3 Female Yorkies

[Yorkielady670]

I have 3 female Yorkies and they are each about 2 years apart, with the youngest one being 3 years old. They are all purebreds but are slightly different sizes. The oldest one (Lady) is the smallest and is about 5 pounds and is small boned and my youngest one (Raven) is the largest and is over 9 pounds. Lately, Raven has been very aggressive with my other dogs. She has been picking fights with Lady and with the weight difference and size, it is terrifying. Does anyone have any ideas on how to stop this? She seems to be remorseful afterwards. I separate them when I am at work - Lady stays in my room (she hides under the bed because she is scared of my sniffling in the morning, no joke) and I leave food and water in there. She doesn't seem to care. If I were to put Raven in a separate room she would go beserk!

Thank you for any information.

[Lovetodream88]

If this is a sudden new thing I would take the one that's acting aggressive to the vet to make sure she doesn't have something medically going on that is making her grumpy. Are they all spayed? Has anything else changed around home lately?

[concretegurl]

Separate kennels play pens or rooms when you are gone for their safety.

Dogs have "pack order" its not surprising the youngest around this age 1-3that would be establishing moving up in the pack order by "picking fights".

Is she humping the others too, taking resourses like toys food etc?

[concretegurl]

Stinking cell phone...

Fir the most part you can stop the fight, control the pack order by feedibg giving treats attention to the oldest first make the aggressir wait until last...but you might have to let natural behaviirs ve and just control the level with interventions.

[nanahas3]

I agree if she has always gotten along with the others and this just started I would make sure all is ok with her physically. She may be in some pain from her teeth etc.

[gloriajean]

my 2 girls got into a fight, one was bit so I took herto the vet she had some bad teeth hence she was fighting she ended with a clenaing and lost 5 teeth she is almost 10 years old so maybe it's the teeth

[Teresa Ford]

When Friends Fight
Dogs that normally get along, then seem to fight for no reason, can be a tough puzzle to solve. I agree with other posters make sure everyone is healthy. It is ok to let the aggressor know what they are doing, is not allowed. Use a firm voice and use the same cue word like Stop It, or No Way, every time The idea is to redirect the dog. You can clap, stomp a foot, toss a pillow at her or give her a time out alone in another room. It will help to read some YT threads about dogs fighting. I would also suggest starting the Nothing in Life is Free training for dogs. Keep us up dated.
NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE DOG TRAINING | Surface Creek Shelter

[msyorktown]

Originally Posted by Teresa Ford

When Friends Fight
Dogs that normally get along, then seem to fight for no reason, can be a tough puzzle to solve. I agree with other posters make sure everyone is healthy. It is ok to let the aggressor know what they are doing, is not allowed. Use a firm voice and use the same cue word like Stop It, or No Way, every time The idea is to redirect the dog. You can clap, stomp a foot, toss a pillow at her or give her a time out alone in another room. It will help to read some YT threads about dogs fighting. I would also suggest starting the Nothing in Life is Free training for dogs. Keep us up dated.
NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE DOG TRAINING | Surface Creek Shelter

Thanks for this info Teresa...mine dont fight, but with the new little one coming you never know...so off to Chapters I go! Thanks again!

[saveyorkies]

use pheramone spray on your hands so the two yorkys get some on them and i belive it will stop the cycle of fighting it did for my chi s that started fighting.

[dawn27]

Originally Posted by saveyorkies

use pheramone spray on your hands so the two yorkys get some on them and i belive it will stop the cycle of fighting it did for my chi s that started fighting.

What is this ?

I'm wondering if it would help with my bitches.... My Ruby gives that name a whole other meaning !!

Two of my girls do the same thing and although it has gotten better we still have our moments where Ruby, the smallest and youngesst will get pissed off and tear into one of them. Usually Brandi the largest and middle gal, who occ has seizures.

For example: There was a knock at the door, they all rush to be first in line to see who there. We are still training them to move away from the door when someone comes to the house. So, I'm telling them to get back and while they are pushing forward I'm pushing them back and that's all it took, Ruby went for Brandi. After seeing this behavior and getting advise from YT members I just let them go. Well Ruby came out on top but only after she took a bite out of Brandi's paw.

