Baby is growling at ME!

[LibbieLu08]

Has your yorkie ever growled at you? My furbaby did this yesterday night when I was trying to hold her......and it was the mean growl. She growled then she jumped up and tried to bite my face... ... I'm so sad. I don't know what I'm suppose to do but say 'NO'. And why did she growl?

[Krystee]

I posted a thread yesterday about Tobie trying to bite me when I tried to take something out of his mouth. It hurts your feelings, huh? I wanted to cry! That was the first time he has done that and I have taken tons of things from him and he was perfectly fine with it. I sure hope he doesn't do it again

[JoeyP]

Originally Posted by LibbieLu08

Has your yorkie ever growled at you? My furbaby did this yesterday night when I was trying to hold her......and it was the mean growl. She growled then she jumped up and tried to bite my face... ... I'm so sad. I don't know what I'm suppose to do but say 'NO'. And why did she growl?

Oops .... someone's becoming a little "willful"
I am assuming that this little one is still a puppy?
This kind of thing doesn't usually just pop up in older dogs
Your little one is testing you
and the outcome is totally up to you
If you mishandle this you'll likely wind up with a nippy dog .....
So it's def in your best interest and your wallet's best interest because people will sue you
if she bites them
when she growls ... it's a stern NO! and she is banished to a crate or her room
do not let her become possessive of food or her toys
make it a point to have her used to you touching her ... taking her food away and taking her toys away ..... without any answers back

[bellasmomok]

Bella has done this on occasion....she is quite the sassy little thing. To me, these are the times when she has convinced herself that SHE is in charge and she should get whatever she wants exactly when she wants it!! Too bad that is NOT the way things work at my house!!! What I do when she does this is that I give her my "I CANNOT believe you just did that" look and whole attitude (after all, she understands that more than what I'm actually saying). It's a very firm, "You were way out of line" and "I'm the one in charge" look....I even gasp and open my mouth incredulously, lol! Usually, that's all the reminder she needs...I don't even have to say anything, she's already trying to lick my face to apologize, but sometimes I do the Dog Whisperer touch and noise too, or touch and say Uh, uh, No Ma'am! I think it's all in the attitude and less in what you say. Just by my attitude, she knows that I am very disappointed in her behaviour. Now, that being said, Bella does have to be reminded quite a bit....she's definitely too big for her britches!! But it's rarely more than a whine/growl to say "but I WANT it!!!" I've tried ignoring her like some suggest, but that is not only impossible, it also doesn't do anything but make her try to be heard even more so she just gets louder and more vocal. I'm telling you, presenting an incredulous attitude like you are just terribly disappointed and shocked that they would act that way goes much further than you think....at least with mine.

[bellasmomok]

Originally Posted by JoeyP

Oops .... someone's becoming a little "willful"
I am assuming that this little one is still a puppy?
This kind of thing doesn't usually just pop up in older dogs
Your little one is testing you
and the outcome is totally up to you
If you mishandle this you'll likely wind up with a nippy dog .....
So it's def in your best interest and your wallet's best interest because people will sue you
if she bites them
when she growls ... it's a stern NO! and she is banished to a crate or her room
do not let her become possessive of food or her toys
make it a point to have her used to you touching her ... taking her food away and taking her toys away ..... without any answers back

^^Pretty good advice, except for the banishment part.....most people who use a crate want it to be where their dog goes for quite or for while they're gone. IF you use the crate for punishment, she will think she's being punished every time you put her in her crate. I don't want mine to feel that way every time I need to leave and she has to go in. UNLESS you deem your crate as ONLY "the punishment crate", then you would be wise to use this space as a safe, quiet, "den" and not for punishment. Believe me, you don't have to banish her anywhere for her to understand that what she did was very simply NOT OK!!

[JoeyP]

Yes ... if you crate her and this is where she sleeps
the crate isn't where you put her
but she needs to be away from all attention and interaction
after you have given the NO directive

[HChellette]

That's happened to me too, it makes me sad that she would react that way, but on the other hand, it reminds me of a two year old throwing a tantrum! LOL

The first time Silvia ever growled was at DH when we gave her a rawhide treat for Christmas. It was time to put her back in her bag to go home and when he tried to take the treat so he could pick her up, she snapped and actually bit him! I was standing nearby so I immediately ran over and yelled "NO!" in a very deep and angry voice, right in her face. It startled her so that she dropped the treat and I picked her up, still scolding her. Well, to avoid that we just decided to no longer give her those treats if she were going to be that aggressive with them. But I've always used that same angry voice when she growls for any reason, or when she has an accident on the floor, or when she runs out the front door when she's not supposed to. It always stops her dead in her tracks because it scares her, first of all, and also she knows that you are the one in charge, not her. It's never not worked for me, and I hope it never does stop working, because I'm calling her bluff, I could never do anything more to her than raise my voice, but SHE doesn't know that.

It's funny, because DH can try to do that to her and she just looks at him like "whatever" and does whatever she was doing. I don't even have to raise my voice anymore, because if I change my tone of voice to a deep serious one and say her name, she immediately tucks her tail and looks down. In fact, she tattles on herself when she has an accident on the floor. She will walk into the room real slow kinda looking at you out of the corner of her eye with her head down. I'll ask, "what did you do?" and she'll just sit waiting on me to pick her up and and put in her cage.

