trouble with yorkie

[sorpy69]

I got my new baby from the spca, 1 week ago, she's a puppy mill rescue. her age is between 2-3 yrs old. We now got over the eating and potty training. But now the biggest problem is she's bitten my 5 year twice. I've been present both times and my daughter has just gotten close to her face to pet her and has bitten her. My husband is mad and wants me to return her but she's adorable. How can we work on this. Can she ever come around, because I also have 2 step children that come and visit and I wouldn't want them to get hurt. HELP

[orinskye]

hwo old was the dog you rescued? and was it done in aggresion or play? toby is really "mouthy" because he is teething (he is five months).... if it was done in aggression i think you should approach it from the dogs standpoint, she was in a horrible situation and she doesnt trust anyone yet..... as far as children go, i would probably limit their interaction or when they start playing with her give her a treat so they associate the kids with "good things".. i am very wary of kids around my baby, but i have a rough and tumble little boy, and he seems to LOVE the interaction because he can finally have something to intimidate (most kids run away from him at first because he is a little too playful)..... most important thing is to take it slow

[luvdorkyyorkies]

Sorpy,
I commend you for rescuing this dog! Unfortunately she is no longer a puppy and her behavior may be engrained not to enjoy children. If she was a puppymill dog she didnt get much socialization and may not ever get used to the quick motions and aggressive approach children naturally have.
Way before I even thought about raising yorkies or having children I rescued a shar-pei from being destroyed. This dog was exceptionally smart and one of the funniest damn dogs I had ever seen, but he hated children and when any visited I had to put him up locked way in an upstairs bedroom. Years later he tolerated children if they didnt approach him but he was a dangerous dog in the company of children. He would begin to shake, show teeth, and would immediately think he had to protect himself. He had been mistreated obviously, some unintentional by children.
I just dont think its worth it to try to adapt a dog to children, if they dont like them...........yorkie or no yorkie you must consider the children and this dog would probably be much better placed in a childless home.
Place a free ad and screen people and make it your mission to find a qulaity home, I bet it wouldnt be hard.
This is probably not what you wanted to hear, but I would hate to see your children harmed or afraid of dogs permanently.

[sorpy69]

I know exactly what you're saying. I talked with my husband and my daughter and we'll give her one more week to try socialize her with my daughter. So how about having her feed her and walk her to see if she'll come around. If not unfortunately we'll have to find her a new home without children.

[luvdorkyyorkies]

Maybe another week I pray will do the trick! WHo really knows what this animal has gone thru!

I really hope it works out for your family!!!!!! Please refer to this thread and let us know if your story is a successful one or not.

Feeding her and walking her is a wonderful idea! I didnt even think of it, I just concentrated on the biting.........your a great dog socializer.......this is what that baby needs!

[milliecorrales]

Please let us know what you decide. Perhaps we can help with placing the dog. Good luck to you.

[Lauri]

