Introduction and Questions

[teddybur]

Hi, I currently have a 17 week old Yorkie, that I've had since he was 9 weeks old, his name is Teddy or Teddy Bear or Teddy Bur. Anyways, 90% of the time he is an angel. He licks my face to wake me up, licks me everywhere, and when I am busy with something and ignore him for awhile, sometimes he will jump into my arms/lap/wherever to cuddle with me.

10% of the time he goes crazy and acts like an insane rascal. Usually he only does so to my fiance, and by that I mean he chews on him like there is no tomorrow. I think by now, it's been established that my fiance is his "playmate" and he chews on him because he thinks he is dominant over him. It's not entirely Teddy's fault as while my fiance says, "No, OW, stop Teddy, etc," he shoves his hand into Teddy's face as soon as he comes over almost as if to say "Bite me." So of course Teddy won't stop when he actually doesn't want to be bitten. We've let him sleep on the bed and futon since his second night, which is probably why he is under the impression that he is of equal status or higher or whatever.

Anyways, two days ago, as I was lying on the futon watching a movie, I oftentimes pull Teddy over to me so we can cuddle together when he sleeps. He is often bipolar with this, sometimes he wants nothing other than to cuddle with me and other times he just wants to run away. Anyways, this time, he went particularly crazy, even though I was yelling, "NO!" and "Stop!" and "Be a good boy" (my usual prompts that he sometimes listens to) he managed to draw blood in 5 different places, including taking a chunk off my pinky and disconnecting the nail on one side. He knew I was very angry as he got put in time out for over an hour, and he spent the next day apologizing to me in his way I think. He didn't wake me up aggressively to feed him like usual, he only licked me throughout the day, and he pooped on his potty pad! (He knows I like when he does this but most of the time he refuses because he doesn't want to soil his marked potty pad I guess? I don't know).

So my questions are the following:

1. How do I get him to stop his crazy behavior of going into "attack mode" seemingly at random sometimes?
2. I live in a Condo on the 5th floor in Washington, DC which makes it nearly impossible to potty/poop train outside, and I don't have time to go 10 times a day as often as Teddy peeps/poops. Does anyone have any guides on how to indoor poop train your dog? He is really good with peeing on his pads 80% of the time, but he poops everywhere and I cannot seem to control him. Please spare me any lectures about a dog being a dog and must be trained outside, etc. Heard them, been there, and your opinion is not wanted and will be considered flaming/trolling and ignored - sorry if that sounds a little caustic, but it really is my pet peeve and makes me immediately dislike the opinion giver lol.
3. When I first got him, his fur felt like silk. His head is still silky, but the rest of his body lost it's silky feel and now feels woolly (or cotton furred I guess?). Is this loss of silkiness and change to cotton-y natural or is it because I am using the wrong shampoo and no conditioner (I use a generic pet store, puppy shampoo) and should get a yorkie shampoo/conditioner.

Sorry that was so long! If you read this and can give advice, it is very much appreciated!

[MandiesMom]

I'm sorry that your post got lost on page 2. I'll bump it up for you.

First of all, Welcome to YT! And, Happy Thanksgiving!

I think Teddy just needs to be taught what is okay to chew on for the most part. He's 17 weeks? So, he's still teething. I definitely would tell the fiance to not give mixed signals and not offer his hand as a chew toy LOL (good luck with that...my hubby does this too). But, when Teddy goes to bite, tell him No and then give him something he CAN bite and give him praise. Just be consistent with it. If he still keeps turning on you at odd times, try to be aware of all your surroundings...see if you can pick up on what is triggering it. Maybe he was caught off guard and got scared or something.

I'm sure others will have some great advice on this...I'm sure others have gone thru this very thing.

Potty pad training? I crate trained Mandie. She goes outside AND on potty pads. There are times in bad weather or when I'm at work too long that she needs to use the pads. It took time to get her to figure out the pads...I pretty much papered the part of the house she was in at first and then gradually laid less and less pads down LOL. She still will not poop on the same pad she pees on so I put one pad in front of the other and it works.

Also, just as a side note, sometimes Mandie "poops on the go" (walks as she poops) so sometimes her poop ends up off the pad, when she actually started on the pad. This might be happening with Teddy, too.

Hang in there!

