A good obedience class to train your Chihuahua is always helpful. However, you don’t have to go to obedience classes. Many classes are especially for handling big, out-of-control dogs and may emphasize force methods to try and dominate and calm these dogs. These methods are not good for Chihuahuas, or any dog for that matter. 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 ineffective and no fun for your dog either. Chihuahuas respond best to amendable training and only the gentlest of techniques.

Some guidelines to keep in mind:

• Guide, don’t force. Chihuahuas want to please you. Your job is to show them what pleases you. If you force a Chihuahua you might bring out that notorious Chi stubborn streak.

• Punishment does not work. Chihuahuas seldom require anything but a mild correction.

• Accentuate the positive. Reward your dog for behaviors that please you.

• Will work for food. Your Chihuahua will work better for training sessions if her stomach is not full. She will be more responsive to food rewards on an empty stomach.

• Happy endings. Keep sessions short and fun, no longer than 10 to 15 minutes. Begin and end each training session with something your dog can do well.

Chihuahuas are intelligent. 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 a fun time for both of you. Chihuahuas need to have some kind of schooling.

Clicker training works well for Chihuahuas. In clicker training you teach the dog that a “click” sound signals a coming reward. A clicker signal is used 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 want her to do. The instant she does so, you click to tell the dog her behavior deserves a reward. Then you give her the treat. If the dog makes a mistake, no treat. You just wait for her to do it right, then reward with a treat.

Connie Limon raises Shih Tzu puppies. She owns Little Guys Dog Clothes Shop. Purchase designer dog clothes and accessories for your Chihuahua and other toy breeds at: littleguysdogclothesshop.com littleguysdogclothesshop.com

Related posts

• What Colors Look Best on Your Dog? (0)
• The Wonderful World of Toy Breed Dogs (0)
• Small Dogs are Dogs with Charm and Personality (0)
• Small Dog Breeds (0)
• Your Toy Puppy’s First Check-up and Settling In (0)

Tags: chihuahua, dog clothes, shih tzu

Do you have behaviour problems with your dog?
Barking unnecessarily, aggression, destructive habits?
This may be down to him not knowing his place - literally!
All dogs, from the biggest wolfhound to the tiniest chihuahua, think they are wolves. This is genetic and hard-wired into their brains.

Wolves are pack animals and packs have a leader - the alpha male.
Dogs are programmed to think that in the absence of other information, they are automatically the leader of the pack and responsible for everybody else in it and in a home, that means you, the dog-owner!
They take this responsibility very seriously to the point where they can be neurotic and badly-behaved.
What you have to do is give the dog the correct information through signals he will understand instinctively.
There are three main areas where strong signals can be sent to establish that your pet is NOT the boss!

The first is feeding. In a pack situation, after a kill, the alpha male eats first and woe betide any pack member who dares to step out of the pecking order at feeding time.
So when feeding, make sure you eat first, even if it’s just a cracker or piece of fruit. As long as the dog sees you eat it, that’s fine. Some trainers advocate taking a small morsel from the dog’s dish before he gets it and pretending to eat it - this reinforces the message that he’s below you in the pecking order.

Second is greeting - when the alpha male is away on the hunt and returns, he maintains a state of aloofness. This re-establishes the pack heirarchy. So follow the five minute rule - if you’ve been out and the dog’s been in, ignore him for at least five minutes. This may seem cruel and our natural emotional instinct is to make a fuss of the dog and show how much you missed him. This is a mistake!

After five minutes call the dog to you - this is important as it establishes your authority, then make as much fuss as you like.
When leaving the dog alone, do the same thing, just go without words of farewell or warnings ‘to be a good boy’!

The third area is the walk. Dogs in the wild don’t go walking, they go on the hunt, and the alpha male leads the hunt. So when you sea dog straining at the leash and pulling his owner down the street, he’s leading the hunt.
Make sure the dog walks to heel, in other words, at your side and slightly behind.
That’s his place - literally.
Now does all this make the dog unhappy?

No! Quite the reverse. The dog is anxious because it thinks it is responsible for you.
If you show him, through these natural signals, that he is not, the burden of leadership will be taken from him and he will relax.
Do I know what I am talking about? Yes, I have had several dogs where this technique works well, even if the bad behaviour pattern is well-established. The dogs can’t wait for someone else to shoulder the responsibility!

Related posts

• Top Five Dog Breeds for Homes with Children (0)
• Tips On Crafting A Workable Dog Fence (0)
• Pooches in Pictures; How Hollywood Influences the Dogs We Bring Home (0)
• Get A List Of Dog Breeds And Choose The Right Dog For Your Household (0)
• Famous Teacup Chihuahuas (0)

Tags: chihuahua, heel

Man’s best friend comes in all shapes and sizes from massive Great Danes to microscopic Teacup Chihuahuas. It pays to be educated about the breed of dog you’re considering. Here are some things to take into account about the Maltese.

