I have an eight month old chihuahua who I absolutely adore. As we know these dogs can be a bit territorial. When we go out, he barks at anyone who comes near the car. The sad thing is, these people thinks he's cute and only wants to pet him. Any tips to make him calm down and hush up when I need him to?

I bet he's a cute little boy! I have never had a chihuahua, but I've heard that they can be protective of their territory, especially cars. Perhaps he will grow out of it, but I wouldn't leave it to chance, maybe he does need some training / guiding. Do you have any dog training books?

Wew I've never seen one chihuahua personally. I wonder why most rich girls would buy this doggie as their pet then bring them anywhere they go.

Dogs - like any pets - are all down to personal taste, and what you're looking for in a companion - there's none that are "better" than the other. I'm not sure they fit entirely into a stereotypical category, either... my grandfather had a chihuahua, because he became rather frail as he aged, and didn't have the strength to control a larger dog - but he still wanted the companionship and the friendship of a dog. His chihuahua was perfect.

That said... it might be an age thing, too - your dog is still young and hyper. Once she's exposed to more and more and realises that not everything is such a threat, she might calm down. In the meantime, have you tried clicker training? It's a system of training that is based on getting the dog (or any animal) to do what you want them to because of a reward and praise, instead of punishment.

I can vouch that this works - and it helps build a great bond, because your pet is so eager to figure out the next thing you want her to do - it's fun for her, and for you!

It's hard to say exactly, since each dog may need different amounts of attention to learn new things. I would talk to a trainer of some kind, or maybe even look up info online or get a training book.

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-Brittany Brydahl

I think it's really in their breed. It's their nature to be noisy and territorial. I think they have to be like that because they're really small. ..probably they're insecure of their size! ha!ha!

Have you ever thought of bringing him in to a trainer?

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-Brittany Brydahl