How To Stop A Chihuahua From Howling
Howling is one of the most annoying habits that a dog can pick up. If your Chihuahua is constantly howling you are probably desperate to stop this behavior and need some good advice that works effectively. In order to prevent your dog from howling first you must determine the cause of his behavior.
If your dog has never howled before and this seems to be a new habit that started suddenly it could be due to a medical condition that is causing your dog pain. Getting him checked out by your vet may determine if he has a problem that needs to be treated. In cases where a dog is howling from pain when the medical condition is treated and the pain stops so does the howling.
Boredom
Your Chihuahua is an intelligent, active animal. He needs both physical and mental stimulation to keep him happy and content. If he does not get enough physical and mental exercise or lacks attention then he will attempt to entertain himself with a variety of bad habits including digging, jumping, barking and howling. The best way to prevent your Chihuahua from starting such habits or to stop his howling once it has started is to ensure that he gets adequate attention and physical and mental stimulation. Playing games with your pooch and providing him with toys that keep him from being bored and exercise his mind will help to keep him entertained when you are not available. Puzzle toys are great for keeping a dog occupied to keep him from howling for several hours in many cases.
As well as providing your Chihuahua with the physical and mental stimulation he needs to stay occupied to prevent him from howling it is also important that you do not give him attention when he uses this behavior. This can often be difficult as not only is his howling annoying to you but to your neighbors as well. However, the more often you respond to your dogs howl the more he will use howling as a way to gain attention.
Separation Anxiety
Your Chihuahua may be howling due to being anxious whenever you are gone. This type of howling is due to fear of abandonment and loneliness when you are gone. The best way to stop separation howling is by teaching your Chihuahua that you will always return to him. Start by placing him in a room with interesting toys and simply sit and watch him play. After a while get up and leave for a minute or two and then return and again sit quietly. If your pet howls while you are gone do not return until he stops howling. Once he does stop return immediately. Slowly increase the amount of time you are out of the room until your dog can spend long periods of time alone quietly.
Stopping your dog from howling takes time and patience but it can be accomplished with consistent training and by meeting his needs.