Barking and growling at people - what can I do? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

MeAndMyOlivia · 12-17-2008, 08:44 PM

I have had my little guy (5 yrs old, neutered) since Sunday. He was doing so good...but this evening a disturbing behavior has developed. I have "my" chair that I sit on in the evenings, and little guy likes to sit right next to me. So this evening, my daughter & her dh, and 2 kids were visiting. One of the kids walked up to me while we (me and little guy) were sitting on the chair - and he growls and barks at the kids!

The kids weren't touching or even reaching for him...it's like he was protecting me or just behing aggressive. He did this 4 or 5 times this evening. I made him get down onto the floor, and after the second time did not let him back up on the furniture at all. When they were leaving, my s.i.l. reached over and touched my arm (I was holding little guy) and he barked/growled at my s.i.l!!! I am obviously concerned that he may bite or injure one of my grandchildren. They are here visiting maybe 1 evening a week.

Come to think of it, he did this once on Sunday (first day here) to my other s.i.l. - again, I was sitting in this chair and he was sitting with me. And he did it last night to my dh; dh was being goofy kind of moon dancing and he stopped right in front of me...little guy growled and barked at him! Both of these times, little guy was sitting right beside me and the person was right in front of my chair. Odd...

Have any of you ran into similar situations with aggressive behavior towards people? If so, how did you handle it? It makes me sad because he was doing so good! My daughter said to put him on the floor quickly and tell him NO, which I did - but it didn't seem to help. Acutally, after they left I went to take him off the chair because he had climbed up there, and he did the same thing to me when I reached for him...he barked/growled.

Any other advice? Thanks...

chloesMama · 12-17-2008, 08:55 PM

Maybe it's because he is new and scared and trying to carve out his "spot" in the house. I'm sure he is confused as to where he fits in and how to act. I don't have any real idea's , sorry. Maybe you can say no and put him in a crate so he learns it is unacceptable ? He may also think he is in charge in which case that may show him he isn't.

ambocken · 12-17-2008, 09:02 PM

Well, reading your post made me think of my little one. we got her 2 months ago and she is 3 year old rescue. She isn't as bad as your little guy, but will try to 'protect' us (especially me) if she thinks we are in some kind of trouble. If I am sleeping and she is near me, and my dh tries to come close she with try to nip at him...

What we have found has been working is for me to put her right to the floor and say no... then I ignore her for a bit while the other person gives her attention. We have had to do it about 3 times and it hasn't happened in a few weeks.

also to get her more comforatble with other people we try to have everyone we know give her treats and attention when they see her. We make sure to be on her level with the other person so that she knows she is safe. little by little she is getting better.

Good luck, let us know how you fix this behavior!

MeAndMyOlivia · 12-17-2008, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chloesMama

Maybe it's because he is new and scared and trying to carve out his "spot" in the house. I'm sure he is confused as to where he fits in and how to act. I don't have any real idea's , sorry. Maybe you can say no and put him in a crate so he learns it is unacceptable ? He may also think he is in charge in which case that may show him he isn't.

Hehehe, yes I believe he does think he is in charge - but I think differently!

MeAndMyOlivia · 12-17-2008, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ambocken

Well, reading your post made me think of my little one. we got her 2 months ago and she is 3 year old rescue. She isn't as bad as your little guy, but will try to 'protect' us (especially me) if she thinks we are in some kind of trouble. If I am sleeping and she is near me, and my dh tries to come close she with try to nip at him...

What we have found has been working is for me to put her right to the floor and say no... then I ignore her for a bit while the other person gives her attention. We have had to do it about 3 times and it hasn't happened in a few weeks.

also to get her more comforatble with other people we try to have everyone we know give her treats and attention when they see her. We make sure to be on her level with the other person so that she knows she is safe. little by little she is getting better.

Good luck, let us know how you fix this behavior!

Congratulations on your rescue! Good idea about the other person giving her attention, and have everyone give her treats and attention. I think that will help, he seems very food oriented. Thanks for the input and hopefully I'll have a success story soon!

megansmomma · 12-17-2008, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chloesMama

Maybe it's because he is new and scared and trying to carve out his "spot" in the house. I'm sure he is confused as to where he fits in and how to act. I don't have any real idea's , sorry. Maybe you can say no and put him in a crate so he learns it is unacceptable ? He may also think he is in charge in which case that may show him he isn't.

If you are crate training you should not use the crate for punishment. Just a firm NO and always praise. Once he knows his place things will get better.

