Chihuahuas are beautiful dogs, no doubt. Aside from their beauty and small stature, these dogs are known for their tendency to get possessive of things they see as theirs and the jealousy streaks they show. Chihuahuas require specialized training early in life to ensure that some of these bad behaviors do not get out of hand later in life. Chihuahuas are not family dogs, they do not do well with children and even with adults they still require some form of training in order to tame them.

These dogs present a difficulty in training for dog owners and trainers alike. Their small size is enough reason for most to dismiss them as incapable of serious damage, thus most people do not train them. Since Chihuahuas are house pets, they should begin house training as soon as you bring them to the house. If you prefer them to potty outside then you can also housebreak them. Be consistent during house training, the 'chi' puppy should learn as soon as possible the correct place to potty and where he should not potty.

Chihuahuas have a very short attention span, thus to avoid many distractions start training in a place with as little distractions as possible. Later when your 'chi' has learned some few things you can try taking him to an environment where there are few distractions and see how he responds.

All Chihuahuas should be socialized at an early age. Socialization includes being exposed to people and the environment around them. This is important in order for them to know how to behave accordingly around people, even strangers they do not know. Such training also helps to tone down behavior problems related to possessiveness. Socialization is also an important step in establishing a stronger bond with your Chihuahua.

Other aspects of 'chi' training include basic obedience commands. These include commands such as "sit" "heel" "come" and "stay." In other breeds, these commands are fairly easy to learn and only take a short time. This is not the case for Chihuahuas; you require persistence when teaching these commands. Do not be discouraged if your 'chi' takes longer to learn, never give up and with time the chi will start responding positively.

Reward even the slightest improvement. Chi's respond well to praise and rewards and will be more willing to repeat the behavior in order to get a reward. Chi's are crafty dogs that will try every trick in the book to skip a training session, this is why you need to be firm when training. Training time is learning time and you should not mix this with anything else.

Do not be lenient on your 'Chi' when he does something wrong. This only encourages a repeat of bad behavior. Be assertive when you give commands and show your chi that you are in control. Establishing yourself as the alpha in the pack gives you more authority over the dog.

Do not let your 'Chi' become a naughty dog, go easy on the treats and do not give in to every whim your 'Chi' gives.