You can also control your dog’s behavior to a certain extent with good, consistent obedience training. However, you can expect this to take more time and to be harder work. If your Chihuahua is older, all is not lost you can still teach them to be a bit more social. Good socializing at this stage in their lives can make a big difference! The negative and positive experiences they have at this time have a big impact on their future development. It is best to start socializing in the important 8-to-16-week age bracket.Īt this time, dogs go through a fear period where they develop their baseline for what is scary and what is acceptable to them. The only way to get Chihuahuas to be more accepting of strangers and strange animals is to socialize them and teach them that not all strangers are threats – though they will inevitably see some as threats, especially early on in their training and socialization. This is a natural personality trait of Chihuahuas, so you will never be able to train it out of them completely, but you can take steps to help limit their potentially aggressive actions. Is there anything you can do about Chihuahua aggression? Yes, to a point.
If your dog has been hurt before, they may be wary of smaller people and go into aggression mode to keep them at a distance. They can also take a while to warm up to people and may need to see the same person repeatedly before they decide that they are fine and safe to have around.Ĭhihuahuas can be especially difficult around children, but this is often a learned behavior.Ĭhihuahuas are small, fragile dogs, and children often haven’t mastered the delicate touch needed to play with them. It is unclear what exactly sets them off about some people and not others. In this case, they may continue barking until the perceived threat is removed from their space. Sometimes, they will just bark for a minute or so before eventually calming down, but certain people or triggers can set them off. It can be unpredictable whether they will ignore a new person or get aggressive and start barking. If you keep approaching, expect them to erupt into more aggressive barking, the occasional nip at the heels, and maybe a butt with their head.Ĭhihuahuas can respond in a similar way to strangers, including strange animals. If you back away now, they will probably calm down again. This is a signal that you are in the wrong place. You will also see their body go still and their tail stop wagging. When they feel threatened or sense someone they love is threatened, the typical Chihuahua will usually start by baring their teeth and growling. If anyone gets too close, their aggressive instincts will kick in. This can apply to your entire house, and even your entire yard or street, but will be particularly strong in certain locations, such as where they eat and sleep. Are Chihuahuas Mean?Īs we have already said, it’s probably more fitting to call Chihuahuas “divas” rather than straight-up mean, but they can certainly display mean and aggressive behaviors in certain circumstances.Ĭhihuahuas tend to be very protective of the space they consider their home. They tend to be well-behaved at home where they feel safe, but they can be challenging to train. But they can also be divas at home, often with an independent and commanding streak. They tend to think they are much bigger than they actually are when they are fending off unwanted people. They will stick to their favorite person like glue and can suffer separation anxiety when separated and also tend to think they need to defend their owners from most other people and animals.Ĭhihuahuas are tiny, but they have big personalities. These are lap dogs that typically bond fiercely with one person or just a few family members. Read the American Kennel Club Chihuahua Breed Information here.
The average Chihuahua will usually weigh between just 1 and 3 kilos (2 to 7 pounds). The Chihuahua breed hails from Mexico and is one of the smallest toy breeds in the world. Let’s take a closer look at this unique breed and its unique temperament below. Territorial…YES! Of course this is a generalization and not every Chi I’ve come across is aggressive. Truth! My roommate’s girlfriend’s Chihuahua wanted to attack me every time he came over. They will never be as sweet with strangers as they are with their favorite person, but they can learn not to bark and nip whenever anyone gets close. While you will never be able to completely change their innately sassy personality, the right training and care can help keep your Chihuahua’s aggressive tendencies under control.
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