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Old February 24th, 2016, 08:14 AM
Lynne&Co. Lynne&Co. is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Lindsay, Ontario
Posts: 497
It sounds like your chihuahua is developing a dominant personality and I agree you should nip it in the bud asap or it will get worse. As your pup is still only a baby it will be very easy to change.

Pups who view their role in the household as a dominant one sometimes growl to warn their people away from what they see as "their space." If your pup gives a warning growl when you sit too close to her on the sofa, this is probably why. If you back off, this reinforces your pup's belief in her own dominance. Over time it may cause the growling to worsen.

Assuming your pup has been health checked with your vet, I would enrol her in a puppy obedience class immediately to teach her some basic commands.

She must learn that everything you’ve allowed her to do is a privilege. Going for a walk, eating, getting on the couch, sitting on your lap, getting a toy, a treat, etc. are all privileges. Before she does any of those things, she must get your permission. You should ask her to do a “sit” before you allow any of those things. If she jumps on the couch without doing a sit, you put her back down on the floor and ask her to do it again. If she’s sleeping on the couch and you attempt to pick her up and she growls then she has lost that privilege and must be put on the floor. The rest of the family have to follow this too. Everyone must establish that you are leaders of the pack, have other family members do the feeding and have your pup complete a command before giving the food to her.

Enjoy your Chihuahua puppy and looking forward to seeing some pictures of her!
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