schooling.
Clicker training works really well for Chihuahuas. In clicker training you teach the dog a “click” sound signals a coming reward. A clicker signal is utilized because it is fast, noticeable, and something the dog otherwise does not encounter in everyday life. Once the dog associates the click with an upcoming reward, you wait for the dog to do the behavior you need her to do. The instant she does hence you click to inform the dog her behavior deserves a reward.
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