Is my yorky aggressive? help

[mayer5]

Rudy is 7mths will be 8mths this month anyway he can be sooo sweet w/ my children when they wake up and come to see him he is in the living room where they watch tv every day this is where he stays b/c i have a senior yorky 14 yrs who they dont mix well. Anyway Rudy kisses the kids and lays w/ them but than like tonight all of a sudden if my dtr moves like dances or something he is all over her he broke her skin tonight from a bite! she was in the corner scared of him I told him several times no I even hit him in his butt but he just kept going back at her. This is just not my dtr it is my boys too and other people. Even myself for the first time in the yard today I had him on the leash on the deck hooked to the chair so I could clean up the kids toys and as I came up the deck stairs he was like growling and ready to jump on me weird he never did that to me before.

Is this normal behavior or is this pup gonna be aggressive. I keep saying if he is not better by age 1 I will have to sell him I cant have this w/ my kids. I have had 3 other yorkies and none were like this aggressive.

But than when he gives kisses I say he is not bad

Please help me out
Thanks Denise

[Lovetodream88]

You should never ever hit them even if it is on there butt. When Callie was a puppy she would nip and to get her to stop nipping we used a squirt bottle and would squirt her once and say no when she did it and she got the hang of no nipping pretty quick. Do you play with him with your hands or feet? If you do that can also cause them to think they are like toys and want to nip at them to play.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by mayer5

Rudy is 7mths will be 8mths this month anyway he can be sooo sweet w/ my children when they wake up and come to see him he is in the living room where they watch tv every day this is where he stays b/c i have a senior yorky 14 yrs who they dont mix well. Anyway Rudy kisses the kids and lays w/ them but than like tonight all of a sudden if my dtr moves like dances or something he is all over her he broke her skin tonight from a bite! she was in the corner scared of him I told him several times no I even hit him in his butt but he just kept going back at her. This is just not my dtr it is my boys too and other people. Even myself for the first time in the yard today I had him on the leash on the deck hooked to the chair so I could clean up the kids toys and as I came up the deck stairs he was like growling and ready to jump on me weird he never did that to me before.

Is this normal behavior or is this pup gonna be aggressive. I keep saying if he is not better by age 1 I will have to sell him I cant have this w/ my kids. I have had 3 other yorkies and none were like this aggressive.

But than when he gives kisses I say he is not bad

Please help me out
Thanks Denise

Using physical force on a dog this way will make him aggressive. Your dog needs proper training. Has he been to an obedience class? I recommend taking him to one and/or consulting a behaviorist.

Positive reinforcement training methods, rather than force and fear, produce much better results and make for much better pets.

How old was your pup when you brought him home? Critical socialization and bite inhibition takes place from age 8 to 12 weeks. That is why pups should stay with their mothers until at least 12 weeks of age.

It could be that your pup would do better in a home where there are not kids.

[mayer5]

Thanks for your feedback. But the water bottle thing sounds great but not in my house how would I do this every 2 seconds and have water all over my home and than deal w/ my 3 kids wanting to do that as well. I understand physical force is not good and maybe I should consider training classes for him. The kids do use their hands a lot with him hands and feet so this could be a reason for it.

But this has happened even when a friend was over he can say hi and be all nice than he can start w/ being like a wild nut trying to get the person his personality changes and I dont know if this is normal or not.

When does the nipping stop after one year old? or in this case what I am afraid of it may never stop!

Thanks Denise
besides water bottle what did u do to discipline your yorky?

[mayer5]

one more thing we got him from the breeder at 12 wks

[Ellie May]

You should not have to use a water bottle several times everyday. A few times and he should get the message (you always use it with a certain word - like NO). Then later you should just be able to use the word.

But this is a biting issue, so instead of trying to think of a way to punish him, you should seek the expertise of somebody trained in the field to work with your family immediately. It will only get worse if not dealt with.

Don't hit under any circumstances and make very sure your kids aren't playing too rough with him. It will only makes his problems worse.

[mayer5]

ok thanks i can try the water bottle is it tooo late for him to change? i hope not I will talk w/ the kids although I have been telling them u can not use ur hands w/ him etc
I can not afford a trainer or obedience classes at this time so I need to come up w some other ways to train him on my own.

