Chihuahua Owners, Toy Breeds Lets Talk...training??

[Chica]

I HAVE NO PROBLEM TRAINING MY CHIHUAHUA TO DO ANYTHING. SHE IS GREAT WITH EVERYTHING EXCEPT ONE THING.
...WHEN I HAVE TO LEAVE HER AT HOME, AND I GO TO PICK HER UP AND TAKE HER TO HER BED IN THE KITCHEN AREA WHEN IT IS ENCLOSED, SO SHE WON'T GET INTO ANYTHING WHILE I AM NOT HOME, ...SHE RUNS FROM ME BECAUSE SHE KNOWS I WANT TO PUT HER THERE, AND SHE OF COURSE DOES NOT WANT TO GO. SHE RUNS UNDER THE FURNITURE AND HIDES FROM ME. CHIHUAHUAS RUN VERY FAST AND YOU CAN'T CATCH THEM. I HAVE TRICKED HER BY SAYING TO HER," DO YOU WANT TO GO FOR A WALK" AND I HOLD THE LEASH. SHE COMES TO ME THINKING SHE IS GOING SOMEWHERE. I FEEL SO BAD THAT I AM TRICKING HER. WHAT ELSE CAN I DO? ANY SUGGESTIONS? DOES ANYONE HAVE TOY BREEDS THAT DO THE SAME THING?SHE LOVES TO GO FOR WALKS, OR GO IN THE CAR WITH ME TO THE PARK. WILL THIS HARM HER TRUSTING ME? PLEASE REMEMBER THAT CHICA IS 13 MONTHS OLD. I CAN'T LEAVE HER LOOSE IN THE HOUSE WHILE I AM GONE BECAUSE SHE STILL WANTS TO CHEW ON EVERYTHING. I HAVE TO WATCH HER SO SHE WON'T CHEW ON MY PILLOWS OR CARPET ETC. YES, SHE HAS EVERY KIND OF CHEW TOY, AND BONES TO CHEW ON. BUT SHE LIKES OTHER THINGS TO THAT IS NOT HERS! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!ANY COMMENTS, ANY ADVICE!!!!!!

[bckrazy]

hm. . Do you always follow the same routine when you're leaving (like, as you said, picking her up and bringing her to the kitchen)? Try putting her in her crate during the day even when you aren't leaving, feed her in her crate and don't follow the exact same routine when you're leaving. Fill a Kong up with peanut butter, frozen kibble, treats, cheese, or whatever she likes and give it to her when she gets into her crate, so she associates being in the crate with fun and treats! Whenever she goes into the crate, tell her to "kennel up" or "go to your crate", and give her a treat. . . give her the command often, so eventually when you leave you can throw treats and/or a stuffed Kong into her crate and tell her the command and she'll go in on her own, without you having to even pick her up and put her in.

I hope that made sense. . good luck!

[MsMini]

It doesn't hurt to bribe a little...Mini always gets a biscuit when she goes in her kennel. Now she goes in when she knows we are leaving.

[beeniesmom]

I don't think tricking her with the leash routine is a good idea.
What you should do is really take her for a very short walk (half a block will do) and then when you return, you won't have to chase her. You already have her on the leash.

[Chica]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP EVERYONE!!!!I WILL USE ALL THE ADVICE!

[ginagt]

Get her a kong or buster cube, fill it full of treats and show it to her she will be running toward you just to get to the treats.
Do it with my beagle she sees me getting her buster cube running and runs into her kennel waiting for me to give it to her and leave.

[Chica]

THAT IS SO CUTE. GINAGT. I WILL TRY THAT TO. THANKS

[Giselle]

I agree with Bckrazy. Obviously, from Chica's point of view, going into the kitchen is the worse possible thing ever conceived!

In order to counteract this train of thought, re-condition her to LOVE the kitchen/crate. I highly recommend using a crate because it provides a safe spot for a dog. As well, it's a wonderful training tool that allows you some peace of mind when you leave the house. Like it was mentioned above, feed her in the crate. This will automatically teach her to love the crate and view it as a safe and comfortable place. As well, you should treat her everytime she goes into the crate. Does she like Frosty Paws or frozen Kongs? What I do is toss a frozen, stuffed Kong into the crate and Giselle will RUN into it.

Like Ginagt mentioned, these dogs become so trained to see that a Kong means "go into crate", that most dogs will run to their crates and stand in the doorway in anticipation for the Kong. Everytime dinner time rolls by, Giselle will whine and stand in front of her crate waiting for me to feed her. Trust me, Chica will learn to love her crate after this re-conditioning.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I have 5 small dogs, so I understand your problem. I baby gate Nova and Nacey in the kitchen when I leave. Now they go in willingly when I tell them to, but it wasn't always that way. I used treats and praise to reward them for coming to the kitchen when I called them. I also put them in there sometimes when I'm home so they don't associate the kitchen with me leaving. They also have their bed and toys in there. Now they go in without any problem. The other 3 have a choice of where they want to be, kitchen or elsewhere, Charlie usually chooses to stay in the kitchen with Nacey and Nova.