Beautiful chihuahua barking at the door constantly

[Tomatosoupandbread]

We have just rescued a 1 year old chihuahua. She is beautiful-incredibly loving, great with dd, and a brilliant companion. We have had her 2 months now so she is really settling in.

The only major problem we are having is the barking. We have an all-glass front door, and every time she sees any movement outside at all she goes BANANAS. If someone approaches the door she gets absolutely frenzied. I work from home so it is causing a problem with that, and the neighbours are getting really annoyed.

She is a very nervous dog and isn't food orientated at all, so treats really aren't going to help with training her. She is also still getting used to going on walks as she has never had them before-she is very easily spooked and spends the whole walk digging her paws in and wanting to run home, so tiring her out with a walk is proving tricky too. I have contacted a trainer to help with this, but any tips and tricks would be really appreciated.

A quick fix would be to put up a curtain in front of the door, so she can't see outside

Large piece of cardboard to half cover the glass?
Watch tv programme”Dogs behaving badly”. Lots of tips on there to get over this issue.

Join the Facebook group Dog Training Advice & Support. They have a HUGE number of guides including loads about barking including one about barking at the door.

Chihuahuas are jumpy, high-energy dogs. You’re going to have to move the distraction. Put up some kind of barrier so she can’t see out the door. Maybe an opaque film or some plants it that’s practical. Also don’t reward the behaviour with attention. You need to de-escalate it. There are some great YouTube videos like this:

You need to be consistent

You are all brilliant, thank you!!

Dogs Trust have a free Behaviour Support Line you can call which might be helpful: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/how-we-help/ownership/behaviour-support-line

My PomChi can be reactive to the goings outside our house, we've put a screen up against our front window which has helped loads. Fortunately we have a door between our living room and front door so she can't camp out and peer through the frosted glass (TBH she only does that if I dare leave the house without her!)

My small dog is like this and hasn’t grown out of it in 6 years. I’d cover the glass. They are protecting their territory loudly!

Small dog owner here. Aren’t they nuts (but we love them) had the same issue and had to put stair gates on certain rooms. She then started at the fence (privacy type) we’ve had to cover it with wood to her height to stop the nonsense.
I think she gets a kick out of it. When I call her in she does a quieter bark - it’s like she can’t help herself 🤣

If you google stained glass door films you'll see some really beautiful ones. You can get them custom made to exact size of your door.
Re: the walks, as she's so small, is it an option to let her take it at her own pace? So if she doesn't want to go any further than 'her patch' (wherever she feels safe) is it an option to let her, to allow her to explore at her own pace when she feels safe?
She sounds lovely natured and it sounds like you've given her a lovely home. I hope you find a way to stop the excessive barking and to help her feel safe in that big ol' world out there for her walks.