Is your Chihuahua obsessed over a certain toy? Sometimes a dog will become completely obsessed over a particular item, usually a toy. This isn’t the same as having a favorite toy that he enjoys carrying around and perhaps taking to bed with him, or being excited by a game of “Fetch” or football.
Instead, it’s an extreme, intense, uncomfortable focus that means that he can’t relax around a specific item or in a situation in which he has access to it.
How Can You Tell If He’s Getting Obsessive?
Dogs that become obsessive tend to be those who, in a working life, might be herding or hunting breeds,
with personalities in which concentration and intelligence are combined. And obsession isn’t always limited to toys—dogs can become overly focused on activities, too.
Some 
may dig obsessively, while occasionally a dog may even become completely engrossed in chasing or stalking light and shadow patterns as they move around the room. You can tell that your dog has moved beyond play, because the object or activity won’t seem to bring him pleasure anymore; it will make him anxious and he may become guarded around it.
If it’s a toy, he won’t want you to pick it up or interact with him when he has it, and if it’s an activity, he may growl and be bad-tempered if he’s interrupted in the course of it.
What to Do
If you’ve spotted signs that your dog’s developing an obsession, you need to deal with it—it probably won’t solve itself. Behaviorists offer a variety of possible solutions, depending on what the focus of the obsession is and how strongly it’s taken hold.
The key to sorting things out is to distract your dog and refocus his attention elsewhere. When you’re trying to get him to stop doing something, the emphasis should be on what you do want him to do instead.
If, after you’ve tried all these suggestions, the obsession doesn’t improve, get professional help. Ask around and do some in-depth research to find a trainer or behaviorist with a proven record in kind, noncoercive methods.
Want To Learn the A To Z of Chihuahua Training and Care? |