Thanks

[ritapatt]

My husband grew up in Lyndhurst (many years ago) so your location was fun to see!
Have you read through the "nothing in life is free" program. Just google it and try some of the links. I have found it helpful in addressing Ziva's alpha personality.It might not solve all your problems but sometimes a different perspective helps when we get frustrated.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by mayer5

ok thanks i can try the water bottle is it tooo late for him to change? i hope not I will talk w/ the kids although I have been telling them u can not use ur hands w/ him etc
I can not afford a trainer or obedience classes at this time so I need to come up w some other ways to train him on my own.

Thanks

I don't believe it is too late for your pup to change, but he is not going to change on his own.

I would recommend against the water bottle in your situation. It has to be done correctly otherwise the dog will have no idea why he is being sprayed and is likely to become aggressive.

In my non-expert opinion, I believe a hands off, calm approach would be better suited to your case. Check out books and DVDs from your local library on basic training using positive reinforcement methods. The "Nothing in Life is Free" is also a good book. YouTube has lots of dog-training videos too.

First, I would start working with him every day on basic obedience: sit, stay, down, and other commands. Make this training fun for both of you, not a chore. Take him for a walk every day at about the same time. Having a schedule of activities is calming and reassuring for a dog, and makes them less likely to misbehave. Activity also wears them out and makes them less likely to misbehave.

When your pup misbehaves, remove all attention from him. If he bites, you can yelp like a hurt dog, cross your hands over your chest, walk away. You can also cross your hands over your chest and say "no bite." Don't lecture or carry on. Your dog will not understand. He will only see an excited/agitated human and he will mirror that state of excitement.

How old are your kids? Make sure that they are not playing any games with the dog that would encourage this kind of behavior; no teasing and I would recommend against tug-o-war. Even the best kids can behave inappropriately with dogs and inadvertently encourage bad behavior. I would separate the dog from your kids when you cannot supervise closely.

Dogs don't become good dogs on their own. Your pup will not grow out of this behavior.

[ladyjane]

I suggest starting with your children first. They should not be putting hands and feet on a yorkie puppy.

Also, put the puppy in time out if he bites.

Sounds like he needs a break from your children.

Neither the dog nor the children should be hit. It only breeds aggression imo.

Good luck.

[horsnaround]

This sounds like it could really get bad fast. The biting and breaking skin is not good as you well know. Maybe when he is getting that way instead of focusing on that behavior. Get a treat and change his thinking right away. Get his mind busy teach a trick. It sounds like he is playing hard because the kids are playing hard. But if you can get his mind to switch to something else right away it may help. Just a idea of positive instead of negative. The biggest thing is being consitent in your method. Good luck.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by mayer5

ok thanks i can try the water bottle is it tooo late for him to change? i hope not I will talk w/ the kids although I have been telling them u can not use ur hands w/ him etc
I can not afford a trainer or obedience classes at this time so I need to come up w some other ways to train him on my own.

Thanks

If he is biting out of fear, then this will only make it worse. If you squirt him when he has just bitten one of your kids, he could think the kids did it to him and become more aggressive.

He can change. I would not allow him within biting range of any strangers until this gets cleared up. Also, I would not let him around the kids right now.

[mayer5]

wow thanks for all the feedback have not checked this in a few days and I got on now b/c Rudy just bit my son's leg We were all in the yard playing he was on his leash and I was walking him but my children were in the yard and he was trying to get at them barking and pulling the leash toward them and got my sons leg I did not even know what happened until my son was on the ground crying!!!
What should I do? I agree w/ getting him away from the kids for a while but he is living in the living room right now and there is constant attention w/ the kids etc remember I have a older dog thats why they are separate b/c my other yorky is 14 and they dont mix I dont if I should bring the cage back up and put him in there when he bites but he has been doing sooo well out of the cage or should I move him to another room but than he will be totally alone I dont know what to do I am really upset I dont want to have to sell him
please help
thanks denise

[Rhetts_mama]

I have a mini dachshund that was very nippy with my middle daughter. We took him to obedience classes where she was an active participant. It taught her how to behave around him and taught him to respect her. He hasn't nipped anyone in the 8 years since.

Good luck.

[FidoTheYorkie]

I think its time for you to find a GOOD dog trainer that can help you with this.