QuickSilver · 12-17-2008, 09:59 PM

It sounds like your yorkie might be "resource guarding". I saw a very protective daschund on "It's Me Or the Dog". This is what they did in that case:

- Told guests to make sure they weren't giving off aggressive signals, namely, keep their sides or backs to the dog, and to refrain from eye contact.

- Give the guests treats to give to the dog.

- Praise the heck out of the dog as it accepts treats from other people. Assuming it remains calm, have the guests slowly approach you/it, again, with non-threatening body language.

It was very interesting. This dog would freak out if anyone tried to sit next to "his" human on the couch, but once the person was actually sitting on the couch, he was fine.

chloesMama · 12-17-2008, 10:13 PM

If you are crate training you should not use the crate for punishment.

I just never thought of him thinking of the crate as a bad thing.

When my dog does something bad she will put herself in her crate to be "punished" I will say to her ..."go to your house / room" and she goes by herself.

but she has no problem napping in it during the day or taking her toys in it to play , and she sleeps in it fine at night...so I don't think she associates it with a Bad place...more like her room , like a teenager would, kind of? She goes off in it when she wants and she also knows if she does something unacceptable , she will go to her "room" for a time out

I haven't had problems with her hating or fearing her crate.

MeAndMyOlivia · 12-18-2008, 07:27 AM

He is having a bit of a problem with the crate, so he might interpret it as a bad thing. First night, he was fine with the crate; Monday night did ok; Tuesday night, not so much; Wednesday night -

he was like "let me outta here!" So it remains to be seen what tonight will be like.

My daughter does the same thing with Zig though - he likes his crate just fine; but if he misbehaves she tells him "go to your room" and he scoots on in there! LOL So it works for them.

ambocken · 12-18-2008, 09:43 AM

we NEVER use the crate as punishment. Our little one still associates it with being at a shelter and it would only make things worse.

JoeyP · 12-18-2008, 12:24 PM

He is guarding both You and HIS chair ....

But You are the key to all this
don't put him in his crate ... it's not needed
You can nip this in the bud fairly quickly

The minute you and him are i n the chair and he makes a sound
.... it's.... Ah! and down on the floor

no fuss no muss

a quick Ah! from you and he goes on the floor
do this a few times
and he'll get the message real fast

MeAndMyOlivia · 12-18-2008, 09:09 PM

You know I think you are right with him protecting HIS chair...I thought it was just me he was protecting. But today I had my 2 yr old granddaughter here; I heard little guy growling and I looked over here. GD was standing about 2 ft directly in front of HIS chair (which he was sitting in) and he did not like it! I did exactly what you suggested - told him ah-ah and put him on the floor. That was the only time he did this today, but then I was up and about all day and didn't sit in OUR chair - until a few minutes ago. And nobody is in here to threaten him now.

A trainer told me (with my first rescue, Toby when he was having some issues) to not let Toby just jump up on the furniture with me whenever he felt like it, but rather wait to be "invited". That really worked with Toby, so maybe it will be good for this one too...*shrug* I did work today with making him wait to walk back into the house AFTER I walk through the door.

JoeyP · 12-19-2008, 07:23 AM

Great ...

sounds like you really got a handle on it

MeAndMyOlivia · 12-20-2008, 09:55 PM

We have had several episodes of the growling/barking since yesterday

. He has started playing with the chew/squeaky toys now; my grandson walked near while he was chewing on a toy and he growled/barked at him. I took the toy away and he did not like that at all...I put him on his back and stared him down, saying "nooooo" very firmly (like my daughter said she sees them do on the training tv shows) but he continued growling/barking and even tried to bite me.

Finally he stopped and I let him go - then he was fine. It happened again today when he was chewing on a towel in the laundry room; I was leaving the room and wanted him to come with me but he barked/growled at me when I picked him up. Tonight I was at a Christmas program and dh was home with the pupsters; he had the same problem with the chair again - wanted the little guy to get off the chair because he was scratching and biting at it...growled/barked at dh. I am quite at a loss - I have never had to deal with these types of aggression behaviors and I'm not sure I'm handling it right. Surprisingly, he gets along fine with Olivia - it's just us humans he is nasty towards!

