Sitting is a basic obedience command that every Chihuahua needs to know and obey. Unfortunately, many owners overlook the importance of teaching this command, and as such they lose their position of dominant leaders in the house. If a Chihuahua believes they are at the top of the dominance totem pole, they may bark, bite act in a general manner that’s not acceptable for your family. Not only is this type of behavior a nuisance, but it can also create a dangerous situation for those living inside the home. You can prevent this, however, by teaching your Chihuahua basic obedience commands starting with sit.
You’ll need to first pick up some treats before you start the training process. As you may already know, treats are a valuable training tool and can be used to teach a Chihuahua a variety of commands, one of which is how to sit. It’s recommended that you avoid soft, fake-bacon treats or sausage links, as these may contribute to obesity and tooth decay. Instead, pick up a box of small milk bones from your local pet store. These are healthier and actually work to clean the tartar off your Chihuahua’s teeth. Depending on the brand and size, you should be able to purchase a box for only $2-$5, which is a small price to pay for such a powerful training tool.
Create a Distraction-Free Zone
In addition to picking up some treats, you’ll also need to find a distraction-free zone to train your Chihuahua in. Things like other dogs, loud music, people jogging or even the television being on can make the process much more difficult for both of you. Like most dogs, Chihuahuas have a short attention span, and it’s your responsibility to make sure there’s nothing around them that’s going to direct their attention away from your training efforts. This doesn’t necessarily mean you “can’t” train a Chihuahua with other distractions around, but it’s certain to make the process more difficult.
So, where’s the best distraction-free area to train a Chihuahua how to sit? Some owners may try to do it outside where they can enjoy the sunshine and fresh air, but it’s usually best to keep your training sessions indoors. There are far fewer distractions inside and training a Chihuahua how to sit requires a very minimal amount of room; therefore, somewhere inside the house is preferred over outdoors. Just make sure the curtains are closed and the television/stereo is turned off.
How To Teach a Chihuahua To Sit:
- Take your Chihuahua to a distraction-free area of the house, such as the kitchen or living room.
- Stand directly in front of your Chihuahua and get their attention by saying their name.
- While you’re standing in front of them, place a treat in your hand, bend down and hold in front of their nose. The smell of the treat alone should instantly grab their attention and have them fixated on the mysterious object in your hand.
- The trick to teaching a Chihuahua how to sit is to hold the treat in front of their nose and slowly move it up and back towards their tail. As you perform this movement, continue saying “sit.”
- Even though your Chihuahua probably doesn’t know or understand what sit means, their bottom will naturally go towards the floor in a sitting position as they observe the threat going behind them. As you constantly speak the word “sit,” they will begin to associate the command with the action.
- Once your Chihuahua successfully sits on command, be sure to reward them with a treat, followed by lots of praise and petting.
Things To Remember When Teaching a Chihuahua To Sit
If your Chihuahua isn’t catching on and learning the sit command immediately, don’t force them to continue training. Ideally, you should keep your training sessions to no longer than 15 minutes. Since teaching a Chihuahua how to sit is pretty basic, you can get a lot of practice done in those 15 minutes. It’s not uncommon for bored or tired Chihuahuas to start playing or get distracted more easily when their owners force them to train for long periods of time. As a result, this can make training more difficult, so keep your session short.
One of the key things to remember when teaching a Chihuahua to sit is to ALWAYS give them a treat when they obey your command. Even after they’ve caught on and are sitting on command each time you say the word, you should still reward them. Once you start slacking and forgetting to give them a treat, they may grow tired of sitting on command.
References:
https://www.cesarsway.com/teaching-the-sit-command/
https://www.thesprucepets.com/how-to-train-dog-to-sit-1117306
I have a 5-year-old chihuahua and he obeys when I push his tail down and say sit, but not by any other circumstance. And he doesn’t stay for more than 6 seconds either.
