It is a known fact that Chihuahuas are extremely noisy. They can bark excessively at everything. What make things out of proportion is that their barks can be ear-piercing too! While we do agree that it is in the dog’s nature to bark, sometimes it does get irritating, especially when they bark in unwarranted situations. This is especially so when your dog starts to bark at everything and anything.
Note that our goal is never to stop the dog from barking completely. In fact, our goal is to prevent the dog from barking excessively and unnecessarily in unwarranted situations. This is because Chihuahuas do bark when they are bored, or sometimes they can bark for no reason at all! Hence, our main aim is to allow the Chihuahua to bark only during certain situations.
There are indeed many ways at which you can stop or prevent the Chihuahua from barking. But before we do that, we will need to identify the situations or the triggers that causes the Chihuahua to bark. Once you identified the situation, you can then decide what measure you can take to reduce the barking.
Reasons Chihuahua Bark
- Needy Chihuahua: Babies cry to get attention form their parents. It goes the same for Chihuahuas too. Chihuahua do bark to get attention from their owners or simply to express their needs.
- Lonely: It is a known fact that most dogs do howl or bark when they feel lonely. Mating call perhaps!
- Guard Dog: While they are small in size, their power-packed barks to make up for it. They do bark to alert you and your family members of danger. This includes people intruding into your house, or even the little squirrel that is climbing up the tree.
- Territorial: Chihuahuas are extremely territorial by nature, and they will bark at unwarranted intrusions into their territory.
- Boredom: It is easy for humans to express their boredom, and we can easily solve it ourselves. However, dogs cannot effectively solve boredom by themselves. Apart from interactive dog toys, there are hardly any avenue for dogs to relieve their boredom unassisted. Hence, they bark to show that they are bored, and hopefully someone will help them with it.
- Reason: Truth to be told, most dogs can bark and they choose to do so without any reason at all.
- Stress: Dogs do feel stressed too. I’m sure many of you have dogs who did shiver once in a while then the situation is too stressful for them. Chihuahua let go of the negative energy by barking, and it can be effective for them. Also, Chihuahua who are often kept at home will bark more often than others.
- Negative Reinforcement: This last point is perhaps the most poignant of all. It is very important that owners do pamper or show signs of affection to the dog when they are barking for the wrong reasons. This is because the dogs will take the signs as a reinforcement of their behavior.
Having said all these, though most owners will tell us that their Chihuahua is barking without any of the triggers, sometimes it can be the case of the owner not knowing what the triggers are. Our dogs have a higher sense of hearing, small and sight than us. This is even more so for the case of the Chihuahua. So even if they are barking at nothing, sometimes it really can be for a reason. Take for example my dog. She will bark excitedly whenever she can hear someone walking pass the front gate. And we can’t hear anything at all.
So, it will be good it you can be more attentive towards your Chihuahua and lookout for triggers that cause your Chihuahua to bark incessantly. Also, as mentioned earlier, the main danger here is actually negative reinforcement by the owner. Let us take a look into that.
Negative Reinforcement That Encourages Barking
One of the top reasons why your Chihuahua, or any other dog, is barking incessantly even after repeated training is because of negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement comes into play when you pick up the dog, or you trying to calm the dog down when they are barking for the wrong reasons. You should never, ever pickup your dog or try to calm it down when they are barking. This is because that very action actually encourages the dog to bark! It is like saying “It is ok to bark” when you start to comfort them.
In addition to that, you should not give them any rewards unknowingly. This is because owners unwittingly reinforce the dog’s negative behavior. In for example, your dog is left outside the house unknowingly, and they start to bark. When the owner opens the door to let them in, the owner sometimes will give them a treat. This itself is negative reinforcement.
Also, when the Chihuahua is barking inappropriately, you should not cuddle them at all as it is actually encouraging your Chihuahua to bark.
Solutions To Prevent Your Chihuahua From Barking
In this section we will highlight the different common triggers for your Chihuahua’s barks, and the tips and tricks that you can employ to totally eradicate the random barks. Generally, most of these issues can be adverted if you have correctly train the dog’s behavior. Usually, this starts when the dog is still in the puppy stage when it is easier to train them. When the Chihuahua is properly trained, a simple assertive No or Quiet can stop the Chihuahua from barking.
Chihuahua Barks At Random People
This is the most common problem that most owners will face. They bring their Chihuahua out for walks, and instead of attracting positive attention from others, they start to bark non stop at random strangers! This can be extra perplexing should your Chihuahua start to bark at the deliveryman, the postman or even friends who are visiting during thanksgiving!
Why Do They Bark
For this scenario, the dogs are barking because they are territorial in nature. Also, some owners tend to negative reinforce the barking unknowingly, making it tougher to train the dog to stop barking.
How Do You Solve This
There are a few ways at which you can solve this problem. You can first avoid giving them treats to make the barking stop. Also, some owners have tried to block the dog’s direct line of sight to potential places at which people will pass by. As for the case of your dog barking at the deliveryman, get the postman to give a treat whenever he comes by the house. In time to come, your Chihuahua will not regard the deliveryman man as a stranger.
