How to Stop a Chihuahua Growling
Dogs growl for one main reason, as a warning for you to stay away. Growling unlike whining or barking is not a habit your Chihuahua may acquire but, a sign of aggression. Most often this is caused by anxiety. Your pet is frightened and does not want to be put into jeopardy and is warning you that he is prepared to protect himself if the threat continues.
In order to treat your dogs aggressiveness you need to know what is causing it. There are several reasons why a dog may be aggressive. The most common reasons are pain and lack of proper socialization. A trip to your vet can either rule out pain aggression or have the condition causing the pain treated. Once your Chihuahua is free of pain this type of aggression usually stops and so will his growling because he is no longer reacting to pain or fears your presence will cause the pain to worsen.
If your Chihuahua is suffering from lack of proper socialization you can treat this aggression with patience and kindness and by properly socializing him. This takes time however, and in the meantime you need to be alert from preventing the aggression from getting worse. Here is a simple way of protecting your family while socializing your Chihuahua.
Respect the Warning
Whenever your Chihuahua growls, respect his warning and teach all other members of the household, especially children, to do the same. When your pet growls immediately back away or quit doing whatever you were doing that causes him to be anxious. Don’t ever approach your pet when he is growling as you may actually force him to bite.
Win His Trust
Start by winning your Chihuahua trust. Remember that you are bigger than he is and your very size should make him feel anxious. Try sitting a distance away and placing a treat near you. When he approaches to take the treat ignore him. After a while, talk to him softly when he approaches and then move to holding the treat. When your pet willingly comes to you whether or not you have a treat you can then move on to the next step.
Basic Obedience Training
Once your dog has learned to trust you then begin giving him basic obedience training. Teach him to sit, stay, come, etc. Take it slow and offer him plenty of praise. Never punish him for slow learning or disobeying as this will only increase your Chihuahua’s aggressiveness.
Once your Chihuahua responds to basic commands then you slowly start to introduce him to new people and situations. If he shows any signs of being anxious quickly remove him and try again the next day. Eventually, he will learn that new situations are not frightening and when they are you will remove him and protect him from danger. The more socialization your Chihuahua has the more confident he will become and the less anxious he will be. His growling will stop when he quits being afraid.