[yorkie mad]

Tia growls at me sometimes . I was worried at first but she wags her tail and has dropped her ball infront of me so I know it is her way of communicating and saying "throw it mummy"

[bellasmomok]

Originally Posted by yorkie mad

Tia growls at me sometimes . I was worried at first but she wags her tail and has dropped her ball infront of me so I know it is her way of communicating and saying "throw it mummy"

Oh yes.....Bella has MANY different growls/whines. Some of them are playful, some frustration, some anger , etc, etc, etc.... It's so amazing how expressive they are! For the most part, I'm ok with all the sweet/funny little noises, except when they're aggressive (which is almost NEVER, especially now) or "testing" me (some of it is just back talk which is cute, but some of it is a little more than that). It's so funny how you can pretty well learn what every little noise means and exactly how playful or serious it is.

[ARCHIE]

The first time Buddy growled at me scared me to death.
He would pick up cigarette butts or pine cones out doors when we
walked. Trying to get them out of his mouth was work. At five months
he was a terror! I didn't know puppies could be bad. He was.
He tried to bite me many times and succeeded once. I thought he was
nut's and lucky me to get him.
I did some research and found this breed want's what it want's. Period. Unless you become Alpha it won't get better. I had dog's my whole life
and never, ever have I came upon anything like this. Not all Yorkies are
like this but some are. We started puppy classes at 6mos and learned nothing.
I started training him from books and Ceasar. He loves the training but it
seemed like one thing after another. Food aggression, toy aggression,
he tried to take over my bed by attacking me not once but twice in the dark
because I moved. At one he went from friendly to aggressive with his friends
outdoors on walks. He got badder, I got tougher. It takes patience and
continued consistancy. He is 16lbs so no way could he be allowed to be
this way. I conquered all the above, thank God. Once he knew I ment
business. I had no problem pulling his beard when necessary to correct him,
he became docile. Today a 5yrs old he is wonderful and is turning into
the social butterfly welcoming almost all dogs he sees.
Food aggression: Mix the food with your hands, making him sit and stay
until you place it on the floor. Only then release him and praise him.
Buddy actually comes over to me to mix it up 1/2 way threw eating it.
I do this with my bare hands.
Toy aggression: Sit on the floor with him holding the toy he guards.
Share it with him but still hold it. Give him a little treat inbetween.
Do this for a couple of week and his aggresion should disappear.
Bed aggression: Never allow him on the bed uninvited. I no longer place
his blanklet there. His blanklet is in his bed only.
I keep the bedroom door closed when I am not home because he is no
longer allowed on the bed unless I pick him up. He slept on the floor in
his bed for 5months before I allowed him back in bed with me.
We conquered unnecessary barking as well. He is just perfect to me now.
It took awhile to get there but no way could I give him up. It can be done.
I am just so proud of my little man. Being Alpha is a must. Once that's
accomplished it all fun after that.
Take that growl seriously. There is a difference between a play growl
and a My Way growl.

[Katylou]

The only time I was growled at was when I first got Sophie and she would growl when I brushed her back left leg. For some reason her skin must have been tender there. She has since grown out of that. Other than that neither has growled at me. Maybe when you picked up your baby she hurt somewhere? She could just be testing you. Don't let her think its okay. I would say "no" firmly and then ignore her for a while. Puppies do things that adult dogs would never do. I think it's part of the learning process.

[Krystee]

Originally Posted by HChellette

That's happened to me too, it makes me sad that she would react that way, but on the other hand, it reminds me of a two year old throwing a tantrum! LOL

The first time Silvia ever growled was at DH when we gave her a rawhide treat for Christmas. It was time to put her back in her bag to go home and when he tried to take the treat so he could pick her up, she snapped and actually bit him! I was standing nearby so I immediately ran over and yelled "NO!" in a very deep and angry voice, right in her face. It startled her so that she dropped the treat and I picked her up, still scolding her. Well, to avoid that we just decided to no longer give her those treats if she were going to be that aggressive with them. But I've always used that same angry voice when she growls for any reason, or when she has an accident on the floor, or when she runs out the front door when she's not supposed to. It always stops her dead in her tracks because it scares her, first of all, and also she knows that you are the one in charge, not her. It's never not worked for me, and I hope it never does stop working, because I'm calling her bluff, I could never do anything more to her than raise my voice, but SHE doesn't know that.

It's funny, because DH can try to do that to her and she just looks at him like "whatever" and does whatever she was doing. I don't even have to raise my voice anymore, because if I change my tone of voice to a deep serious one and say her name, she immediately tucks her tail and looks down. In fact, she tattles on herself when she has an accident on the floor. She will walk into the room real slow kinda looking at you out of the corner of her eye with her head down. I'll ask, "what did you do?" and she'll just sit waiting on me to pick her up and and put in her cage.

My Rat Terrier hasn't been allowed to have rawhide treats or bones in a LONG time. She has always gotten so mean with them. I wonder why those things provoke such bad behavior? lol

[LibbieLu08]

Originally Posted by Krystee

I posted a thread yesterday about Tobie trying to bite me when I tried to take something out of his mouth. It hurts your feelings, huh? I wanted to cry! That was the first time he has done that and I have taken tons of things from him and he was perfectly fine with it. I sure hope he doesn't do it again

It is sad.... you're suppose to be the loving mommy... I sure hope BOTH of our babies dont' do it again.... I think they're just too SPOILED!

[LibbieLu08]

Originally Posted by JoeyP

Oops .... someone's becoming a little "willful"
I am assuming that this little one is still a puppy?
This kind of thing doesn't usually just pop up in older dogs
Your little one is testing you
and the outcome is totally up to you
If you mishandle this you'll likely wind up with a nippy dog .....
So it's def in your best interest and your wallet's best interest because people will sue you
if she bites them
when she growls ... it's a stern NO! and she is banished to a crate or her room
do not let her become possessive of food or her toys
make it a point to have her used to you touching her ... taking her food away and taking her toys away ..... without any answers back

Yeah shes still a puppy...I'm going to try that and hopefully she'll stop snapping.