Why chihuahuas bark

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She also uses her pet copywriting business to make sure the best pet products and services get found online through catchy copy and fun, informative blog posts. She also provides product description writing services for ecommerce companies. As a dog mom to Matilda and Cow, she spends most of her days taking long walks and practicing new tricks, and most nights trying to make the best of a very modest portion of her bed.

You'll also find her baking bread and making homemade pizza, laughing, painting and shopping. In Massachusetts, residents may file a formal complaint to the city council when their neighbor's dog barks excessively. If the city council believes the barking to be a nuisance, they may order the owner to bring the dog indoors, or in extreme cases, get rid of the dog. Even if there's no specific law covering dog barking in your area, this behavior may fall under a loud noise ordinance, resulting in hefty fines.

As an owner, it's your responsibility to define when it's acceptable for your Chihuahua to bark and when it's not. The first step to controlling your Chihuahua's barking is to understand why he does it. Chihuahuas bark for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons are appropriate, while others are not. As previously mentioned, barking is a form of communication in the canine kingdom.

When a Chihuahua barks, he's usually trying to say something, either to you or another animal. Some Chihuahuas bark because they are bored. Known as "boredom barking," it usually consists a long, high-pitched monotone bark that occurs in intervals.

Being social pack animals, Chihuahuas need regular physical and mental stimulation. Failure to provide your Chihuahua with this stimulation can lead to behavioral problems such as chewing on the furniture, scratching at doors, digging at the carpet and barking. To prevent boredom, give your Chihuahua plenty of mental and physical stimulation on a daily basis. Whether it's playing fetch, tug-of-war, going to the dog bark, or teaching tricks, stimulation is essential to nipping boredom barking in the bud.

You should also avoid leaving your Chihuahua alone for more than six consecutive hours a day, or three hours if he's a puppy. When left alone for long periods of time, Chihuahuas may bark to release built-up energy and express their loneliness. Leaving the TV or radio on can help by distracting your Chihuahua with background noise, but long periods of isolation may still trigger his barking instinct.

Barking can often be attributed to fear. When a Chihuahua is confronted with a perceived threat -- another dog, animal, person, object or loud noise -- he may bark and show signs of aggression. This is all part of the Chihuahua's fight-or-flight instinct, and it plays a key role in their survival.

Chihuahuas, like all dogs, prefer running from threats rather than engaging them directly. If a Chihuahua is backed into a corner or otherwise escape, however, he may try to scare the threat away by barking. Fear barking typically consists of several high-pitched barks in short intervals. You can usually tell if your Chihuahua is barking because of fear by looking at his posture. If he's afraid, he'll push his ears back, hold his tail low, and the fur on his back will stand up.

Do not allow anyone to touch your Chihuahua if he's exhibiting these signs, as this could result in the person being bitten. When a Chihuahua needs something, he may bark to the attention of his owner. If a Chihuahua needs to go potty, for instance, he may bark by the door, essentially telling his owner, "Hey, let me out! Attention barking is usually soft and short. The Chihuahua will stop barking once his needs are met. Chihuahuas may also bark when another dog, person or animal encroaches upon their territory.

This behavior is closely associated with fear barking. The Chihuahua views the encroaching subject as a threat to his territory, so he barks to try and scare it away. A Chihuahua's "territory" may include his home, yard, crate, bedding, car seat, food and water bowl, and other areas to which he's accustomed.

Normally, territorial barking becomes louder and more aggressive as the perceived threat gets closer. If the threat doesn't go away, the Chihuahua may attack it. Because territorial barking typically comes before an attack, you shouldn't discourage your Chihuahua from doing it.

If you teach your Chihuahua not to bark when his territory is encroached, he may bite the encroaching person or animal. Separation anxiety is a common behavioral disorder in Chihuahuas. It's characterized by the Chihuahua feeling a constant need to be with his owner.

When left alone, the Chihuahua may act out by barking, howling, chewing and using the bathroom indoors. Some owners disregard separation anxiety as being harmless or even cute, but it causes severe stress and anxiety, both for the Chihuahua and the owner. If separation anxiety is causing your Chihuahua to bark, you need to desensitize him to you leaving and being away.

There's nothing wrong with taking your Chihuahua on the occasional car ride, but it shouldn't be a daily occurrence. If your Chihuahua expects to go with you every time you leave, he may bark and act out the next time he's left behind. Check out this article for more information on separation anxiety in Chihuahuas and how to treat it. Also known as canine cognitive dysfunction, dementia can cause a wide variety of behavioral problems in Chihuahuas, including excessive barking.

Chihuahuas suffering from this disease often bark for no apparent reason. It's believed that Chihuahuas with dementia bark because they are confused, or because they've forgotten who their owners are. Barking triggered by dementia isn't something that you can stop through traditional training techniques.