Thank you so much!! This worked like a charm for my dog Rocky! It took me maybe 15 minutes and he is now a pro. Thanks for the help😆
Wow, this is amazing. I have a two years old Chihuahua, named David. He is very lovely and I am trying to teach him different types of of obedience training. So, I hope that the above techniques will help me a lot in this matter. Thanks a lot for such a post. 🙂
Hello, I am currently training a four year old chihuahua at a shelter and so far it has been very difficult. I am patient and have tried multiple treats and techniques. Every time I try to do make the treat go towards him and behind his head, he will jump up instead of sitting down. I have tried these steps as well and I am still having trouble. He has tried to establish dominance by peeing on my foot but I make sure I am the one in control. I just really want to help get this little guy adopted and sit is his hardest limitation. Any feedback or tips would be appreciated. Thank you.
I also have a four year old chihuahua. When im commanding her to sit and bringing her treat towards her tail, she also got confused. So I would push with one hand on her bottom while bringing her treat towards her tail and saying the command SIT. It worked for me.
I have the same problem
I hope that it works please tell me if you found another way
Hi I’m angellina a 12 year old i’v had a dog like that what I did is put a leash on my dog and leave enough space for my dog to look up then I tryed again and again then he stop jumping . Hope this work for you (mahalo)
Hi i have a 1 year old chihuahua it is a he i try doing again and again but he is to hyper and pounces on me and grabs the treat so what can i do must i still do it again and again and he is scared of any dog even a chihuahua so what can i do i will really appreciate if someone tells me what to do
hello i have a chihuahua that’s 1 month old and he can walk but every single time i say sit with a treat in my hand he just plays and barks at me and then bits me please help me
You must have a happy face and I recommend u to get BURP Oral Biscotte as u help to clean its teeth and tartar and do not sneak up on it u will make it scared and also don’t scold it or show anger on it as that is the last thing u wanna do so be good to your dog and your dog is obviously trying to get more playtime
Hello im going to try it on my one year old chihuahua i hope it works!!
i have a little chihuahua who is very hyper and kind of aggressive. But i read this and she didnt do it at first. All she would do was sniff the tret and call me. She sat once and even without saying sit. I gave her my treat and she started to catch on. Thank you.
Its the best website thank u your training was helpful my dog is a she and shes finally listening to me your website is really great.
Hi I have a 2 month old little girl that is extremely shy and timid, I have gotten her trained so far in the 3 days I have had her to go potty outside but anything and everything makes her so scared I don’t know how to even approach her with out her falling to the floor backing away or running away, let alone trying to train her to sit, I have had many dogs of this breed but she is by far the worst with being scared to death of her own shadow! Please help I would like to break the habit of her being scared first but I don’t think she will be able to break that anytime soon and I don’t want to put off all her other training waiting for her to relax, I walk to her so slow trying to make as little sounds as possible and talk to her calmly with an excited voice, when I do that she wags her tail a little bit and will stay crouched until I reach her and softly pet her… Anyways don’t want to keep on going about this I’m sure you got the picture but please help me 🙁
Hello! I have a 2years old and a 4 month old chihuahua. my 4 month old chihuahua cant calm down. she is so hyper that she cant stop running around the house. it took me 3 days to teach her to sit, but i cant teach her to stay at her sitting position. please advise. thank you!
(Btw I’d like to show the easier tricks first obviously such as sit or stay because the only time they listen is when I call their names, they come to me then leave and won’t obey)
I have Two one year old chihuahuas and one is very passive but the other is too hyper. They can’t stand being apart and I’ve noticed they must be trained to be more obedient because it’s getting out of hand. Please help.
Hey Yenile,
Spaying/neutering your Chihuahuas will calm them down some. Also, one-year is still young in the canine world; give the hyper one some time and he will eventually calm down. The key with training is that you want to assert yourself as the dominant figure. This doesn’t mean physically spanking your Chihuahua when they bite or do something bad, but instead point with your finger and say “NO” in a stern voice. Chihuahuas can sense their owner’s body language and voice tone.
THANKS for the advice😊😊