He's only been here since Sunday...is there hope that he will calm down - even though right now it is getting worse every day???

wemple2 · 12-20-2008, 10:10 PM

Good luck...all I have to offer is to be firm and consistent. He MUST know that he is not the leader of the pack. Whatever it is he is guarding, be it you, the chair or a chew toy...you must own IT and only allow him to have IT when you say it's okay. If he acts up again take IT away...put him in a sit or down position...have him work for what he wants, when he is good praise him...let him know that's what you want from him...make it worth his while to please you. I truly do wish you the best of luck and I really do hope you can break him of this one bad habit.

12-17-2008, 08:44 PM	#1
MeAndMyOlivia YT Addict Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Southern Indiana Posts: 414	Barking and growling at people - what can I do? I have had my little guy (5 yrs old, neutered) since Sunday. He was doing so good...but this evening a disturbing behavior has developed. I have "my" chair that I sit on in the evenings, and little guy likes to sit right next to me. So this evening, my daughter & her dh, and 2 kids were visiting. One of the kids walked up to me while we (me and little guy) were sitting on the chair - and he growls and barks at the kids! The kids weren't touching or even reaching for him...it's like he was protecting me or just behing aggressive. He did this 4 or 5 times this evening. I made him get down onto the floor, and after the second time did not let him back up on the furniture at all. When they were leaving, my s.i.l. reached over and touched my arm (I was holding little guy) and he barked/growled at my s.i.l!!! I am obviously concerned that he may bite or injure one of my grandchildren. They are here visiting maybe 1 evening a week. Come to think of it, he did this once on Sunday (first day here) to my other s.i.l. - again, I was sitting in this chair and he was sitting with me. And he did it last night to my dh; dh was being goofy kind of moon dancing and he stopped right in front of me...little guy growled and barked at him! Both of these times, little guy was sitting right beside me and the person was right in front of my chair. Odd... Have any of you ran into similar situations with aggressive behavior towards people? If so, how did you handle it? It makes me sad because he was doing so good! My daughter said to put him on the floor quickly and tell him NO, which I did - but it didn't seem to help. Acutally, after they left I went to take him off the chair because he had climbed up there, and he did the same thing to me when I reached for him...he barked/growled. Any other advice? Thanks... __________________ Terri and Olivia (R.I.P. my sweet little girl)

12-17-2008, 08:55 PM	#2
chloesMama YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: here :) Posts: 1,182	Maybe it's because he is new and scared and trying to carve out his "spot" in the house. I'm sure he is confused as to where he fits in and how to act. I don't have any real idea's , sorry. Maybe you can say no and put him in a crate so he learns it is unacceptable ? He may also think he is in charge in which case that may show him he isn't. __________________ *Chloe & Sydney*

12-17-2008, 09:02 PM	#3
ambocken Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 245	she does it too Well, reading your post made me think of my little one. we got her 2 months ago and she is 3 year old rescue. She isn't as bad as your little guy, but will try to 'protect' us (especially me) if she thinks we are in some kind of trouble. If I am sleeping and she is near me, and my dh tries to come close she with try to nip at him... What we have found has been working is for me to put her right to the floor and say no... then I ignore her for a bit while the other person gives her attention. We have had to do it about 3 times and it hasn't happened in a few weeks. also to get her more comforatble with other people we try to have everyone we know give her treats and attention when they see her. We make sure to be on her level with the other person so that she knows she is safe. little by little she is getting better. Good luck, let us know how you fix this behavior!

12-17-2008, 10:13 PM	#8
chloesMama YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: here :) Posts: 1,182	If you are crate training you should not use the crate for punishment. I just never thought of him thinking of the crate as a bad thing. When my dog does something bad she will put herself in her crate to be "punished" I will say to her ..."go to your house / room" and she goes by herself. but she has no problem napping in it during the day or taking her toys in it to play , and she sleeps in it fine at night...so I don't think she associates it with a Bad place...more like her room , like a teenager would, kind of? She goes off in it when she wants and she also knows if she does something unacceptable , she will go to her "room" for a time out I haven't had problems with her hating or fearing her crate. __________________ *Chloe & Sydney*

12-18-2008, 07:27 AM	#9
MeAndMyOlivia YT Addict Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Southern Indiana Posts: 414	He is having a bit of a problem with the crate, so he might interpret it as a bad thing. First night, he was fine with the crate; Monday night did ok; Tuesday night, not so much; Wednesday night - he was like "let me outta here!" So it remains to be seen what tonight will be like. My daughter does the same thing with Zig though - he likes his crate just fine; but if he misbehaves she tells him "go to your room" and he scoots on in there! LOL So it works for them. __________________ Terri and Olivia (R.I.P. my sweet little girl)

