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Old 03-26-2009, 08:10 PM   #1
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Unhappy Testing boundries -- please help

Let me start off by saying I feel HORRIBLE about this, and am kind of ashamed to post it. I am really looking for help here.

I have never owned a dog while living in a city. I am in an apartment without a yard. I have been Thor's official owner for about three months, but I have been walking him and taking him to parks for about a year.

Thor is 2 1/2 years old. When I started walking him, I never let him off-leash. Then I bought his owner a 25" retractable leash so that he could roam a bit in parks. Finally, I tought him to Come, and he knows this command better than any other. I would say he obeys it 98% of the time.

The problem, of course, is the other 2%. Thor is extremely timid around other dogs, and I believe has major socialization issues. On the other hand, he is very small, only 4lbs, so maybe he is right to be very cautious.

I have been taking him to daycare once per week help him with his doggy social skills. He loves going there - he races into the place in the morning and comes out with his tail wagging at night.

HOWEVER, his behavior has become erratic. A few weeks ago, he snarled at another dog with the front teeth out and everything - he seriously looked like a miniature Cujo.

Even more seriously, he has actually run out of two different parks onto the sidewalk. I don't know of any completely enclosed parks in my area, but I take him to parks that have limited access and stay as far away from the exits as possible. This has worked extremely well until the past few weeks.

The first time, he ran outside of the park to chase after some skateboarders. Tonight, we were in a park with a few small dogs and a few large ones. The large ones came over and made play bows to him and then walked off, so it seemed friendly. Thor barked at them for maybe fifteen minutes straight. He always barks, but it seemed to be an alert bark, not a "spooky" bark. He was clearly not relaxed, but his tail was up and he would run up to sniff a butt every so often. Then one of them took on after him and Thor was obviously scared - he was squealing and running in giant circles. I was finally able to get close enough to him to pick him up and the owner of the big dog leashed him.

I moved away about twenty feet and then put Thor back down a few minutes later to say hi to another yorkie. At this point, Thor ran to the entrance of the park. I called to him, and he turned around, hestitated, and then ran outside. I felt beyond awful, I'm bawling just thinking about it. Obviously I was terrified that he would be hit by a car, and it also seemed like he did not trust me to protect him.

Does anyone else have experience with this? Is he testing his limits? Is there a way I can keep him safe while giving him some freedom?

If I need to, I will always keep him on leash and always make sure to stay away from other dogs. This is not an ideal solution because he needs the exercise of running around and he loves being off leash so much but if it's a matter of protecting his life, I will do that. I just really hope other people have some ideas. I really want him to be a happy, well exercised dog with some nice doggy friends. Can I make this happen for him?
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Old 03-26-2009, 09:19 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by QuickSilver View Post
Let me start off by saying I feel HORRIBLE about this, and am kind of ashamed to post it. I am really looking for help here.

I have never owned a dog while living in a city. I am in an apartment without a yard. I have been Thor's official owner for about three months, but I have been walking him and taking him to parks for about a year.

Thor is 2 1/2 years old. When I started walking him, I never let him off-leash. Then I bought his owner a 25" retractable leash so that he could roam a bit in parks. Finally, I tought him to Come, and he knows this command better than any other. I would say he obeys it 98% of the time.

The problem, of course, is the other 2%. Thor is extremely timid around other dogs, and I believe has major socialization issues. On the other hand, he is very small, only 4lbs, so maybe he is right to be very cautious.

I have been taking him to daycare once per week help him with his doggy social skills. He loves going there - he races into the place in the morning and comes out with his tail wagging at night.

HOWEVER, his behavior has become erratic. A few weeks ago, he snarled at another dog with the front teeth out and everything - he seriously looked like a miniature Cujo.

Even more seriously, he has actually run out of two different parks onto the sidewalk. I don't know of any completely enclosed parks in my area, but I take him to parks that have limited access and stay as far away from the exits as possible. This has worked extremely well until the past few weeks.

The first time, he ran outside of the park to chase after some skateboarders. Tonight, we were in a park with a few small dogs and a few large ones. The large ones came over and made play bows to him and then walked off, so it seemed friendly. Thor barked at them for maybe fifteen minutes straight. He always barks, but it seemed to be an alert bark, not a "spooky" bark. He was clearly not relaxed, but his tail was up and he would run up to sniff a butt every so often. Then one of them took on after him and Thor was obviously scared - he was squealing and running in giant circles. I was finally able to get close enough to him to pick him up and the owner of the big dog leashed him.

I moved away about twenty feet and then put Thor back down a few minutes later to say hi to another yorkie. At this point, Thor ran to the entrance of the park. I called to him, and he turned around, hestitated, and then ran outside. I felt beyond awful, I'm bawling just thinking about it. Obviously I was terrified that he would be hit by a car, and it also seemed like he did not trust me to protect him.

Does anyone else have experience with this? Is he testing his limits? Is there a way I can keep him safe while giving him some freedom?

If I need to, I will always keep him on leash and always make sure to stay away from other dogs. This is not an ideal solution because he needs the exercise of running around and he loves being off leash so much but if it's a matter of protecting his life, I will do that. I just really hope other people have some ideas. I really want him to be a happy, well exercised dog with some nice doggy friends. Can I make this happen for him?

