When you want to answer the front door without your dog’s assistance and just want your Chihuahua to be elsewhere, it’s useful to teach him to go to his bed or crate and stay there for a few minutes. The challenge here is that you’ll be telling your dog to leave his place at the center of what’s going on, and most dogs like to be in the thick of the action. Before you start this exercise, make sure that your Chihuahua really loves his den, whether that’s a crate lined with comfortable bedding or a padded bed. Teach your dog to go somewhere specific for a limited time, and not just to settle down wherever he’s comfortable.

Once you’ve established that your pet’s rest area is appealing, start to train when the opportunity arises, and reinforce him when he goes there of his own accord. The cue for this is usually “In your bed” or “In your crate.” When he is reliably going to his bed as you ask him to, set up a situation in which things are going on around him, then cue him to go to his bed. With patience and persistence, most dogs will manage a stay of a few minutes—just long enough for you to do something, such as answer the door, without an enthusiastic canine interruption. He learns that sometimes he can’t be in the middle of everything and has to stay out of the way for a short period.