The Maltese is a member of the toy class, usually weighing between three and 10 pounds. Its most prominent characteristic is its long, flowing white hair with no undercoat. Because the Maltese don’t have fur like other breeds, it will lose hair the way humans do instead of shedding like most dogs. Perhaps the most interesting and unique characteristic of the breed is its color-changing nose. The nose can change from coal black to a light brownish color or even pink depending on the amount of sunlight the animal is exposed to. The nose of a female Maltese may change color when she goes onto heat.

Because Maltese don’t shed if properly and regularly groomed, they make good pets for people who suffer with allergies.

The breed’s temperament lends itself to companionship. The Maltese is happiest when in the company of family and friends being lavished with affection. Like most small breeds, they are energetic and given to sudden bouts of activity, but their small size makes them a good option for apartment dwellers. Maltese are very smart. Their high intellect makes them easy to train and quick at picking up new tricks.

Maltese are generally good natured and playful, but like any pack-oriented animal, they might not do well with small children or strangers. They are very territorial and likely to be protective of the family unit.

Like anything else with hair, a Maltese must be regularly groomed to prevent matting. Some caretakers find a way around the chore by keeping their dogs in what is known as a “puppy cut” or a “teddy bear cut,” where the hair is kept short, about a half an inch, all over the body. This style is certainly less fuss and may be more comfortable for the dog, but it’s not acceptable for a show dog.

Maltese are relatively healthy dogs, usually unburdened with the afflictions of other pure breeds. However, luxating patella, white dog shaker syndrome and progressive retinal atrophy are common in Maltese that do develop problems. Luxating patella is a condition in which the kneecap slips out of place. White dog shaker syndrome is a sudden onset of tremors, sometimes full seizures, that troubles only white dogs. Progressive retinal atrophy is just what it sounds like. It will eventually result in blindness for which there is no cure.

In keeping with the designer breed trend, Maltese are often bred with other breeds, such as poodles, to emphasize their sweet nature and intelligence.

Corinne enjoys writing about dogs and other pets. Find more of her articles at Pets 247, a pet resource website where you can find pets-24.com online pet store resources, pet directories, pets-24.com/online-pet-store-forum pet forums, reviews and more.

Related posts

• The Chihuahua - Perfect Apartment Companions (0)
• Is The Chihuahua The Perfect Pet For You? (0)
• Your New Puppy: Must Haves for Your Dog (0)
• Your Dog’s Coat: Keeping it Shiny and Healthy (0)
• Why The Pomeranian Is A Fluff To Be Reckoned With (0)

Tags: chihuahua, groom, healthy dog

If your dog has a fear of loud noises you can help her defeat the fear with a little patience and calm behavioral modification techniques.

Sherry Woodard, dog trainer and consultant for the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, says that the following technique is especially useful.

• She suggests getting an audio of the loud noises that your dog has the most fear of. Play the audio at low volume so that your dog will hear the sounds but not be frightened by the normally accompanying loudness.

Do things to divert her attention while the audio is playing. You can play with her, pet or brush your dog while the audio plays.

Once your dog becomes accustomed to the sound or noise which has previously invoked fear you can adjust the sound level up a bit so that she gradually hears the sound at higher levels.

By doing this over a period of several days your dog will be able to overcome her fear of loud noises.

• Calm your dog by talking to her. If your dog has a fear of loud noises that are produced by the sound of clanging garbage cans for example, stay with her when the trick comes and calmly talk to her. Just don’t make too much of a fuss or she will associate your attention with the noise and the fear of loud noises will be reinforced.

• The cave is really a crate- We adopted a dog that had been abused and was frightened of any noise above a whisper. Shaking and quivering, this little Chihuahua mix would run and hide when the doorbell rang. To overcome her fear of loud noises we left a crate in the living room. When a loud noise produced fear, the little pooch would run to the crate and calm down. Many dogs have a cave as safe haven instinct, from days in the wild 10,000 years ago.

Once the little dog had calmed down we would sit by the crate and just let her feel our presence. No calling, no fanfare. She soon would emerge, reassured by our presence. After a few weeks, she started running to us instead of the crate. She was no longer afraid of loud noises.

• Cool as a cucumber -Make sure never to show excitement or anger when your dog displays fear of loud noises. The fear will only become more intense. Stay cool and calm. Your dog will react in kind.

