Yorkie loves/hates my husband - YorkieTalk.com Forums

bungee · 02-04-2014, 08:52 AM

9 mos. old now. A couple of months ago, our Yorkie started growling at my husband whenever he tried to touch me. Now it's a full-out, from across the room, running to my side and defending me quite aggressively. Last night when we put her in her crate and we were saying goodnight to each other, she tried to get out of the crate to defend me from his kiss.

Mind you, this is a Yorkie that LOVES my husband. Follows him everywhere, spends quality time with him walking and playing every day, etc. The three of us are a unit all day, every day. She doesn't do this when I approach HIM. Just the other way around. He can't even hug me when she's around.

Any suggestions? Do we need to see a doggie therapist?

tinkysmommy · 02-04-2014, 02:49 PM

Yikes.

Well, have him hold your Yorkie whenever he comes to you, and have him feed her/him treats the whole time. Make it so that when he comes over, she/he is expecting rewards and good things. If that doesn't work...

doggie therapist may be necessary.

bungee · 02-04-2014, 03:12 PM

Thank you. We'll give it a try. She's currently in training and at this point, haven't mentioned it to the trainer since the class really isn't that kind of class. But might have to do that if your suggestion doesn't work.

Auntjen · 02-04-2014, 03:21 PM

I mean this in a nice way so please don't take offence but it sounds like you are not experienced with dog training if you allowed a young pup to growl at your husband without imedietly finding a remedy. I fear this can easily escalate into a bite to your husband or a innocent child. So in light of that yes please see a animal behaviorist who uses a positive approach. It's too hard to know or guess here what precipitates that 1st growl, the dogs body language befor the bark, growl and lunging, biting? Occur. A behaviorist will see the whole family dynamics that we here IMHO just can't possibly be privy to in a couple of paragraphs. Good luck to you in your training endeavors.

bungee · 02-04-2014, 04:06 PM

No offense taken and thank you for the comments. I've had a lot of dogs over my lifetime (I'm 67) but never a Yorkie. I've never had this issue with dogs before (my sun conure, yes!!). at any rate, she's always been verbal but rarely barks so in the beginning it was thought her growl was her "playful" growl which she uses a lot with her toys. So now that we've established there's something more to this than originally thought, we need to go to the next step. Probably more than you want to hear about, but thanks again for your time.

barneysmommmy · 02-04-2014, 04:17 PM

We had this problem with Anna shortly after we brought her home. I followed the great advice offered on the following thread. It helped a lot. She has other issues with fearful biting. So we have a long road to go with her on all biting, but she no longer is aggressive to my husband.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...ossessive.html

bungee · 02-04-2014, 04:25 PM

Thank you BarneysMommy. He's going to start feeding her beginning TONIGHT!! I've also sent a message to our trainer who specializes in other training sorts and hope to get a referral from her soon for maybe a home visit.

We just love her to pieces and it makes me sick to my stomach when I think it's something we've done to cause this. We want her to be happy, happy, happy!

yorkietalkjilly · 02-04-2014, 05:09 PM

Great ideas! So many things work to change/reshape dog behavior that you can pretty much choose anything you like as long as you let the dog know you mean it and you follow through and never scare or intimidate them. They will learn to do what you want without fear or startling things to bring them up short.

Your dog is acting as if she's in control and decides who can do what and you all are headed for trouble if something isn't done to stop her. She needs firm pack leaders, especially the one whom she's trying to discipline when he does certain things or she will begin to escalate her bad behavior. Your husband needs to become a strong but gentle, loving pack leader to her. I would Google one of the Nothing In Life Is Free programs and have your husband start having your little one perform a command for everything your doggie gets for the next 2 weeks - every morsel of food, every toy, every potty break and every permission to jump up on the couch or bed or cuddle with you. Works wonders!

There are several ways to stop a possessive dog, depends on you and your dog which way is best. One is to get up and both of you leave the room the moment she utters anything that sounds like a growl. Most people don't like this but it will work when the dog learns that growling will instantly make her lonely for the next 30 minutes. Others remove the dog from the room for the next 30 minutes, closing the door to the room where they are and not allowing it in until the full time has past - no matter how much the doggie howls. Another will take the dog out of the room on a leash while the other person stays in the room and make the dog stay in a down stay for a good 10 minutes before bringing it back into the room.

You can both firmly say "No", with one clap your hands and stand up, back the dog off the moment a growl is uttered. Stand over the dog until it back off and turns away, relaxes. It must be done every single time the dog acts possessive. In time, she will get the message what is about to come and learn to control her urge to growl or act possessive.