Oh, also, if you can post pics of Teddy, we'd love to see them...his puppy coat is probably transitioning and he may end up being a cotton coat. They are just beautiful, but are more labor intensive on the grooming.

[Lovetodream88]

Well first welcome to YorkieTalk this is a great place to learn about yorkies. Yorkies should stay with there moms until 12 weeks because one of the things she teaches them is bite inhibition, I am not sure how to teach this but you might want to research it and find out how. One of the best things to do when he is biting is say a firm no and then ignore him. When Callie was nipping a lot as a pup we found the only thing that worked was a squirt bottle with water and when she would nip I would squirt her once not in the face and say a firm no. Personally I do not believe the dog sleeping in the bed makes them think they are equal to or higher then you I think he is just being a puppy and needs to be taught what is ok and what is not. Make sure you have lots of things for him to chew on. I would limit the amount of space your pup has while potty training like using a play pen with his puppy pad in it. My yorkie is trained to go potty outside but I have heard taking there poo and placing it on the potty pad might help. Also make sure when he goes on the pad to give him a treat and tell him how good he is.

[gracielove]

As was already mentioned puppies that are taken away from the mom and litter mates so young often do not learn bite inhibition. The will just bite the nearest hand because they have not been taught by mom and the litter mates that this is bad. When your boyfriend sticks his hand in your dogs face he is just asking for some teeth.

To train a dog properly you have to be consistent. Boyfriend and you need to teach your puppy that hands are not for playing. When he approaches to bite you must say "NO!" each time and give the dog something he can chew like a toy or a bully stick. Some forms of play with a puppy just teach it bad habits. Don't play tug or any type of game that incites the emotions of the puppy. Keep him calm. He is a terrier and terriers have an inborn instinct to bite and shake prey. Your hand is what he is using to practice this inborn instinct. If he does get a hold of your hand let it go limp. Don't fight. Then take his mouth and gently remove it from your other hand. Trying to pull your hand from his mouth only incites him to bite harder. Since he is already well intrenched in this habit it may take some time to train this method of play out of him. Remember, he is doing what his genes tell him to do. It is up to you to redirect that instinct to the appropriate object, like a toy.

It sounds like you need to start watching him a little closer with his pooing. Many dogs have a hard time getting it on the pad because they don't want to step on the already peed on areas of the pad. I had to get another pad and frame for Gracie to poo on because once she went pee she wanted no part of pooing on that pad. If you don't want to use an extra pad you may just have to change it more often. Watch him and when he looks like he is going to poo get him to the pad and try to keep him on it until he is done. Scolding after the deed is done does not work but rewarding after he gets it right will click. You just have to help him get it right so he can be rewarded.

Since you don't walk your little guy to help wear off the energy you need to find ways of exercising him inside your apartment. When weather is bad here I play some indoor fetch with Gracie. Exercise is really important especially when they start to act hyper or in your case aggressive. These dogs are little but they still have tons of energy that need an outlet. In order not to be the object of that energy you need to find ways of running it off.

[jbolles]

Great advice Gracie. Happy Thanksgiving! This is my first post since i am new to this site. My seven month old terrier Bella will not poo on a pad that is soiled either. When the pad is clean she will poo with regularity, however, if we forget to change the pad she will find a spot close to her puppy apt. to perform the task. Urinating on the pad has been perfected but number 2, is different story. Bella has the run of the house. As for the tendency to become an "insane rascal."

We too experience bi-polar Bella on occaission. Bella will attack our ankles when we walk from room to room or feast on our hands when lying on the couch. Nevertheless, a stern "NO", and replacing the hand for a chew toy or suitable bone (not raw hide) quickly stops the aggression. But it is comical to see a perfectly calm beauty turn into a crazed mountain lion in a matter of seconds.

[Verbena]

Hello and welcome to YT I would recommend How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days by Shirlee Kalstone. Great book. Can really help

[Verbena]

Amazon has it

How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days (Revised):...

[LunasMomma]

You've already gotten some good advice on the biting As for the pooping in the wrong places, it WILL get better. I found that if there was a "tootsie roll" not on the pad, I would pick it up with a tissue and place it on the pad, with the dogs watching, and say "THIS is where poopie goes" They seemed to get it. Sometimes they will go right next to the pad, though maybe because there is already pee on it and they don't like that, who knows?

Anyway, welcome!