12-17-2008, 09:59 PM	#7
QuickSilver Thor's Human Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 5,929 Blog Entries: 31	It sounds like your yorkie might be "resource guarding". I saw a very protective daschund on "It's Me Or the Dog". This is what they did in that case: - Told guests to make sure they weren't giving off aggressive signals, namely, keep their sides or backs to the dog, and to refrain from eye contact. - Give the guests treats to give to the dog. - Praise the heck out of the dog as it accepts treats from other people. Assuming it remains calm, have the guests slowly approach you/it, again, with non-threatening body language. It was very interesting. This dog would freak out if anyone tried to sit next to "his" human on the couch, but once the person was actually sitting on the couch, he was fine.

12-18-2008, 09:43 AM	#10
ambocken Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 245	scary crate we NEVER use the crate as punishment. Our little one still associates it with being at a shelter and it would only make things worse.

12-18-2008, 12:24 PM	#11
JoeyP YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Miami, FL,USA Posts: 1,005	He is guarding both You and HIS chair .... But You are the key to all this don't put him in his crate ... it's not needed You can nip this in the bud fairly quickly The minute you and him are i n the chair and he makes a sound .... it's.... Ah! and down on the floor no fuss no muss a quick Ah! from you and he goes on the floor do this a few times and he'll get the message real fast __________________ Mike and Zach's Dadd

12-18-2008, 09:09 PM	#12
MeAndMyOlivia YT Addict Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Southern Indiana Posts: 414	You know I think you are right with him protecting HIS chair...I thought it was just me he was protecting. But today I had my 2 yr old granddaughter here; I heard little guy growling and I looked over here. GD was standing about 2 ft directly in front of HIS chair (which he was sitting in) and he did not like it! I did exactly what you suggested - told him ah-ah and put him on the floor. That was the only time he did this today, but then I was up and about all day and didn't sit in OUR chair - until a few minutes ago. And nobody is in here to threaten him now. A trainer told me (with my first rescue, Toby when he was having some issues) to not let Toby just jump up on the furniture with me whenever he felt like it, but rather wait to be "invited". That really worked with Toby, so maybe it will be good for this one too...shrug I did work today with making him wait to walk back into the house AFTER I walk through the door. __________________ Terri and Olivia (R.I.P. my sweet little girl)

12-19-2008, 07:23 AM	#13
JoeyP YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Miami, FL,USA Posts: 1,005	Great ... sounds like you really got a handle on it __________________ Mike and Zach's Dadd

12-20-2008, 09:55 PM	#14
MeAndMyOlivia YT Addict Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Southern Indiana Posts: 414	Seems to be getting worse! We have had several episodes of the growling/barking since yesterday . He has started playing with the chew/squeaky toys now; my grandson walked near while he was chewing on a toy and he growled/barked at him. I took the toy away and he did not like that at all...I put him on his back and stared him down, saying "nooooo" very firmly (like my daughter said she sees them do on the training tv shows) but he continued growling/barking and even tried to bite me. Finally he stopped and I let him go - then he was fine. It happened again today when he was chewing on a towel in the laundry room; I was leaving the room and wanted him to come with me but he barked/growled at me when I picked him up. Tonight I was at a Christmas program and dh was home with the pupsters; he had the same problem with the chair again - wanted the little guy to get off the chair because he was scratching and biting at it...growled/barked at dh. I am quite at a loss - I have never had to deal with these types of aggression behaviors and I'm not sure I'm handling it right. Surprisingly, he gets along fine with Olivia - it's just us humans he is nasty towards! He's only been here since Sunday...is there hope that he will calm down - even though right now it is getting worse every day??? __________________ Terri and Olivia (R.I.P. my sweet little girl)

12-20-2008, 10:10 PM	#15
wemple2 Wee Winston Wiggles Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Kewanee, Illinois Posts: 9,666	Good luck...all I have to offer is to be firm and consistent. He MUST know that he is not the leader of the pack. Whatever it is he is guarding, be it you, the chair or a chew toy...you must own IT and only allow him to have IT when you say it's okay. If he acts up again take IT away...put him in a sit or down position...have him work for what he wants, when he is good praise him...let him know that's what you want from him...make it worth his while to please you. I truly do wish you the best of luck and I really do hope you can break him of this one bad habit. __________________ As Ever, Kathy Intruducing Bentley Winston and Spencer: RIP My Sweet Angels