You can have your husband drop treats near your dog or feed treats directly as he begins to approach you, distracting her with the treat as he begins to kiss you or touch you and keep tossing treats for a bit - serial treat one after the other. Using boiled chicken or turkey hot dogs are best for a week or two. Keep repeating that for two weeks. By the end of that time, she should love it when he approaches you! Some will crate the dog in an open wire crate while they are desensitizing it to getting used to seeing its humans interact as the dog is tossed treats each time they touch until the dog can lie quietly in the crate while you and husband dance, kiss and touch. Then try the dog outside the crate, toss a treat at her and begin kissing, cuddling and keep tossing treats. If she begins to get possessive, say "No!" and both of you clap once, stand up and begin walking toward her, backing her off with a stern gaze into her eyes until she backs off.

You can toss a ball/toy or use a squeaky toy rather than a treat to distract the dog as he touches and leans over and kisses you if your dog isn't food-driven.

Watch your dog's body language and if she begins to get alert or focus in on what your husband is doing toward you, he needs to stare at her, stand up and point at her, say "No" also if he wants, and walk toward her until she relaxes. If he does this every time she starts to focus in on his behavior toward you, she will get the message in time.

Together with his using the Nothing In Life Is Free program where your husband requires her to sit before she gets anything she wants plus one of the training methods should start to show her she is not in charge.

All of these methods need repetition every time she offends and an instant response from you two and in time - not right away - but in time, she will learn that this possessive behavior will not ever be tolerated but immediately addressed and learn how to control her impulse to control you.

A good obedience training program where your husband takes her through her paces, teaching her one command at a time in a gentle way that positively reinforces her every time she gets it right with big praise and a treat should also reinforce their relationship with her learning who is the real pack leader and calls the shots in your family - teaching her over time to always obey what he says. It's wonderful how quickly a dog will come to obey you when the training is kept fun, upbeat and in short 5 minute sessions. In time, your dog wouldn't think of growling at her trainer and pack leader, no matter what he was doing! A stern look or pointing at her or standing up will stop most misbehaviors once a dog is obedience trained but the thing is, they rarely misbehave after training and a true pack leader/follower relationship has been established with gentle, fun, loving training and positive reinforcement. The dog will do anything to please you.

gracielove · 02-04-2014, 05:26 PM

She is not trying to defend you. This is more about her feeling that you are hers and she does not want anyone else taking her place.

As YTjilly said training is the best way to show her who is in charge here. Even simple commands like sit, stay, down, come will help her to recognize her place in the order of things in your home.

Don't forget that training should always be about fun. She should not feel like she is being punished. Don't start training when there is an issue, always do it under stress free conditions and don't forget the treats!

02-04-2014, 08:52 AM	#1
bungee Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Davis, CA, USA Posts: 10	Yorkie loves/hates my husband 9 mos. old now. A couple of months ago, our Yorkie started growling at my husband whenever he tried to touch me. Now it's a full-out, from across the room, running to my side and defending me quite aggressively. Last night when we put her in her crate and we were saying goodnight to each other, she tried to get out of the crate to defend me from his kiss. Mind you, this is a Yorkie that LOVES my husband. Follows him everywhere, spends quality time with him walking and playing every day, etc. The three of us are a unit all day, every day. She doesn't do this when I approach HIM. Just the other way around. He can't even hug me when she's around. Any suggestions? Do we need to see a doggie therapist?

02-04-2014, 02:49 PM	#2
tinkysmommy Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: USA Posts: 39 Blog Entries: 2	Yikes. Well, have him hold your Yorkie whenever he comes to you, and have him feed her/him treats the whole time. Make it so that when he comes over, she/he is expecting rewards and good things. If that doesn't work... doggie therapist may be necessary. __________________ Tinkerbell March 25, 2010

02-04-2014, 04:17 PM	#6
barneysmommmy Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Arkansas Posts: 1,310	We had this problem with Anna shortly after we brought her home. I followed the great advice offered on the following thread. It helped a lot. She has other issues with fearful biting. So we have a long road to go with her on all biting, but she no longer is aggressive to my husband. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...ossessive.html __________________ Becky...mommy to Barney, Anna (RIP), Willie Jack, and Zoe... RIP Max