Sorpy69

Now here is one area that I have to disagree on. Sorry other posters. One week is not enough time to give the dog to make the changes that have happened in his//her life. 2 weeks isn't either. Here is the way I see it. This dog has never been socialized if it came from a puppymill, not only that, this dog has been so severely neglected and rejected and isolated from human touch that it's probably so confused right now that it doesn't know what to do. It's bad that it has bitten your 5 year old twice. I wonder, did the bite break the skin? If so? was it a bleeding bite, I mean one where you know absolutely that the dog intended to hurt the child severely? Or was it a warning bite? one that says, you know what? leave me alone I'm trying to work out this whole family thing in my head and I don't know what to do yet.
I would never rescue a dog only to give it a couple weeks and then remove it from my home to make him/her start all over againl. Next time it will even be worse. The dog will understand that it went from a really bad situation to a wonderful situation that it was unfamiliar with. Then once again it was being sent away from what it had and won't understand why.
Think about some of these things before you decide to give your dog away.
1. Crating. Dogs love their little dens inside the forever home, it is their safe zone. It's not a cage, it's not a pen with hundreds of barking dogs driving it mad. It's not covered in feces and stink to high heaven all the while the dog is walking in it's own excrement, laying in it and having to breath it 24/7 because it piles up under the cage since cleaning up crap isn't what makes the millers money!
If the dog show a behavior that is unacceptable, put him in the crate. don't wait until he actually bites to do it, but supervise the interaction and at the first sign of trouble put him in the crate all the while explaining softly that this is not acceptable and that the child is your baby too just like he is and he will have to learn to get a long a love the child. maybe that sounds silly to some, but a soft voice and a reprimand at the time something happens will make you the Alpha in the situation and the dog will LEARN what is right and what is wrong. Think about it for a minute. The dog was in a pen, most likely with at least a male and most of the time with a litter of puppies all of it's life. Small Cage, Small dogs, Small Child, Small space etc etc. The dog is possibly equating the situation it was rescued from with the child since the child is small and more it's size than you are. Dogs can sense adults from children and in most cases respond appropriately. However, this dog has not had that socialization from birth to learn that behavior. He will need your patience and willingness now to work with him and teach him what he never knew before.
2. I have 5 grandchildren, ranging from 2 to 9 in ages. My 6lb yorkie gets along with them all except for 1. He is 3 and for some reason whenever Trystyn even tries to pet him he wants to snap at him. I correct him EVERYTIME he snaps. I take his head in my hand and turn his face to me and tell him NO we don't do that, He's just a baby and you have to get along. On the other hand. Trystyn has learned that he can make out like he is going to pet him, just to get Pita to try and nip at him. This is called teasing. So, I tell trystyn, NO we dont do that. LOL he's just a little fella and we don't treat animals that way!!! LOL LOL Now the other 4 grandchildren, nothing but Yorkie kisses all day long. Go figure. I can only imagine that there is something about Trystyn that gets Pita worked up. But given time and consistant reprimands Pita will stop the behavior. He has never broken the skin, although he has left a mark.
3. There is a terrible general misconception that Yorkies don't like children. This is absolutely false and I wish I could meet the horrible person that started this rumor so I could give them a piece of my mind! Yorkies are free spirits and playful little pups to the day they finally cross the rainbow bridge at 12, 15, 17 whatever!!! They adore children because children are playful and mischevious just like they are. Both share the same curiosities, both put a hundred miles on their feet a day, and both are little instigators. Perfect match. The only fear I have of a Yorkie with a child is the difference in size, and because children tend to play rough the small size of the Yorkie could get it hurt. BUT, never when the play is supervised, which it is supposed to be anyway.
4. Last but not least, and certainly not the last thing I could say about children and Yorkies for sure, but Please before you decide to give him up take him to a behaviorist or a basic training class. Petco offers basic training, it's cheap, it's effective, and if you involve your child the dog will also learn to respect the child as well as you in the long run. Some might say, 2 is too young, but that surely isn't true. Children are in their formative years at this age, and everything they are going to become eventually is taught to the child in the first few years of life in terms of Tabula Rosa, that being that all children are born with a blank slate to which we as a society write on creating their personalities and individualism which will manifest over the years as they grow up. Think of your Yorkie as a blank slate right now. Everything he/she is learning is brand new to him. If you will spend the time, not only will you have a wonderful dog that will love you and your family unconditionally, but your child will learn as well the values of pet ownership. They will learn so many lessons just from this one simple act, and those lessons will of course flow over into the rest of their lives in terms of their interaction with other children, other animals, respect and in general Do unto others.....
Thanks for letting me share my opinion.

[sorpy69]

Thanks for the advice. You're right about needing to have her socialize. I will look into petco or petsmart for some classes. She didn't break her skin with the bite just left marks, I guess it was a leave me alone warning. I'll keep working with my Browny by having my daughter do more of the taking care of her needs, like feeding her and walking her. DO you have anymore ideas on to how to have my yorkie accept my daughter?

[gopheraj]

I agree with Lauri. Work some more with her (time that is) How old are your daughter and step children? Your can have your daughter approach her slowly and quietly and give her treats. I would give her way more than 2 weeks since she is a yorkie and not a big dog.

