How to Train Your Chihuahua Dog to Hunt

Just how difficult is it to find yourself the complete dog? A faithful companion who will always stand beside you. An energetic and affectionate buddy that will forever keep you entertained. An efficient hunter capable of catching the most elusive prey. Very few breeds tick all of the boxes.  And there is one which you would be forgiven for overlooking. The enigmatic Chihuahua. A dog whose ancestry is shrouded in mystery.

As you may know for yourself, Chihuahuas are one of the most loyal and friendly dogs, with their quirky and eccentric nature often defining their personality. However, in their native country of Mexico, Chihuahuas have always been considered to be one of the most effective hunters of smaller prey. To this day, domestic Chihuahuas still possess those innate hunting instincts. All you need to do is understand how to release these dormant traits.

Although Chihuahuas have a natural hunting instinct, not all dogs will take to hunting as easily as others. As you become more acquainted with your dog, you may notice that he possesses a certain tenacity and fearlessness. These are important qualities that will make him a great hunter, however, it is essential to learn how to control these traits and apply them in the correct way. For those which don't typically exhibit these characteristics, it may require more time and patience to extract these qualities.

It is important to not start training your dog to hunt too early as this may cause him to develop a more aggressive nature in later life. However, you also don't want him to become set in its ways. So as he is approaching adulthood is often a good time to start. Keep in mind a dog can mature physically and mentally at different rates.

In order to teach your Chihuahua to hunt, it is important that he is first adept with basic commands such as 'sit' and 'stay'. This will help when training him to hunt effectively.
It is also important to make sure you have plenty of tasty treats available. Positive reinforcement is essential in the early stages of learning anything new.

As hunting is the name of the game, you will also need something for your Chihuahua to hunt! To begin with, this should be fake prey while he gets used to the situation and learns hunting techniques.