How to Train a Chihuahua to do Easy Tricks
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Introduction
If you've taught your Chihuahua a few basic skills, you know she loves to learn. Working with your dog to learn new skills is an incredible way to bond with her and strengthen your relationship. Keep building on this bond by training your Chihuahua some easy-to-do tricks.
There's no reason your Chihuahua can't do the same tricks as bigger dogs. Whether you want her to shake, roll over, or sit pretty, with enough practice and patience she can learn a long list of tricks. Make sure you start small. When you train your Chihuahua to do easy tricks first, you'll be laying the foundation for more complicated tricks and for a strong relationship with your dog.
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Defining Tasks
Chihuahuas are often underestimated because of their size, but they are incredibly intelligent and love to work for treats. Before you attempt some simple tricks, make sure your dog can already do simple obedience such as sitting and coming when called. Without these basic skills, it will be difficult to train your Chihuahua to do easy tricks.
Be sure to use positive reinforcement and never resort to shouting or hitting as punishment. This can scare your dog and make her unwilling to work with you. Chihuahuas may be small but they are incredibly stubborn, so be sure you lead by showing her what you want and make it fun. You can do this by rewarding good behavior as soon as it happens with tasty treats, and keeping training sessions under 15 minutes.
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Getting Started
After refreshing your dog on basic obedience like 'sit', 'stay', and 'lie down', you are ready to start training some easy tricks. You can start with almost any trick, but 'shake', 'wave', and 'crawl' are some of the most fun. You won't need too much, but it's good to have these few items on hand.
- A quiet place to work
- Tasty training treats sized for small dogs
- A clicker or marker word like "yes"
- A little bit of patience
You can find directions for three tricks below. Read through them and try one or try them all. When you train your Chihuahua fun tricks, you'll increase your bond and have a great way to entertain friends and family.
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The Shake Hands Method
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Most Recommended
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Start with a 'sit'
Ask your dog to sit and stay.
Ask for her paw
Tap her leg to get her to lift it. As soon as she does say "yes" or click and treat immediately.
Reach out your hand
When she gets used to you touching her leg to lift her paw, stop touching her leg and treat her as she reaches her paw to your hand.
Introduce the command
Once she is eagerly offering her paw, start to say "shake" before you give her a treat. Practice until she is offering her paw each time you give her the command.
Practice both paws
Once she gets it on one side, repeat the steps on the other. She should be able to 'shake' using both paws with just a little more effort.
The High Five Method
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Effective
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Return to 'sit'
While this trick builds on shake, you should always go back to 'sit' to train the next trick.
Put out your hand
Put out your hand for a shake, but lift it a little higher. Don't say "shake" because it will confuse her.
Reward her reach
When she makes the effort to reach her paw higher for a 'shake', tell her "yes!" and give her a treat. Practice until she is lifting her paw confidently.
Put up your palm
Now that she is consistently reaching higher, put up your palm for a high five.
Reward the high five
She might be a little confused, but encourage her to touch her paw to your hand. When she does, praise her and give her treats. Keep practicing.
Say the verbal cue
When she's consistently giving you a true high five, start to say "high five" right before you give her a treat. Eventually, you can reduce the number of treats.
The Crawl Method
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Effective
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Start in a 'down' position
This is a trick she will really excel at. Start by asking her to lie down and stay.
Put a treat under her nose
Hold a treat between your fingers and begin to draw it closer to you slowly.
Encourage her to follow
Keep the treat close to the floor and keep moving it just out of reach slowly until she starts to crawl forward. When she does, give her a treat.
Put out your hand
If she gets up to follow the treat, you can hold your hand above her back to prevent her from standing.
Increase the distance
Increase the distance you ask her to crawl before you give her the treat until she's crawling about a foot.
Say "crawl"
When she's eagerly belly-crawling to get her treat, you can start to say "crawl" before she gets her treat. Eventually, you will be able to phase out the treat at the beginning and use hand signals and your verbal cue.
Written by Katie Smith
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 02/13/2018, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Lola
Chihuahua
8 Months
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
She is fine with other dogs she gets along with them but just barks at them and growls and acts aggressive out of nowhere but doesn’t cause any harm how do I stop this ?
June 9, 2022
Lola's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Courtney, First, I would teach the Quiet command. Quiet method and Desensitize method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Next, check out the barking video series I have linked below. I would watch the Barking on Walks and Barking at Dog's Behind Fences videos specifically. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAA4pob0Wl0W2agO7frSjia1hG85IyA6a Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
June 10, 2022
Chelsea
Chihuahua
1 Year
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My chihuahua barks at every dog A he sees whether we are passing or even in the distance pulls the lead to try and get to them. Of the lead goes to them. Once She has met the dog she is fine. She isn’t nippy just interested in them. Please can you give us ideas on how to deal with this so she ignores other dogs
Dec. 28, 2020
Chelsea's Owner
Alisha Smith - Alisha S., Dog Trainer
253 Dog owners recommended
Hello! Your dog needs to learn new behaviors to quell her fear. First we reduce her fear around new dogs, and then we begin adding cues such as “watch me” or “sit.” Research tells us that most leash reactivity is caused by fear, not by aggression. Dogs bark and lunge at other dogs to warn, “Go away! Go away!” Dogs fear other dogs because of genetic reasons, lack of socialization, fights when they were puppies, or any scary (to the dog) interaction with other dogs. Sometimes having low thyroid levels contributes to unwanted canine behavior. During this time, avoid any punishment for reactivity. Doing so will make her concerns even bigger. Dogs learn by making associations, and you want your dog to associate other dogs with pleasant things — never punishment. The first step is to reframe what an oncoming dog means to your dog. From a safe distance — your dog determines the distance, not you — have your leashed dog view another dog. As the new dog comes into view, drop a lot of enticing meat treats just in front of your dog’s nose. Ignore any hysterics for now, but back up and create more space if your dog is unwilling to eat. This part is hard for humans — I understand. It helps to see your dog’s behavior for what it most likely is: fear vs. disobedience. The training reinforcer MUST be a great one, such as real meat. It is critical that the appearance of the new dog causes meat to fall from the sky. When the other dog is out of your dog’s view, all treats stop. We want your dog to predict that other dogs near him means that YUMMY FOOD will appear! As you are reframing your dog’s opinion of seeing other leashed dogs, be careful where you take your dog, and be protective of what she is exposed to. One fight can create a reactive dog. Consider not walking your dog for 30 days as you reprogram her opinions of other dogs. Instead, sit on your front porch or in your garage (or somewhere out of the way if those two options aren't possible) with your dog on leash, and practice treating every time another dog comes into your dog’s line of sight. During this time, engage your dog’s mind with mind puzzles, obedience work, and fun stuff like games in the house or yard. You know you have made great progress when your dog sees another dog, and he turns his head away from the once-threatening dog and looks into your eyes, expecting a treat. Once your dog is looking at her (former) trigger and then looking expectantly up at you for a treat, you can begin to put this skill on cue. Tell your dog "watch me" every time you see another dog approaching. Your end goal is for your dog to see another dog, and remain calm, looking at you for guidance. And this will be either continuing your walk, or being allowed to interact with the other dog. Please let me know if you have additional questions. Thanks for writing in!
Dec. 28, 2020