• Nature’s help is OK, too-If all else fails you may want to consult with a holistic veterinarian to determine if a natural supplement is available, appropriate for your dog, that will help calm her and alleviate your dog’s fear of loud noises

Once you determine which approach works best for your dog she will continue to make progress and end her fear of loud noises provided that you continue to work with her in a calm and consistent manner.

Does your dog show a fear of loud noises when thunder rolls, cars approach, or kids romp and yell in the yard? Does she run and hide when loud music is playing? Whatever the problem, help is at hand. Find out how to easily solve any dog behavior issue at dogs-4life.com/disobedient-dog-help.html dogs-4life.com/disobedient-dog-help.html

This article may be reproduced intact with the author’s link displayed.

Related posts

• Your Teacup Puppy Is Chewing and Teething (0)
• Your New Puppy: Must Haves for Your Dog (0)
• Your First Day Home With Your New Puppy (0)
• You can have a Dog and Live in the City (0)
• Yo Quiero Chihuahuas: the Tiny Lap Dog with the Big Personality (0)

Tags: chihuahua

What happens when you run out of pet food in the middle of the day? The quickest way is to dash to the nearest pet store and replenish your pet supplies, as most online orders are not delivered immediately.

It requires a lot of energy and time to provide the best pet care to our animals. The pet store is the most convenient place to purchase all the pet supplies for your beloved pets, as they will usually have stocks on the products or services that are in high demand or most commonly bought by customers.

In a large city or big town, there should be dozens of pet stores situated near every residential area. You should look for a store that keeps their goods in a neat and hygienic manner. Perishable products such as food or anything with a shelf date should be sold within the validity date.

In addition, an up-market store should have the latest products that may help pet owners minimize on the amount of time spent on pet care.

Firstly, there is a need to groom your pet under a daily, bi-weekly or weekly schedule, as the activity is necessary to keep the animal’s coat healthy and shiny. Grooming is also essential, as it will also eradicate fleas and other parasites. The pet store should have hygiene and grooming products such as shampoos, skin lotions, bathing foams, deodorizers as well as a good range of grooming tools like nail clippers/files, rakes, combs and brushes. It should also have products on dental care and commonly used medications.

Other useful innovations that can be found in an up-market store are the automatic feeders and watering gadgets. These products give your pets access to food and water whenever there is a need, without the owner’s presence to attend to their meals. In addition to convenience, automated feeders build in the control of releasing food to animals with dietary needs. As animals usually tend to dehydrate more quickly, it is important to have water readily available to them.

There should also be some varieties of traveling aids such as specially designed harness, car seats and soft cages in the pet store. Pet owners can buy these aids when traveling with their pets in cars. If you choose to bring your pet out in a bicycle, there should be a range of baskets with different safety and security features available in the store.

Most of the pet store will usually stock up a variety of leads and collars for dogs or puppies. In addition to holding your pet’s registration tags, collars also give the animal a unique identity whereas the leads can be belt around your waist as you jog or stroll with your pet. You can buy a pocket pouch from the store to carry your pet if is a small animal like the Chihuahua. A muzzle will most likely be necessary if your pet is a large or dangerous dog, especially on occasions when humans need to be kept safe.

You should be able to find a good range of bedding materials in a variety of sizes and styles in the pet store. These will probably include kennels and mats for dogs, basket and cushion products for cats, cages for the birds and rodents as well as aquariums for fishes and tortoises. Rugs and blankets are also needed to keep your pets warm during cold weathers. These accommodations will ensure that your pets are able to rest comfortably.

In addition, you should be able to buy secure enclosures such as safety pet fences or cat fences at the store. These are soft wire mesh enclosures that can be placed in backyards or on balconies. Such blocking enclosures will keep your pet safe and prevent them from wandering off while having a stretch of exercises outdoors.

Finally yet importantly, your pet will enjoy the endless list of toys sold in the pet store. These may include balls, Frisbees and bones for dogs, scratching posts and tunnels for cats, mirrors for birds as well as racing tracks for rodents.

You may even find more pampering products, unusual toys, specialty clothing and other ‘hidden treasures’ when searching through the bigger pet store(s). A trip there will bring you and your pets plenty of joy and fun together.

Ske Chay of funny-pets.com www.funny-pets.com
Providing information on funny-pets.com/petstore pet store at funny-pets.com/petstore www.funny-pets.com/petstore

Related posts

• Summer Can Claim Your Pet’s Life (0)
• A Guide to Buying Pet Products (0)
• Your New Puppy: Must Haves for Your Dog (0)
• Your Dog Will Benefit From Regular Grooming (0)
• Why Contract the Services of a Professional Pet Sitter for Your Dog? (0)

Tags: aquarium, chihuahua, groom, parasites