Chihuahuas are so cute and tiny, but sometimes they can be loud. My mom has an adorable Chihuahua, and I have a Chihuahua mix. Sometimes, people are curious and ask me questions about my Chi. Occasionally, I’ve been asked if my Chihuahua whines, cries, or makes a lot of noise. My little guy is relatively quiet, but I wanted to know, in general, do Chihuahuas whine more than other dogs? Here’s what I found out about Chihuahua whining.
Well-trained Chihuahuas will most likely not be whiny dogs. And, Chihuahua puppies may be more vocal and whine and cry than other dog breeds. Adult Chihuahuas can be calm and non-whiney dogs if they are trained correctly.
If your Chihuahua is whining and crying, it’s because he is trying to communicate something to you.
Suppose your Chihuahua is whining all the time. You might be wondering why and what you can do about it. Keep reading for some more insights.
Why is My Chihuahua Whining and What to Do About It
You love your little Chi, and there’s nothing more heartbreaking thanits whining. It can be challenging and frustrating not knowing what your dog is trying to communicate to you and how to correctly handle your dog’s whining to get it to stop and help them be happy and healthy. Here are some things to think about Chihuahua whining.
If your Chihuahua Puppy is Whining
You Can expect Chihuahua puppies will whine more than some other puppy breeds, but puppies, in general, may whine for different reasons than adult dogs. If you just brought a Chihuahua puppy home and he’s complaining, it’s most likely because he misses his mother and littermates.
Chihuahua puppies should not be brought home before they are at least eight weeks old, and it’s even better if they are 10 to 12 weeks. The younger the puppy, the more you can expect to deal with crying.
If you are trying to train a puppy and he whines a lot when he is in his crate, it is most likely because he is lonely and scared. A box all by himself is a scary dark place, and if it’s new to him, you can expect he will have a hard time at first.
When you first bring your puppy home, learning how to properly Crate Train is important, don’t give in to your Chihuahua’s cries if he wants attention.
How to Help Your Chihuahua Puppy Not Cry
Sense of Smell is a powerful thing for dogs. Their sense of smell is 40 times better than ours and much more refined. We can use this power to our advantage in two ways. Before you get your Chihuahua puppy, take a blanket or Sweatshirt that smells like you and give it to your puppy’s breeder to put in your puppy’s bed so they can get used to your smell and create positive associations.
The second way this will benefit your Chihuahua is it will allow the scent of his mother and littermates to get on the item so when you bring him home, it will smell like them and help make the transition easier for him.
Another great tool to help your little puppy miss his family less is to get a stuffy like this one from Amazon that mimics the heartbeat of his mama. A comfort item like this can be handy and make a huge difference those first few weeks you have your new puppy.
At night you can keep his carte near you to comfort him; it might make a few sleepless nights for you but will go a long way in reassuring your puppy that he’s not alone.
Extra:
When using the crate at night, please don’t take your puppy out because he is whining; that will only reinforce the behavior. You can take him out for bathroom breaks, but when his bathroom break is over, put him back in. If you get him out for a cuddle or let him sleep in bed with you, crate training will be a lot more complicated.
Adult Chihuahua Whining:
There are many reasons why your Chihuahua might be crying, and it is your job to be a detective and figure out why. You can take some clues from your little Chihuahuas body language, and you’ll be well on correcting the problem. Here are some of the common issues that you could be encountering.
Is your Chihuahua Stressed?
These little dogs can get stressed a little easier than other breeds and whining is a way that they may show you what their stress levels are. Along with whining they will also be showing you other signs of stress or distress through their body language. When you learn to read your dog’s body language you will be better able to understand them and help them as you go forward.
If you think your dog is showing signs of stress, here are some other things to look for that indicate that you are right. They will likely not be showing all of these signs simultaneously.
What to look for:
If your dog has gotten so stressed out that they are in flight or fighting, you will need to act quickly. You can tell this is happening if your Chi has a very stiff body and is holding still almost as if frozen and usually with a deep throaty growl. Do your best to give your chihuahua space from whatever is causing the stress as quickly as possible to deescalate the situation.
Ask yourself: Is your Chihuahua overwhelmed or in a new situation? Is he not understanding you? Did this come on suddenly when someone or something came close? Can you figure out a way to remove the stimuli causing him stress to help him calm down?
Solution:
Try and change the environment.
Be calm and reassuring.
Avoid too much stimulus.
Make sure that you are clear with training and giving commands.
Don’t use harsh punishment.
Try to figure out the trigger and avoid it, or work on training to tolerate it better.
Your Chihuahua is Excited
Chihuahuas are susceptible dogs which makes them excellent companions that can notice your mood and feelings. They have an instinct to please you and be excited with you. If you are feeling high stress or excitement, your dog will feed off your emotion and will start to display that emotion as well through whining or these other indicators.
What to look for: Tail is wagging, running in circles, jumping up and down, barking.
You are displaying zoomies (a sudden release of energy when your dog seems to go wild and is running around at high speed).
Questions: What is your energy level?
Have you just come home from school or been away and they want to greet you?
Have you introduced your Chihuahua to someone new?
Solution: You can redirect his energy by taking him for a run or playing a game of fetch with a toy.
Get him to burn some energy, then reward him when he’s calm.
If you want a calm dog, then you need to be calm yourself. This is especially true when coming home after an absence of time. If you are incredibly excited to see your dog, then chances for a casual greeting go out the window.
