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12-12-2012, 07:29 PM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Baltimore, MD, USA
Posts: 2
| New to forum - need advice with aggressive yorkie Hi, My name is Sara, and I have a three year old yorkie, named Mirren. When I got him as a puppy, he was really skittish/nervous. He never really liked going on walks, which was really different from dogs I had in the past, and if he did go on a walk, he really disliked long walks away from home. He was also real shy when running into people we would meet on walks. Till this day, if we put a new chair in the backyard or if a step ladder is in a room he's not use to, he'll shy away from these objects that are not normally there. He's always been a nervous/skittish dog. However, he's a sweetheart with people he knows. He's very affectionate and loving. He has no aggressive issues when it comes to his food or even playing with toys. While he will play "tug" and growl during that game, it's never mean spiritied and he never bites or anything. As he's gotten older, he has become aggressive with strangers in my house or my parent's house (he is not aggressive in public places, only places he feels territorial over). When someone he doesn't know comes to my house, he'll bark/growl/and nip at them. He'll only do this if 1-2 strangers come over. If I am having a party filled with people he doesn't know, he will not become aggressive because I think he feels overwhelmed. I have tried a lot of things to stop this behavior. I have tried scolding and disciplining him, but if I get loud with him, it seems to get a little worse. I also have picked him up to answer the door and give the person coming in a hug, so he knows I am comfortable with the person before letting Mirren go. Also, if the person is comfortable with dogs, I'll just let him go and if the person lets him sniff them, it is usually fine. However, with a stranger, he can calm down and be fine, and then, if they get up suddenly or make a sudden movement, he can go right back to barking/growling/nipping. This behavior mainly concerns me with children. My best friend has a 5-year old that comes over often. When her son would first come over, Mirren would bark/growl/nip at him. However, her son has a pitbull and rotwireler (sp?), so it was never a huge concern; he was use to bigger dogs and never was really scared or anything. Since they come over often, now when he comes over, Mirren is loving with him and they'll play together. It normally takes at least a couple visits for Mirren to be comfortable with someone. The other weekend, a friend of mine brought her 2-year old over, so I held Mirren the whole time because you never know - even when he's calm - if/when he's going to get aggressive with strangers... Just for a little more background: I did take him to puppy school when he was little, and he was fine with the other dogs/owners. If anything, he gets nervous around them and leaves them alone. I'll still take him to Petsmart frequently to get groomed, and he basically just ignores the other dogs/owners. He never has any issues like this in public. Someone suggested additional training classes, but I don't think he'll show the main symptoms in the training classes, which is the aggressive/territorial behavior. Also, I work from home, so I am with Mirren a lot (almost 24/7 unless I go out somewhere that day). As a result, he is very close to me, so sometimes, I think he acts like this when he's trying to be protective of me. Does anyone have any suggestions on things I could try to do to change this behavior? I'd appreciate any help people can give me! Thanks! |
Welcome Guest! | |
12-13-2012, 08:20 AM | #2 |
Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator | Bumping. We have lots of members here who are good with training, so hopefully someone will know some advice. Also, we have a training section...not sure if something in there may help or not. Also, WELCOME to YT !
__________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann | Pfeiffer | Marcel Verdel Purcell | Wylie | Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° |
12-13-2012, 09:56 AM | #3 |
and Shelby's too Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Millbrook, AL
Posts: 7,842
| Sounds more like he's protective of you than aggressive (which is a fine line..still is behavior that needs to be stopped). Is he neutered? If not, I'd get that done first. The only suggestion I have would be to just gate him off or put him in a separate room when strangers or children are over at your house. And, look into a behavior trainer/specialist for him. Welcome to YT! You'll get a lot of help here from some very knowledgeable people.
__________________ Terri, proud mom to Mandie & Shelby-Dale |
12-13-2012, 12:41 PM | #4 |
YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Dallas
Posts: 319
| From what I've read, some vets, behavior specialists, & breeders disagree as to how long it lasts, but there is a developmental "window of opportunity" during which a puppy learns to be social, trust strangers, and develop a pattern of how to assess social situations. Of course your fur baby is way past that - but I'll bet you can rehab somewhat. Like what you would do with a new puppy - create social situations that are favorable. A little at a time & slowly increase. Maybe have people give him tiny pieces of treat so he learns they are fun? Also really, really praise him when he IS appropriate so he learns that behavior gets positive attention? A lot of work but worth the try. |
12-13-2012, 01:36 PM | #5 | |
♥Max & Lily♥ Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Orlando, FL, US
Posts: 2,186
| Quote:
First, welcome to YT. I have a rescue that has shown aggression issues such as your boy. It has progressively gotten worse with age. My story is a lot like yours, Max is a sweet, loving dog, and super smart! Through my research, I've found that this aggression stems beyond regular training. It is a medical issue. I've taken him to a canine behaviorist who is also a DVM. His diagnosis is general anxiety and poor impulse control. Unfortunately a lot of people try to fix this with methods of teaching who is the "alpha" etc and often goes undiagnosed. Do you have a behaviorist in your area? It is worth looking into. I would decrease any anxiety causing events such as parties and strangers in the home until this can be resolved. I would also keep children away, as in my case Max's behavior is completely unpredictable and I don't trust him around kids.
__________________ My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet. ~Edith Wharton Lesley, Maximilian & Lily Rae | |
12-13-2012, 01:43 PM | #6 |
♥Max & Lily♥ Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Orlando, FL, US
Posts: 2,186
| The only canine behaviorist in Maryland MARYLAND Marsha Reich DVM, DACVB Maryland-Virginia Veterinary Behavioral Consulting P. O. Box 10394 Silver Spring, Maryland 20914-0394 United States office tel: 301.384.3900 office fax: 301.384.3900 I accept media inquiries I see behavior cases as house calls only. http://www.dacvb.org/resources/for-the-public/
__________________ My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet. ~Edith Wharton Lesley, Maximilian & Lily Rae Last edited by orlnurse; 12-13-2012 at 01:45 PM. |
12-13-2012, 06:13 PM | #7 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Baltimore, MD, USA
Posts: 2
| Thanks everyone for your help! I might try the treats thing with someone who is comfortable with dogs. maybe if they give him a type of treat he is use to, he won't think they are as much of a threat. I might also look into that behavior specialist. I appreciate all the feedback. Also, I agree that I think he has some kind of anxiety disorder since he's always been really skittish/nervous - definitely worth looking into. I appreciate the suggestions. |
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