How can I get my dog to stop going crazy and barking at the neighbors and visitors?
6 Month ancient Female Chihuahua
-Barks at neighbors when I walk her.
-Barks at other dogs when they are far away but turns into a punk when she approaches them.
-Barks at people walking past the sliding glass door.
-Goes crazy when visitors come over, screaming and barking.
I tug on the lease and tell her “NO!” when I’m walking her. When we’re in the house I yell know and pop her when she barks at the neighbors. I even do it when she growls softly. Keep the answers coming guys!
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Your dog needs rehabilitation, and YOU need training. Watch The Dog Whisperer, Caesar Millan on the National Geographic Channel, buy the CD from the N. G. Channel, ($24) The fix is simple…in small, you need to become the alpha. Right now, your dog is the alpha, and you are the follower…. That is a 10 minute fix, reinforced for a few times….. Right now, the dog owns the house, you just live there.
Time for basic obedience training-it will be excellent for you and your dog. Your dog is acting like the leader when the leader should be you. Chihuahuas need the same basic lessons as any other dog, and they have the potential to be just as well behaved as any other dog (but cuter).
whoo. sounds like a lil troublemaker. lol.
well it really depends all on your dog’s breed. you can’t stop it. it’s in his blood. i have a miniature schnauzer. schnauzers are brilliant guard dogs and they can’t resist the urge to bark at strangers for dread of threat. not too sure about chihuahuas, but the barking is all in their blood. you can’t stop it. you can try, but they’ll have the last bark.
You usually have to pop their butt. And tell them No No! My Min Pin does that. If she doesn’t quit , I usually place her in the bedroom and shut the door.
Whenever your chihuahua barks at someone or does something terrible, you must interrupt it. Stop it from doing what its doing by saying NO or pulling on their leash sharply. Give her a time out, and when she’s willing to be nice, remember to praise her lots and give her a treat!
I know exactly how you feel! My 6 month ancient Silky Terrier does the same thing. It is terrible. We live in an apartment complex and it is driving the neighbors nuts. He barks at every noise, every person, every dog and things that no-one can see/hear.
Since we HAVE to stop this issue and he is one of the most stubborn dogs around we are willing to do anything to control the problem. Today he starts puppy obedience classes which were recommended by our vet. The classes will help with socialization (humans and dogs) and to learn basic obedience. Depending on how that goes, we will enroll him in the more advanced training classes. Maybe this is an option for you? I realize they cost money but it is worth it just to control the problem.
I hope this helped. I know how the situation your in feels.
Excellent luck! I hope you find a way to control the barking.
-Brit
This sounds like a puppy that was not around many people or other dogs when it was forming it’s personality (before 4 months of age). At 6 months it may not be too late to compromise it’s feeling that strangers are an unknown (we all dread the unknown). You need to take it nearly daily to busy, crowded places and pet and cool the dog to make it comfortable around activity. Let as many as possible other people pet too, even if you have to hold it’s muzzle while they pet.
I have a 6 month ancient chihuahua/minpin mix that “had” the exact same problem. My solution………I squirted her with a spray bottle of water, not mist but the stream setting. After a few times of that all I had to do was show her the bottle and she would quit barking.