Chihuahua Barks To Get Attention
This is one of the common problems that Chihuahua owners face. Their Chihuahua is always barking at them to get their attention. This usually happens when the dog is overly needy and the owner is always giving in readily.
Why Do They Bark
For this scenario, the dogs are barking because they simply want attention. They might be either too bored at home, or they simply crave for love from their owners.
How Do You Solve This
The most effective method is simply to ignore the Chihuahua. No doubt your Chihuahua will bark for an extended period of time, but if you persist, they will eventually get the message and stop barking totally.
Chihuahua Barks At Sudden Noise
This again is a problem that many owners face. The Chihuahua will bark at any sudden unfamiliar noise. This includes your phone ringing or even when the Chihuahua hear the neighbors talking.
Why Do They Bark
They bark because they are unfamiliar with the sound that is generated. Also, the guard dog nature in them wants to warn you of any potential danger that is the sudden noise.
How Do You Solve This
To solve this, you got to first stop yelling at your Chihuahua. They might take it as a shouting match, and they can more than match your volume. As for the phone calls, this is simple to solve. Call your mobile number or land line using another phone, and let it ring as your dog barks. Do not do anything to the dog. In time to come, your dog will eventually stop barking altogether.
Chihuahua Barks At When Alone
This is a classic problem that many owners have. This problem is exacerbated when the neighbors complain about the barking Chihuahua when you are not home.
Why Do They Bark
There are 2 reasons why the Chihuahua will bark when you are not at home. One of them is that they are feeling bored, and they want the attention. The 2nd reason, which is more common than the other, is that they actually are suffering from separation anxiety. Separation Anxiety in dogs is a fairly common phenomenon, and it is easily rectified too. If you want to find out more, we have actually written an article about Preventing Anxiety in Labrador Retriever.
How Do You Solve This
There are several measures at which you can take to ensure that your Chihuahua doesn’t bark when you are not at home.
The easiest way is actually to main a regular exercise routine to help the Chihuahua. By exercising the Chihuahua, it helps to reduce stress and anxiety in them. In addition, Chihuahuas who are too tired from exercise are more susceptible to commands given by the owner. However, do take note not to overexert your Chihuahua.
You can also use dog crates to reduce or stop the barking. Before you leave the house, put the Chihuahua into the dog crate and cover the crate with a cloth if necessary. This can alleviate stress in the Chihuahua. Alternatively, you can put the Chihuahua into a dog house. It works the same way. If you need help choosing a proper crate or a dog house, you can refer to this and this for some of the reviews of crates and houses. Also, we have done a review on the best dog crate for small dogs, and Chihuahuas certainly qualify as one.
Another effective way of stopping the Chihuahua from barking when you are not at home is to keep the dog occupied while you are away. You can use interactive toys for them. Or you can switch on the TV or the radio to distract the Chihuahua.
Last but not least, one of the most effective methods is to practice intervals with your Chihuahua. By intervals, I mean leaving your house for a short period of time, and then returning. Keep doing that till the onset of anxiety is minimized, and you can gradually increase the duration that you are out. This conditioning training helps your dog to slowly ease into an environment without the owner for long periods of time.
Alternatively, you could use dog monitoring devices to help you track your dog’s behavior when no one is at home. We reviewed two of the dog monitoring devices, one of which is the PetChatz HD Greet & Treat Videophone and the other is the Petcube Interactive Wi-Fi Pet Camera.
Is there a way to train my Chihuahua to only bark when necessary?
Yes, it is possible to train your Chihuahua to only bark when necessary. This can be done through positive reinforcement training and teaching your dog the “quiet” command. By consistently reinforcing calm, quiet behavior and providing an alternative, positive behavior for your dog to engage in instead of barking, you can teach them to only bark when necessary.
How can I tell if my Chihuahua’s barking is a behavioral issue or a medical issue?
Excessive barking can be caused by both behavioral and medical issues. A behavioral issue such as separation anxiety or boredom can lead to excessive barking, while medical issues such as thyroid problems can also cause increased barking. If you suspect a medical issue, consult with a veterinarian to rule out any underlying medical conditions.
What If The Above Methods Doesn’t Work For Me?
If the above methods doesn’t work for your Chihuahua, then you can use dog muzzles to help you control the Chihuahua’s barking. Chihuahua, being cute, should use cute muzzles and not those ugly ones!
Also, you could use bark collars to help you control the Chihuahua’s barking. In a nutshell, bark collars emits a small static charge to your Chihuahua when it detects that it is barking. The static charge might sound scary to you, but it is in fact a very very small static correction that only serves to irritate the dog more than anything else. We have written an article that addresses the question are bark collars safe for small dogs, and it will allay all your fears. We too have reviewed numerous bark collars for small dogs, and we have done our research and reviews some of the best bark collars for Chihuahua.
The recommend steps and devices that we have stated should help you in stopping your Chihuahua from barking!