So, now I am struggling with paw issues with getting Brandi's nail trimmed, and am wondering if there is a connection?

Fights are getting few and far between the next and before the last one we hadn't had one for over 3 months and this last time it had been 2 1/2 months.

[cory]

Hi, I just wanted to first say that I'm really sorry you're having this problem with your girls. We have four yorkie girls named Mica, Maggie, Lindi Lou and Shayla from oldest to youngest.

We've had a very similar problem with our Lindi Lou attacking the other girls. She always had a very dominant personality even as a puppy which was one reason we really loved her because she is so outgoing. Our Mica has so many anxieties and is scared of her own shadow sometimes but was like this as a puppy when we got her. I think it was the difference in how she was socialized because we got her from a different show breeder than our other girls who were all very well socialized from the start.

I think as Lindi Lou got older she sensed Mica's lack of confidence and as such has tried to take over the alpha dog role in our household. Because Lindi Lou has a more dominant personality she has became more and more dominant as she got older. This could be why your youngest is starting to act out like this now too and especially if your oldest one is insecure and nervous like our Mica.

Even when we only had the three girls I found that Lindi Lou started to try to put the girls in their place when there was a scuffle on any kind or if the girls became hyper like when the doorbell would ring. Other things that would set it off is when one of the girls would yelp if they hurt themselves. Awhile back Maggie was yelping suddenly because she got stung by a bee and this set Lindi Lou off as well. From what I've read now, it's not that she's trying to hurt the other girls but in her own mind she attacks the girls at these times to restore stability to the pack which is still hard for me to understand. Otherwise she's the sweetest girl, turns over for tummy rubs and is the most friendly of all of my girls.

At the beginning I would separate them but after watching several episodes of the dog Whisperer with a similar situation I realized this was the worst thing I could have done. Cesar suggested leaving them together and turning the aggressor which was Lindi Lou on her side and holding the one she attacked right up beside her until she would calm down. I've been doing this for awhile now and these outbursts occur very infrequently now so I really think it's helped allot.

The reason not to separate them is that then the last thought in the dog's mind is the aggression that they last felt towards the other dog. This made perfect sense to me once I thought about it. If you leave them together then the one that has attacked after several minutes will calm down, and have a calm state of mind. Because of this they associate this feeling with the other dog that they just attacked when they are back together. I hope I explained this alright.

I've also learned to watch Lindi Lou's demeanor and can tell when she's starting to escalate into the "red zone" and stop the behavior before she would ever attack. I also know what situations set her off and will avoid these. The worse one is when the doorbell rings and they all run in a frenzy barking. I now pick Lindi Lou up right away and just calm her down and all is well with that.

I sure hope this gets more manageable and improves for you and your babies. I know first hand how stressful it can be.

[dawn27]

Originally Posted by cory

Hi, I just wanted to first say that I'm really sorry you're having this problem with your girls. We have four yorkie girls named Mica, Maggie, Lindi Lou and Shayla from oldest to youngest.

We've had a very similar problem with our Lindi Lou attacking the other girls. She always had a very dominant personality even as a puppy which was one reason we really loved her because she is so outgoing. Our Mica has so many anxieties and is scared of her own shadow sometimes but was like this as a puppy when we got her. I think it was the difference in how she was socialized because we got her from a different show breeder than our other girls who were all very well socialized from the start.

I wonder if this may be the case with Ruby. She is from a breeder with an out door facility. Not sure if she got the socialazation that I know my other girls got.

I think as Lindi Lou got older she sensed Mica's lack of confidence and as such has tried to take over the alpha dog role in our household. Because Lindi Lou has a more dominant personality she has became more and more dominant as she got older. This could be why your youngest is starting to act out like this now too and especially if your oldest one is insecure and nervous like our Mica.

Even when we only had the three girls I found that Lindi Lou started to try to put the girls in their place when there was a scuffle on any kind or if the girls became hyper like when the doorbell would ring. Other things that would set it off is when one of the girls would yelp if they hurt themselves. Awhile back Maggie was yelping suddenly because she got stung by a bee and this set Lindi Lou off as well. From what I've read now, it's not that she's trying to hurt the other girls but in her own mind she attacks the girls at these times to restore stability to the pack which is still hard for me to understand. Otherwise she's the sweetest girl, turns over for tummy rubs and is the most friendly of all of my girls.

