Do you have house rules for your Chihuahua? Growing up, my mom loved animals of all sorts, however, her favorite saying was “animals belong outdoors”. That was the common belief when my mom was growing up, so it became her belief. She would have been horrified at the thought of a dog in her bed! Well, the times they are a-changing — or have changed would be more accurate.

Dog trainers back then believed that if you let your dog on the furniture or your bed it would give him too much privilege. That it would give the dog the idea that he could take over (dominate) the household. 

Today, thankfully, trainers and behavior professionals now realize that most dogs just want to be comfortable, and want to be close to the humans that they love! I allow my dogs on the furniture and on the bed. None have ever tried to stage a coup … so far. 

The truth is, what you allow your dog to do in your home is your choice. You get to make the house rules! Don’t let others tell you what you should or shouldn’t allow your dog(s) to do in your home. I’ve had some well-meaning friends try, so you probably have too.

However, as a long-time Chihuahua owner, I have come to realize that there are some very important canine house rules every Chihuahua should know. You choose the ones that fit you and your lifestyle the best.

Common House Rules:

No dogs on the furniture. I love the feel of my dog’s warm body cuddled up to mine in bed. Our evenings are often spent on a chair watching TV. I usually have at least 3 dogs on my lap and my husband has one. They like to spread the love around and will switch places so it’s not always the same 3 dogs.

If you choose not to have dogs (and dog hair, dirt, mud, grass) on your furniture, that is entirely up to you. But, I’m here to tell you that if not, you are missing out on one of the greatest joys of having a Chihuahua! We have sheets and throws on our furniture to keep all the unwanted stuff off the furniture. When we are expecting company we just whip it off and we have pristinely clean furniture underneath!

No begging at the table during meals. Some allow this. If you allow it once, then decide you don’t want them to, it can be difficult to “undo” the behavior. I, on the other hand, do not. So, because I have never allowed it, they never beg at the table.

I do, however freely give treats throughout the day (fruits and veggies only). But they know to stay away from the table when we are eating. If we eat while watching TV instead of sitting at the table, they know they are not allowed to be on the furniture with us while we are holding food.

If you choose to allow it, there are two things you can do to channel their begging. 1. You can train them to only ask for food from one family member and to leave everyone else alone. 2. Teach them to stay in their “place” (a bed, a rug) while you are eating that is close enough you can toss them some once in a while.

No jumping up. Okay, I used to be pretty adamant (or tried to) about this house rule, but you know what? I later read some information that made a lot of sense to me. I came to realize that a tiny Chihuahua is sometimes at a disadvantage to bigger dogs when it comes to getting your attention. Seeing the expression on your face, or reaching your hand to ask for some petting. All those being a natural doggie instinct. And, really, what harm can a tiny Chihuahua do? It can be a problem, though if you allow them to jump on people who just don’t like it regardless of the size of the dog.

You can teach your Chihuahua to greet people politely but to jump only on cue. Do this by reinforcing (treats or praise) if she jumps up only if she is asked to. This is also a good house rule to teach your Chi if there is one or more members that don’t like jumping.

Only go to the bathroom outside. Um, what??? Is there any other acceptable place to do it? Isn’t that one of every Chihuahua’s house rules. Actually, the answer is yes. For instance, people who live in an apartment — especially a high-rise —may find it very difficult to get their Chi outside in time or in extremely cold weather. Elderly or disabled ones may not be able to take their dog outside.

But, you need to train them to one designated place in the house where going to the potty is allowed. Using potty pads or litter boxes for dogs, even indoor potty patches work well indoors. Never ever allow your Chihuahua to just go anywhere in the house!

No barking. Chihuahuas make great little watchdogs and barking is a natural, normal doggie behavior. Sadly, there are still those that use shock, spray, or vibrating collars to stop (punish) their dogs for barking. The better and more humane way is to allow your Chihuahua to bark when it is appropriate and teach him “enough” or “quiet” when it’s not.

Chihuahuas are known to be “little barkers” (there is always an exception) and I happen to have two whose barking drives me up the wall! One (Remedy) has a very high-pitched, ear-splitting bark and the other (Cora) can’t seem to stop herself once she gets started! In the daytime when most in our neighborhood are at work, I make them go outside to bark to their little heart’s content. And we are still working on “enough” for Cora!

Wait! That is a Chihuahua house rule that is very versatile! We have all those rules in our house, plus a very important one; “wait”! When we first got Remedy, she was very food aggressive. Meaning, she would growl and snarl at the other dogs (and sometimes me) if they came near her when she was eating. So teaching her to “wait” for her food was imperative to prevent any knock-down, drag-out dog fights!

Now Remedy knows “stay” (or wait) and we make her “wait” in her designated “place” before she is fed.  You can use “wait” for a variety of situations, so this one is definitely one to teach your Chihuahua whether they are food aggressive or not. More on that in our next post, so be sure to watch for it!

• Wait for food
• Wait in the car (for me to unload before you get out)
• Wait on a walk
• Wait to greet (at the door or on a walk
• And more coming soon …

What are the rules in your house? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!