My chihuahua barks at most strangers who come in my house, mostly males, how can I stop it?

Question

My chihuahua barks at most strangers, mostly males, and even some males she has met before a few times even when they come in the house and sit down and relax. There does not seem to be any real reason for it, she will even let the same people come up to her and stroke her if I am holding her in my arms and she will wag her tail when they do stroke her as she likes it. She is 2 and a half years old now and I really want to solve this problem, any ideas?

I also would like to add that when some people (even ones she knows) make sudden movements, or even some that are not so sudden such as reaching across her to pass something to me, she will attempt to bite and growl and this worries me as she could bite my 4 year old nephew. Any advice on this?

Answer 1

Squirty water bottle or shaker

Everytime she barks, squirt her with the water and give a sharp "no", when someone comes in, tell them not to look at the dog & completely ignore her. if she barks....squirt her again! They can make a fuss of her when she stops

You can do the same technique but with a can or small bottle containing a few stones. When she barks, give a firm hard shake of the bottle and a firm "no".....Carry on as above

Good luck

Answer 2

Discipline you dog! Unfortunately, you got yourself a stinky chi. Chi's that are well bred are not aggressive. Just because it's small doesn't mean it's "cute" like some people think. Aggression is aggression, whether in a large dog or a small dog. Dogs reach maturity at 18 months, if you didn't take care of her training and socialising by then, you can bet you'll have a hard time of it now...obviously, you know this. Be persistent! You are letting her run the house and your family, put an end to it. Try kennelling her when friends are over and only let her out once she's calmed down. Use only "special" treats that she loves, give them to the people and let them give them to her only when she is calm and quiet. Put her in a submissive position, on her back, until he "gives in", meaning totally relaxing her body. Then let her up and praise her. Have your friends approach her with dominant posturing. Direct eye contact, full frontal body stance and move toward her without hesitation, telling her "no" or a "ch" sound. Keep doing it, she'll back up and eventually run off or under your feet for protection. In this case, keep stepping away from her, do not let her use you for protection. (ignore her) Try having a friend sit on the floor talking to you, ignoring her, don't even look at her. You'll find that she'll soon stop barking and slowly sneak in for a sniff. At this point, continue to ignore her until she's close enough to touch, then have your friend move a body part just slightly. Here, she'll probably back up and bark again. Repeat the process, tedious, I know, but over time, she'll realise that your friends are not there to harm you, which is her thinking she's the boss. Leave her with someone over night for a few nights, no contact from you at all. Yes, she'll be scared, but she needs to learn her place, and you've already made it clear in her eyes, that you are beneath her. Good luck, you have MUCH work ahead of you. I've seen as early as 8 weeks when a puppy is aggressive and when it's submissive. They are born that way, you just got unlucky. It is treatable, yet not curable. Take care.

Answer 3

Chihuahuas are great dogs in the fact that they are very aware of their surroundings and what's going on. My dogs still bark at me when I come in the door sometimes - it's just something they do. Chi's as a general rule are a 1-2 person dog, they aren't much of a group dog. They are loyal to their owners and everyone else is intruding. I tell mine to stop barking if it's someone that's been over before and usually after a few sniffs they are fine, but to expect a dog not to bark at people he doesn't know is unrealistic.

Answer 4

Hi steptacular99.
Barking is simply a dog's means of communication, whether directed at other dogs, at members of the household, or at the world in general. It may be an attempt to stake out territory, or warn owners of intruders.

There is some evidence that barking is an inherited trait: if the parents bark a lot, chances are their puppies will, too.

Often, one method that helps alleviate barking is to give your dog specific permission to bark. Teach it to "speak" -- let it "speak" when appropriate (say, when you're playing in the park). Then "no speak" follows from that.

The following methods outline some other possibilities to address this problem. Training the dog to stop barking on command can be accomplished with lure-reward techniques, disruption techniques, or head halter and leash training. Training a dog to be quiet on command allows it to continue to bark at stimuli but stop at your request. Please look article: http://www.askedweb.com/askedweb/About_the_most_frequent_barking_problems/

Jason Homan

Answer 5

She is a lively dog and you should be glad because most dogs are very quiet and old. She is full of excitement and fiesty. You shouldn't punish her for her nature, but to let her know it is bad, calm her down before someone comes to the door, or if you don't know when someone will some, simply close the door and let them in.

I have tried to make this a best answer, so it would be much appreciated!

Answer 6

at the first sign of barking, make sure you immediately introduce your dog to your visitor at a close range. let your dog smell your visitor so that he would recognize him/her everytime he comes to your home. make sure also to give your dog a treat everytime he stops barking the first time you tell him to stop

Answer 7

go to the dog whisperers website. google cesar milan and he has great advice on how to train your dog

Answer 8

I think that you should put her in a room where there are lots of things to keep her playful because if you do not she could become nasty towards you too!!!

Answer 9

every time sum1 comes round lock your dog in the kitchen

Answer 10

you can't your dog does this because he/she loves you and tries to make sure no one will hurt you.