Exactly !! same here....

At the beginning I would separate them but after watching several episodes of the dog Whisperer with a similar situation I realized this was the worst thing I could have done. Cesar suggested leaving them together and turning the aggressor which was Lindi Lou on her side and holding the one she attacked right up beside her until she would calm down. I've been doing this for awhile now and these outbursts occur very infrequently now so I really think it's helped allot.

I also tried this and it seemed to help some what but in some cases make it worse. Be careful with this one.

The reason not to separate them is that then the last thought in the dog's mind is the aggression that they last felt towards the other dog. This made perfect sense to me once I thought about it. If you leave them together then the one that has attacked after several minutes will calm down, and have a calm state of mind. Because of this they associate this feeling with the other dog that they just attacked when they are back together. I hope I explained this alright.

This also helps !

I've also learned to watch Lindi Lou's demeanor and can tell when she's starting to escalate into the "red zone" and stop the behavior before she would ever attack. I also know what situations set her off and will avoid these. The worse one is when the doorbell rings and they all run in a frenzy barking. I now pick Lindi Lou up right away and just calm her down and all is well with that.

I do this too...

I sure hope this gets more manageable and improves for you and your babies. I know first hand how stressful it can be.

Very simular situations, it makes since. Great advise !

It also helps to claim your role as the Pack Leader!

Dont let her think that she is the one in control of the situation. Each time I see that Ruby is trying to or shows any sign that she is going into the pack leader role I step in and take control of the situation by giving her an "AH AH " and a Firm "NO" .I dont allow her to get into that frenzy state of mind.

Plus I Never just allow her to walk away from Me when I am taking the pack leader role. She must submit to me by rolling over on her back. Which is a sure sign of submission ..

Since I have started these rules it has gotten much better !

We are still working on the knock at the door issues. ITs been a year since I started the training and still needs some much needed work ! But we are getting there.

[concretegurl]

Cesar uses older methods the holdibg of the dog down and or maybe allowing the "victum" to physically be over them is a way of showing you the real alpha is not tollerating them moving up in the pack YET.

I personally dont agree with this method. It is effective but it can only prolong and sometimes esculate the immediate level of ferocity of attack...like to say they know you the alpha will intervien so they feel they need to dominate and fast.

The ideal if separation is not to ve in anyway perminent or to prolong the change in pack order but to show aggression will result in being kicked out of the pack.

Its really two ways of thinking, training in the end the method thay works safely for anyone dog is best.

I tried the hold over to back hands on preditory kill spots (hand gently on neck on back) it only ptolonged the problem here and the level turned rough fast.

Princess went from rambuncious puppy to establishing herself as becomming the biggest top dog in our pack. Separation worked controllibg feeding worked she still thinks shes queen bee but we stoppped the biting and bidding for show of top dog.

[Teresa Ford]

Sorry the Alpha roll is not used much anymore. I respect your right to choose a training method that works best for you. I have trained dogs since the early 1970s and many things have changed. As you know I only work with puppies and toy dogs now, they are my preference. With that being said, I strongly disagree with the Alpha side roll or penning a toy dog down. I don't want my Yorkies to be submissive. I want them to be socialized, and well behaved. I want them to know the family rules and respect them. When correcting a Yorkie, I like a positive ending, which means the dog comes humbly back to me and joins the pack again. Dogs are smarter than we think, and they do understand that fighting (excessive barking, growling, nipping etc. ) is not allowed in our family. They also understand that fighting will not get them what they want, but will result in a time out. The Nothing in Life is Free training reminds everyone who the PLP (provider, leader, protector) is. Personal number place in the family changes from time to time as the members age and health changes. The only constant is that the people members are always the number 1 PLP, ALWAYS. Resource guarding and other possessive behaviors should not be allowed. Basic training will achieve a much more peaceful and happy home. It is lovely to put everyone on a sit stay, or place stay when things get crazy or the door bell rings ! Best Wishes, Teresa

[Yorkielady670]

I feel like Raven goes after the other's to be top dog. She does not hump the others are anything really for that matter.

I am new to this and I am not sure if I am answering a single person or if everyone can see this!