Dim lights, or use some of this therapeutic aromatherapy spray from Amazon (Affiliate link) to help calm her down.
Your Chihuahua Wants Attention
If you haven’t been warned before, then let me tell you, raising and caring for a puppy is no easy task. Your Chihuahua is bright and energetic, requiring a lot of attention. If they are feeling lonely, this is especially flagrant.
What to look for: Similar to the excitement, but more direct eye contact with you with intentions of trying to get something.
Questions: Has your dog had enough exercise and mental stimulation today.
Most Chihuahuas need at least 30-60 minutes of exercise a day as well as plenty of mental stimulation.
What is he trying to get your attention for?
Is it worth giving the attention or not?
Solution: Your first task is ensuring they’ve had enough exercise and mental stimulation.
Trying out a fun training program together like this widely popular program, Brain Training for Dogs, can help unlock your dog’s hidden potential and help them learn how to avoid problem behaviors. If he’s whining to get you to share your dinner, then don’t reinforce that behavior.
Your Chihuahua Has Separation Anxiety
Questions: How much exercise has my dog had today. How long have I been gone? Have I trained my dog to be ok without being near me every hour of the day?
Solution: You need to teach your dog that it’s not a big deal when you leave. When you go, make it subtle, and no fussing or kisses goodbye. Make your return no big deal, and ignore your pup until they are calm.
When they are puppies, it’s best to start with small increments of absence, like 5 minutes at a time, until they learn to stop crying and then move to longer times.
I always say a tired dog is a well-behaved dog. Giving them something to do while you are gone, like this chew toy or this puzzle toy from Amazon (affiliate link), can help.
Try not to leave your dog alone too long if you can manage it. If you need to be away for more than 3-4 hours and your dog does not do well, then it’s a good idea to find someone that can come and let them out and give them some attention and exercise during your absence.
Your Chihuahua is Fearful
Puppies are very impressionable, and teaching them and socializing them starts in the very beginning stages of their life. Because of this, it’s essential only to support reputable breeders who take good care of their puppies.
Unfortunately, many people run puppy mills (link to information on how to stop puppy mills) breeding Chihuahua purely for the money and do not take excellent care of them when they are young.
When a puppy starts their life in this environment, it can be very damaging and set them up for a lifetime of fear or aggression. You can change it, it will just be more challenging to get them feeling and behaving confidently.
What to look for: Tucked tail, shaking, lowered ears and or head, trying to hide behind you or something else.
Questions: How was your Chihuahua treated as a puppy? Is your Chihuahua a rescue? Did you socialize with your dog when it was young?
Solution: If your dog seems overly fearful of many things and you suspect that your Chihuahua is whining or crying a lot because of this, you will need to work hard to build a solid foundation of trust between you and your dog.
Once this foundation of trust is established, it will be easier for you to stop your Chihuahua whining.
DO NOT use any coercive training methods or yell or be too firm with your Chihuahua.
You may also need help from a professional dog trainer or behaviorist who has experience working with fearful dogs. They will help you come up with and implement a training plan.
Suppose you think their fear is a one-time circumstance. In that case, you can isolate that particular thing and work towards training them to tolerate it.
You could also try this anxiety wrap from Amazon (affiliate link) that has been useful for dogs afraid of loud noises like thunder.
Your Chihuahua is Bored
When our dog Bear gets playful, he lets us know by barking and whining and begging us to play.
What to look for: Short, high-pitched whines, usually accompanied by a sigh, may seem lazy or disinterested in their favorite toys or games.
They might be digging in the yard, getting into things they shouldn’t, like the trash, or chewing up your favorite items like shoes or furniture.
Questions: Again, you need to consider how much exercise and mental stimulation your Chihuahua is getting. Chihuahuas do better when they have something to do to occupy their time. It helps if they are constantly learning new things.
Solution: Provide your Chihuahua with some mental stimulation. Teach them some new tricks, work on training, or give them a fun new toy like this fun crinkle toy from Amazon (affiliate link).
Try not to leave all their toys available all the time.
You can also try this excellent program called Brain Training, which can give you a massive boost in your training methods and plans.
If you are on Facebook, I would suggest that you join a group like this Canine Enrichment group, where you will find a plethora of great ideas from other dog owners. While you’re at it, feel free to join our Dog Group and follow me on my Facebook page at Paws and Learn for fun ideas and new announcements.
Your Chihuahua is in Pai
Chihuahuas are generally very healthy and don’t usually have significant health issues. If you have a rescue or your Chihuahua is aging, then pain or discomfort may be why your Chihuahua is whining.
What to look for: Look for any physical signs such as limping, constantly licking a sore area, or yelps and whines when picked up or moved.
Questions: How old is my Chihuahua? Has his energy been waning? Are there other red flags such as growling or biting when handled a certain way or untouched food?
Has your dog had a recent dental exam? Poor dental health can cause pain for your Chihuahua.
Solution: If you suspect your dog is in pain, take him to your vet immediately. If you can’t figure out the cause of the whining and it doesn’t appear to be any of the above reasons, then you will want your dog to have a complete checkup as soon as possible!
Final Thoughts
Whatever the reason for your Chihuahua whining, the best thing you can do is make sure that your dog knows you are in charge! That doesn’t mean yelling at your dog or being mean, but be firm and consistent in how you respond.
This article is informational only and not medical advice.