Ok I have no advice but I almost died laughing when you said squealing and running in giant circles. Not that I thought it was funny that poor Thor was scared. I however did picture my Bailey as she has done this when I scared her once. I was playing and chased her once and well...she did not think it was as fun as me. I felt so bad but the noises that comes out of these yorkies sometimes makes me laugh. I still cannot believe she reacted like that with me. I am her mommy and she is so attached to me. I would never hurt her and barely raise my voice to her unless I am calling for her. I am kinda going through the same thing with the skateboarders. Bailey has all of sudden started nipping people and I am so scared she is going to hurt someone. A little 5 lb yorkie sure can look and sound mean if they want to.
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Old 03-26-2009, 11:42 PM   #3
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Aww, I wish I could help but I have no experience with this. Maybe you'll need to back up a bit and put him back on leash while he goes through whatever this is and hope it's just a phase? I hope you and Thor can get it worked out soon though so he can make some cool puppy friends. He's such a cutie! good luck with all this.
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Old 03-27-2009, 12:44 AM   #4
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Hehe, I had this problem with Cash. Have someone help you to practice his recall with distractions. Go to a field or the like, but with no other dogs. Have the other person hold him and then you call him. Give him amazing treats and really go crazy when he does what you want him to.
Also, his behaviour shows that he may think he is calling the shots, so read up about dominance and pack leader issues. The easiest way to assert your dominance is to control his food strictly. Have him do a trick before he gets his food (Cash sits and stays until I say okay). Then after 15 minutes (regardless of how much he has or hasn't eaten), take away his bowl. Feed him again at the next mealtime.

Last piece of advice... invest in a clicker and some clicker training manuals or classes. The classes rescued me from throttling the little bugger, we now have a great relationship and he does what I ask of him.
Good luck.
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Old 03-27-2009, 01:18 AM   #5
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The only bit of advice i can give is the one i use with molly. I always have half a dozen bite size bits of chicken with me when i let molly off. I call her to me and give a piece every now and again, just so she knows its there. If i need to get her to me quickly for safety, or because there is something nearby that i know she will bark at, i call her make her sit,and give her another piece. Now that she knows i always have food, she will come as soon as i rustle the bag containing the chicken. I could never let her off the lead if i didnt have food with me, as she will often ignore me otherwise. Good luck.
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Old 03-27-2009, 09:21 AM   #6
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Aww ... the poor guy is having some issues
You said you have had him for 3 months .... while you have been caring for him for even longer it sounds like he has been taken out of his previous home and put into different living conditions

Dogs will often "act out" when there is a big shift in their living conditions
They become confused and that can often become either aggressive or timid when this happens
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Old 03-27-2009, 09:32 AM   #7
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Personally I would trust no dog off leash.
No matter how much they are trained all it takes to become
un focused is a squirel, rabbit etc to run and forget about you.
In a public park that is not enclosed I would not take the chance.
The only time Buddy is off leash is in my daughter's back yard, which
is fenced all the way around.
Buddy is great with re-call but I would never trust him.
That's me, I'm overly caucious with everything. I always
think of the worst and am not a risk taker.

I also feel that dogs have such a great instint regarding who
they want to be friends with. If Buddy growls with an oncoming
strange dog I walk across the street, if he is wagging his tail
or lays down wanting to see the dog I allow it to approach.
I leave him to decide who to be friends with. It's amazing how
they really do choose their friends.
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Old 03-27-2009, 09:51 AM   #8
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I wouldn't trust any dog off leash either. I think that it really puts him at risk for injury.
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Old 03-27-2009, 10:03 AM   #9
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You cant trust him off leash. Mine know the c ome and stay command and always obey them plus My one dog Jewels has since she was a puppy always stayed with us off leash. Anyway one day I had her out in front of My house off leash and she all of the sudden darted out in the street in front of a car and was just about hit. Its not worth it to take that chance
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Old 03-27-2009, 11:13 AM   #10
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I always keep treats with me on walks, and we practice recall almost every day. That's usually one of our games. Thor will walk a little bit away from me, I call him back, and he comes barreling as fast as his little legs can run. That's part of what disturbed me so much when he didn't return - he'll stop sniffing a roast beef sandwich to come back to me, so I don't know how scared he must have been to stay away.

I think I am pretty good on obedience too. For instance, I make Thor sit/stay before he gets to go out of a door or gets his leash taken off. So on a trip to the park, he sits/stays for my apartment door, for the lobby door, for the car door, and in the park.

That's not to say he's the best trained dog you've ever seen, he's not. I would say he has almost zero "biddability". His attitude is 100% different if he thinks he's getting a treat.

There are two larger fields that I can take him to, though they are much further away. I could temporarily keep him on lead until he sorts himself out. For people who never let their dog off lead, do you not play fetch with your dogs? Or do you have yards? The parks I take him, all the owners take their dogs off lead, but their dogs are not running out into the street either.

Thor is also invariably the smallest dog in the park. I'm starting to wonder if this is because it's not safe for such small dogs to be outside. It makes me so sad for Thor. He is ALL doggy, and he is in this tiny little body.
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Old 03-27-2009, 11:35 AM   #11
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Sorry, but I would not let your Yorkie off leash in a public park. Even if you could absolutely always trust your dog not to run out into traffic or just run off, there is no way you can always trust that there are not going to be bigger, agressive dogs that might hurt your little one. You need to be able to quickly get your Yorkie up off the ground if the situation demands. You can't always do that if they are roaming free. Another danger could be thieves. If they are breaking and entering, stealing yorkies to hold for ransom, I am sure it will only be a matter of time before someone steals a yorkie off leash from a public park. A snatch and grab can happen almost as easy on a Yorkie as it can on a pocketbook. Guess I shouldn't spread that idea around!

know it may not seem like it, but with their little legs, they can probably even get enough exercise in an apartment. I know mine can tear around the living room, dining room area of my house and wear me out just watching. They still need the fresh air of the park, but on a leash.
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