You need to find out what works and what doesn't for your Chihuahua through trial and error. Comforting your Chihuahua by petting and speaking his name may help. There's also medication available for masking the symptoms of dementia, such as Anipryl selegiline. Ultimately, though, you need to remember dementia isn't something that's easily fixed.

Some Chihuahuas bark when they are excited or anticipating something that will cause excitement, such as a new toy, going for a walk, or seeing their owner after a long day. The stimuli causes the Chihuahua's energy levels to rise until he can no longer control it. As a result, he barks, paces, jumps and exhibits other energetic behavior. Excitement barking consists of short, high-pitched barks. The Chihuahua will stop barking once the stimuli is removed and his energy levels normalize. Like people, some Chihuahuas vocalize when dreaming.

The Chihuahua may bark, howl, whimper and even appear to run in place. This behavior typically occurs during the rapid eye movement REM stage of sleep, during which the Chihuahua's eyes will twitch in response to his increased brain activity.

Some owners feel the need to wake their Chihuahuas when they dream, believing they are helping by getting the Chihuahua out of a nightmare. Most veterinary experts agree, though, that it's best to let them to sleep through the dream. Sleep is essential for a Chihuahua's physical and mental health. If you wake your Chihuahua every time he dreams, it can cause fatigue, irritability and even a suppressed immune system.

Teaching a Chihuahua not to bark requires an understanding of what's causing the behavior. And as you can see, Chihuahua bark for many reasons. In most cases, however, the following training method will correct barking disorders. It may sound counterproductive, but teaching your Chihuahua to bark on command can actually help you control his barking.

The ultimate goal is to teach the quiet command. Using the quiet command, you can instantly stop your Chihuahua from barking.

Before you can do so, however, you must first teach your Chihuahua the speak command. The door bell method is only one way to teach the speak command. You can use any stimuli that normally causes your dog to bark. The idea is to create an association between the speak command and treats while enticing his barking behavior through stimuli. After your Chihuahua has learned the speak command, you should teach him the quiet command.

Correcting behavioral problems like excessive barking requires positive reinforcement, not punishment. If you punish or scold your Chihuahua for barking, you'll only encourage him to bark by giving him attention. Yelling "Bad boy! He thinks you are barking with him, so he continues to bark and possibly more loudly as a result. Instead of yelling at your Chihuahua when he barks, reward him when he doesn't.

If your Chihuahua remains quiet in a situation when he usually barks, give him a treat and affection. He'll eventually realize that being quiet in this scenario results in rewards. Positive reinforcement is the key to stopping excessive and inappropriate barking, so keep plenty of treats on hand. Lack of exercise plays a key role in Chihuahua barking problems. Because of the breed's small size , some owners assume that Chihuahuas don't need regular exercise. But Chihuahuas need just as much physical stimulation as larger dogs.

Failure to give your Chihuahua this physical stimulation will result in built-up energy that's released through inappropriate behavior. You can discourage excessive and inappropriate barking by giving your Chihuahua at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. This can include walking, playing fetch, chase, tug-of-war, or just running around outside. As long as your Chihuahua is moving, his energy will be released; thus, helping to correct many behavioral problems such as barking.

Consistency is essential when teaching a Chihuahua not to bark. It alerts you that someone is close to the home and should be rewarded. However, once you greet the person and invite her into your home, teach your Chi not to bark at that person. Amy Brantley has been a writer since , contributing to numerous online publications. She specializes in business, finance, food, decorating and pets.

Dog Training. By Amy Brantley. Why Chihuahuas Bark Chihuahuas bark as a way to communicate with the world. How to Socialize a Chihuahua Socialization is a big issue with Chihuahuas. Chihuahuas really live up to their expectations as a loud and yappy dog who likes to be heard. Just like with any pet, chihuahuas have benefits and setbacks that need to be considered before you know if you are ready to take on the breed. Consider what is expected of a chihuahua before you go ahead and bring one into your family.

Chihuahuas have a lot of energy. They a funny and quirky, and many people find their frantic behaviors and boundless joy entertaining. They are very loyal and lazy as well — a great idea for someone without space for a giant yard or the physical means to take the dog on excessive walks. Like with many other dogs that shine in terms of loyalty, these pets tend to direct their affections towards a select group of people. Meaning the dogs are less enthused with strangers and more prone to expressing themselves against unfamiliar people are unexpected surprises.

Please keep in mind that these temperaments are not guaranteed. No matter what the trait is, there is always a chance that your pet may go against the grain. This is a rather hard estimate to gauge. You will find that they will be barking more or less depending on a number of factors which.

However, it is important to remember that chihuahuas barking a lot is a generalization of the breed as an average.