[YorkieRose]

This is a tough one...you can not take the chance with children. Dog bites leave nasty scars and facial bites are worse. If the SPCA had know she was a biter they would not have placed her with children. The rescues I have helped with never let biters go where there were children. We all disagree, but that is okay too..this little Yorkie has had a hard life and kennel dogs need tons of patience..some come around others do not...be careful if anyone with children visit for awhile too. Many people will sue if their children are bitten. Myfriend had a very costly law suit some years back over a bite to a family members child who came to visit...I wish you lots of luck, I hope she settled soon. I have been bit so many times by rescues..they are so scared. I lost the feeling in one finger for 6 months due to nerve damage from a bite.

[Lauri]

More about Browny,
Something you can try is laying down on the floor with your 5 year old. Let the dog come to you and when she gets to you then hold your daughters hand and show her how to pet her lightly but no where around the face or the tail. Just on the back or if she lays down on her tummy. I know how hard it is with a 5 year old because they get so excited when it comes to dogs. Well heck I still do and I'm 47!! LOL But the trick is going to be to make Browny feel as safe and comfortable around her as she is with you. If Browny sees that it's ok and you are laying by her, she may gradually also accept your daughter.
Another thing, let the dog take her time coming to your daughter and the step kids. I think the idea with the treat is a great idea. Especially if your daughter is willing to put a few like.... Honey Nut cheerio's in her pocket and give them to her one at a time. Of course warn the kids to keep their faces out of her reach, until you feel secure with her behavior. Let your daughter be the one that always gives the treats, if she is around, and if not you will give them or your husband. Dogs are not dumb, even the ones from the puppymills, if anything they are more shrewd than your typical pet dog because they have had to learn from a young age to scrap for every morsel of food and there probably was never enough to fill them up.
The crate I was talking about at Walmart costs about 16.00. Just a simple crate, but it would offer the dog and "escape route" when it didn't want to be bothered. She isn't going to stay in there forever, she will be too curious about whats going on even if she doesn't participate she will still be nosey and eventually want to see. The crate should be in the most out of the way place like maybe your bedroom, but farthest from the door to deter temptation for your daughter to keep going to look at her and see if she is still there. That would eventually cause another bad behavior since the dog would then possibly become territorial and it would only make a bad situation worse.
Fiinally, and the most important is praise. Catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.... remember that old saying. Time and patience, and a behaviorist or trainer. That should do it
One thing I do want you to know. If you can stick it out, and let her come around on her own, and remember she is really scared right now, you will find that ex puppymill dogs are the most loving of all because they are ACTUALLY grateful for the love and attention you give them. Nothing about you or your family will be taken for granted by her because she has come from such bad, that your goodness will literally make that dog want to lay her life down for you and your family. I will try and send you some links that you can read up on to help you understand where your dog is coming from right now, so that you can help her learn to be a good pet.

[Lauri]

Here are some links I promised you. I hope these links can help you to read and understand more about a puppymill dog. I also added a couple that I thought you might enjoy regarding everything about dogs. specifically Yorkies mostly. Hope you can find what you need here in these sites that will help you to work with Browny, where she will be in her forever home.

http://www.puppymills.com/

http://www.puppymillrescue.com/

http://www.nopuppymills.com/

this one is a group forum that you can really learn from as far as Browny is concerned. Just ask questions and they will give you answers. I’ve learned a lot from them here.

http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/library.htm

http://www.peta.org/ here you will find some of the most horrifying information that you will have never wanted to see about puppy mill conditions!!!

http://www.peteducation.com/

http://yorkieviews.com/dangers.htm

http://www.hua.org/

[sorpy69]

Thank you so much for the info. I'll try the tips you gave me. Today I made my daughter take her outside to potty and she feed her some treats. I'll read the links you gave me.

[Lauri]

Hey there Sorpy,
I found you another awsome link about adopting a puppymill dog. I think you'll find this one pretty bare bones and straight to the point on what to expect. Hope it helps you.

http://www.ilmorescue.org/adopting_t...l_survivor.htm