Making Points With A Chihuahua Rescue Dog

The natural tendencies of the Chihuahua are to be aggressive and very independent. It can be difficult to get a Chihuahua to do what you want it to do under the best of normal circumstances. When you take on a Chihuahua rescue dog you are adding so many new dimensions to the problem that it can take months just to get to square one with the dog and let the real training begin. Training and getting through to a Chihuahua rescue dog can be a very frustrating challenge.

Before you can even hope to begin any of the basic household training that your Chihuahua will need you first need to get through the trauma it has been through and Chihuahuas do not react well to bad situations. All you can do is spend a lot of time with your dog and let it know that everything is okay and show it that it is safe and loved in its new home. Patience is the key to this.

Chihuahuas normally do not respond well to any type of punishment at all. Under a normal training circumstance any sort of punishment runs the risk of creating aggressive behavior in the dog and undoing any progress that may have been made in the training of the dog. When you get a Chihuahua rescue dog you are dealing with a dog that has a great amount of negative experience behind it and that is something that you are going to have to deal with, without using punishment. It can be frustrating but refrain from punishment of any kind when interacting with your Chihuahua.

Under the best of circumstances housebreaking a Chihuahua can take months and in some cases may never even work. When you get a Chihuahua that has been through trauma it is either not housebroken or it refuses to be housebroken in response to what it has been through. Use standard housebreaking methods but be prepared to have to resort to litter box training or something else if standard methods do not work. Give standard methods a few months to work as it does take time.

Chihuahuas normally tend to be very possessive and they will protect what they feel is theirs or theirs to protect. This may look cute but it is behavior you want to discourage immediately before it blooms into full aggressive behavior. A Chihuahua rescue dog will probably be displaying these characteristics already so you need to show your dog constant attention and let it know that everything is going to be okay. Your dog may continue to defend what it considers it's territory for a while but if you stay with it then the behavior should subside.

You are not alone in your raising of a Chihuahua rescue dog. Don't forget that your vet is a great resource should you ever have any questions or needs of any kind. Also try and get in touch with a local Chihuahua breeder and see if they will offer any advice. When you are trying to raise a traumatized dog you will need all the advice you can get.

Sandra Dean participates in charitable events for local animal rescue groups and encourages others to do the same. This article is a great resource for valuable Chihuahua rescue dog information. This article offers valuable Chihuahua information.