Aggressive/Protective behavior issue help needed!!

[kartwheelkid]

My adorable Yorkie just turned 6 months. She was super shy & quiet when we first got her approx. 2 1/2 months ago, played with and got along great with our cat, my parents cat & dogs (teacup Min-Pin & her sister). We have taken her on trips & out as much as possible to get her socially acclimated, and hiking in a front pack with no problems. She was so sweet & good with people that we were considering her being a therapy dog once she was done with all of her shots & was fixed. Bur lately she has gotten very protective & growls/barks like crazy if any of the animals get near her toys or bed, if they get near us if we're eating, or at people that walk by while hiking - though not if we're out walking around town. I have no idea why she is suddenly doing this or how to stop it, any advice would be appreciated.

[Bambee]

bump , i want to know too!

[Debbiedeb514]

I am having the same problem with my Michi who is almost 5 1/2 months old. He used to be the sweetest thing but the past 2 weeks he has changed so much. He bites like crazy and growls. He used to sleep so good in his crate all night from 9 pm to 5 am. Now he won't sleep in it and wakes up lot during the night. I don't know why the sudden change....

[Bambee]

I think they are developing their own personality and want to be in charge...Bambina has changed too, she is not too aggressive yet, but she is not liking a lot of things now like brushing her hair...she doesnt want to cuddle, just running around...which is ok because she is a puppy and she is happy...but she is biting more now when she doesn't like it...will they get better? that is what I want to know!

[gemy]

Originally Posted by kartwheelkid

My adorable Yorkie just turned 6 months. She was super shy & quiet when we first got her approx. 2 1/2 months ago, played with and got along great with our cat, my parents cat & dogs (teacup Min-Pin & her sister). We have taken her on trips & out as much as possible to get her socially acclimated, and hiking in a front pack with no problems. She was so sweet & good with people that we were considering her being a therapy dog once she was done with all of her shots & was fixed. Bur lately she has gotten very protective & growls/barks like crazy if any of the animals get near her toys or bed, if they get near us if we're eating, or at people that walk by while hiking - though not if we're out walking around town. I have no idea why she is suddenly doing this or how to stop it, any advice would be appreciated.

You need to correct unwanted behaviour. My boy at about six months old started to growl at our other animals when he was on my lap or the bed - he was immediately taken off either the bed or my lap with a stern no and not allowed back up again right away. Toys are a different issue but a similar one of resource guarding. I do not leave toys out all the time = my dogs play with their toys when I take them out to play with. If they are crated they might have a chew toy in with them - otherwise toys come out when I can superivse the play.

[SirTeddykins]

Originally Posted by gemy

You need to correct unwanted behaviour. My boy at about six months old started to growl at our other animals when he was on my lap or the bed - he was immediately taken off either the bed or my lap with a stern no and not allowed back up again right away. Toys are a different issue but a similar one of resource guarding. I do not leave toys out all the time = my dogs play with their toys when I take them out to play with. If they are crated they might have a chew toy in with them - otherwise toys come out when I can superivse the play.

Teddy was protective of me and would bite if hubby or teenager touched me so he was immediately put off my lap after sternly being told, 'NO'. He learned very quickly that the behavior was not appreciated and would not be tolerated. 2 years down the road, he still doesn't like when people touch me and he's on my lap but, instead of biting, he gets down from my lap on his own.

Regarding dogs, your dog is very aware of its small size and may be afraid of being stepped on or hurt by other dogs so it makes them aware that it is there or is afraid so is in fight or flight mode. My vet told me that if Teddy, who has the same issues, reacts in this way, remove him from the situation. Some dogs just do not like being around other dogs and, whilst we have a choice about the company we keep, dogs do not. The only way they can express their preferences is by barking. I was skeptical about this, at first, but two international specialists who saw Teddy separate to one another mirrored this opinion without any prompting from me. One was from Canada, the other Spain, so there must be some truth in their opinion within the community of their discipline.

Since she is so young, a lot of what we can offer re: behavior is speculation since we don't know if something is prompting this behavior and you could be missing signs. So, I'd suggest you refer to the vet or contact a behaviorist who can assist you in interpreting your dogs reactions. It will work wonders for your understanding and communication with your dog.

Good luck.

[kartwheelkid]

Thanks everyone! I have been putting her down/away from me with a "NO" when at home, and that is working - she seems to catch on to things very quickly, after just the 2nd time she stopped as soon as I said no! She goes on daily walks and runs like crazy in the yard, especially with her sister and their new obstacle course I set up at my parent's for when she visits (tunnels, hoops to jump through, etc. - yay for summer clearance at Petco!).

We take her as many places as possible to get her acclimated as we travel quite a bit & plan on taking her - she went this summer with us hiking and in stores/a museum/outdoor restaurants that welcome dogs & was wonderful, and rode in her front pouch. This past week when we went hiking, the barking at people/dogs was so bad we finally just turned around & left! We took her to the pet store and she barked for a few minutes at a dog a couple times, then was quiet the rest of the time (we were there awhile as I was talking to someone), then did just a tiny growl at a dog when we left. So we think it is the initial time when people/dogs are approaching, but once she feels either she is safe, we are safe, or both that she is calm. But with hiking, it is impossible to know if we will even run into people, so we are unsure what to do. We have considered a muzzle for hiking - it's not like when we are at home where we can put her down away from us, if we simply don't take her when we go she'll just think we're going somewhere like we do every day for work & things.

[Lhamilton]

Hi,

One of the issues that I've run into with our 1 1/2 year old Yorkie is fear growling and barking. I notice that he will snarl and bark the first time he sees a person dressed very differently or pushing a type of cart he's never seen before or riding a scooter. I jerk the leash and speak calmly and usually he's better the next time he sees the same thing. It's still better if the person stays around for a bit (I tell them that he's playful and he looks cute enough that they seem to believe me -- luckily he's not a biter).

I had real problems with him barking and growling at light at home when he heard strange sounds. He just wouldn't stop. I made a throw can from a soda can and a few pennies and shook it when I said no. I only had to do that once. Now he'll bark once and want me to investigate but doesn't go on and on.

Linda

[rhhh75572]

My mother-in-law had this problem with her Airedale. A behaviorist told her that her dog was acting as the pack leader and protector. The behaviorist said that the pup should be shown that she is not needed to protect my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law had to let her dog know that "she," not the dog, was the alpha and then the behavior stopped. The dog was just trying to protect her pack. It could be the same with fear. If you teach the dog there is nothing to fear and that you are the protector, the behavior should change. Terriers are tenacious and even the little ones think they are the boss. They have to learn that we don't need them to take care of us, then they will understand the rules.