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09-02-2015, 12:02 PM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Miami, Florida, USA
Posts: 9
| Gradual behavior change leading to aggression. Hi, I haven't posted on here in quite a while but I need some advice on Alonzo. Lonzo is almost three and has gone from very timid to very sweet to currently acting very aggressive. It started with just barking and growling at the door every time there was someone on the other side or he heard a noise similar to a knock (like the ice maker in the freezer.) The barking gradually went from an excited greeting type bark to more growling and baring teeth. I can not get him to calm down in these situations at all. I try lifting him up and holding him far away from the door and he starts thrashing and screaming. He also started becoming more and more territorial. He won't let our Boxer go near the Boxer's food till he's done with it and he growls and snaps at the Boxer when the Boxer is coming for a toy. (The Boxer is completely clueless and ignores these signs and continues to do what he wants, except the food he won't touch his food while Alonzo is near his bowl.) He also became territorial over my room (he sleeps on my bed at night.) He will growl at people in the hall heading to their own rooms until they have passed my room or left the hall. Alonzo is extremely springy and can jump from the ground to my face continuously. (I am 5''7 and Alonzo is 12 lb. if that can put the image in your head.) The jumping used to just be licking and wagging his little tail nub. Now he jumps at strangers with the intent to bite. He got his teeth around my ten year old neighbor but didn't bite down. (The ten year old comes over almost everyday so I don't even know if he should be classified as a stranger.) Today he ran out of the gate in front of my house to across the street with me screaming at him to stop and come back, he was barking and barking at a lady who was just walking home across the street! She was terrified. I managed to eventually get Alonzo to lie down but that was mostly because the lady managed to take out her umbrella and wave it at Lonzo who got scared. I don't know what to do with him! I'm not really sure how the aggression started or how to make it go away so I can get my sweet boy back. (He is not aggressive to me at all, he barks at the rest of my family and does jump on all of us, but he hasn't tried to bite any of us yet. He has bit me once or twice in play but I don't think that is from aggression.) Any ideas? |
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09-02-2015, 01:02 PM | #2 |
♥ Maximo and Teddy Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 25,041
| I believe Alonzo needs confidence, lots of exercise and a sense of purpose, and positive reinforcement training. For the food issue, I would put distance between Alonzo's bowl and your Boxer's. If Alonzo still tries to keep your Boxer from the bowl, put up a barrier like a baby gate or xpen and supervise mealtimes. (this is what I had to do when we first brought our second Yorkie home) Does Alonzo know basic obedience commands? Work with him each day. Make it like a play session asking him to perform basic commands/tricks for small rewards like a kibble for each. Include your Boxer if they will work together. Simple sits, stay, down, shake hands . . . and whatever you have/or can teach him. An obedience class would also be good, even if he had one as a puppy. Do not show anger or frustration when he misbehaves. Negative high energy will likely only fuel his negative high energy. Make sure he gets plenty of exercise. Ideally, establish a daily routine so that he knows when to expect things. Routines tend to have a calming affect. Also, talk to him. Make him feel like he is a part of your routine. Praise him when he deserves it. You mentioned that when he ran outside to confront the woman that you managed to get him to lie down. Do you mean something like the "Alpha Roll" that Cesar Milan uses? I highly recommend not trying to dominate Alonzo that way. I tried this method very briefly with Max when he was younger and quickly learned that positive reinforcement training is so much more productive! Here is an article by trainer Victoria Stilwell about resource guarding: https://positively.com/dog-behavior/...urce-guarding/ Best wishes and I hope you will update us regularly on Alonzo.
__________________ Kristin, Max and Teddy Last edited by Maximo; 09-02-2015 at 01:03 PM. |
09-02-2015, 01:14 PM | #3 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Miami, Florida, USA
Posts: 9
| Thank you. I will try adding more exercise into Alonzo's routine and see if that can help. I got him into a regular laying down position on his stomach. I don't like the dominance training methods in my experience it doesn't really help change the dogs behaviors and it just makes them nervous. Alonzo does know the basic commands but he could use refreshers. I will try to implement some more training time and see if that will help. In regards to the food, I just started feeding them separately, and Alonzo won't eat from his own bowl. He will only eat out of Baxter's bowl, then when he has had his share, he'll let Baxter do what he wants. Thanks again! Hopefully some of these will help. |
09-02-2015, 03:25 PM | #4 |
♥ Maximo and Teddy Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 25,041
| Wishing you good luck in making progress.
__________________ Kristin, Max and Teddy |
09-02-2015, 08:21 PM | #5 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Oregon
Posts: 2,721
| What great support and advice Kristen, thank you! I hope Alonzo is doing better
__________________ Alyssa and Lilah |
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