02-04-2014, 05:09 PM	#8
yorkietalkjilly ♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas Posts: 22,140	Great ideas! So many things work to change/reshape dog behavior that you can pretty much choose anything you like as long as you let the dog know you mean it and you follow through and never scare or intimidate them. They will learn to do what you want without fear or startling things to bring them up short. Your dog is acting as if she's in control and decides who can do what and you all are headed for trouble if something isn't done to stop her. She needs firm pack leaders, especially the one whom she's trying to discipline when he does certain things or she will begin to escalate her bad behavior. Your husband needs to become a strong but gentle, loving pack leader to her. I would Google one of the Nothing In Life Is Free programs and have your husband start having your little one perform a command for everything your doggie gets for the next 2 weeks - every morsel of food, every toy, every potty break and every permission to jump up on the couch or bed or cuddle with you. Works wonders! There are several ways to stop a possessive dog, depends on you and your dog which way is best. One is to get up and both of you leave the room the moment she utters anything that sounds like a growl. Most people don't like this but it will work when the dog learns that growling will instantly make her lonely for the next 30 minutes. Others remove the dog from the room for the next 30 minutes, closing the door to the room where they are and not allowing it in until the full time has past - no matter how much the doggie howls. Another will take the dog out of the room on a leash while the other person stays in the room and make the dog stay in a down stay for a good 10 minutes before bringing it back into the room. You can both firmly say "No", with one clap your hands and stand up, back the dog off the moment a growl is uttered. Stand over the dog until it back off and turns away, relaxes. It must be done every single time the dog acts possessive. In time, she will get the message what is about to come and learn to control her urge to growl or act possessive. You can have your husband drop treats near your dog or feed treats directly as he begins to approach you, distracting her with the treat as he begins to kiss you or touch you and keep tossing treats for a bit - serial treat one after the other. Using boiled chicken or turkey hot dogs are best for a week or two. Keep repeating that for two weeks. By the end of that time, she should love it when he approaches you! Some will crate the dog in an open wire crate while they are desensitizing it to getting used to seeing its humans interact as the dog is tossed treats each time they touch until the dog can lie quietly in the crate while you and husband dance, kiss and touch. Then try the dog outside the crate, toss a treat at her and begin kissing, cuddling and keep tossing treats. If she begins to get possessive, say "No!" and both of you clap once, stand up and begin walking toward her, backing her off with a stern gaze into her eyes until she backs off. You can toss a ball/toy or use a squeaky toy rather than a treat to distract the dog as he touches and leans over and kisses you if your dog isn't food-driven. Watch your dog's body language and if she begins to get alert or focus in on what your husband is doing toward you, he needs to stare at her, stand up and point at her, say "No" also if he wants, and walk toward her until she relaxes. If he does this every time she starts to focus in on his behavior toward you, she will get the message in time. Together with his using the Nothing In Life Is Free program where your husband requires her to sit before she gets anything she wants plus one of the training methods should start to show her she is not in charge. All of these methods need repetition every time she offends and an instant response from you two and in time - not right away - but in time, she will learn that this possessive behavior will not ever be tolerated but immediately addressed and learn how to control her impulse to control you. A good obedience training program where your husband takes her through her paces, teaching her one command at a time in a gentle way that positively reinforces her every time she gets it right with big praise and a treat should also reinforce their relationship with her learning who is the real pack leader and calls the shots in your family - teaching her over time to always obey what he says. It's wonderful how quickly a dog will come to obey you when the training is kept fun, upbeat and in short 5 minute sessions. In time, your dog wouldn't think of growling at her trainer and pack leader, no matter what he was doing! A stern look or pointing at her or standing up will stop most misbehaviors once a dog is obedience trained but the thing is, they rarely misbehave after training and a true pack leader/follower relationship has been established with gentle, fun, loving training and positive reinforcement. The dog will do anything to please you. __________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis

02-04-2014, 03:12 PM	#3
bungee Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Davis, CA, USA Posts: 10	Thank you. We'll give it a try. She's currently in training and at this point, haven't mentioned it to the trainer since the class really isn't that kind of class. But might have to do that if your suggestion doesn't work.

02-04-2014, 03:21 PM	#4
Auntjen Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Oregon Posts: 78	I mean this in a nice way so please don't take offence but it sounds like you are not experienced with dog training if you allowed a young pup to growl at your husband without imedietly finding a remedy. I fear this can easily escalate into a bite to your husband or a innocent child. So in light of that yes please see a animal behaviorist who uses a positive approach. It's too hard to know or guess here what precipitates that 1st growl, the dogs body language befor the bark, growl and lunging, biting? Occur. A behaviorist will see the whole family dynamics that we here IMHO just can't possibly be privy to in a couple of paragraphs. Good luck to you in your training endeavors.

02-04-2014, 04:06 PM	#5
bungee Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Davis, CA, USA Posts: 10	No offense taken and thank you for the comments. I've had a lot of dogs over my lifetime (I'm 67) but never a Yorkie. I've never had this issue with dogs before (my sun conure, yes!!). at any rate, she's always been verbal but rarely barks so in the beginning it was thought her growl was her "playful" growl which she uses a lot with her toys. So now that we've established there's something more to this than originally thought, we need to go to the next step. Probably more than you want to hear about, but thanks again for your time.

02-04-2014, 04:25 PM	#7
bungee Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Davis, CA, USA Posts: 10	Thank you BarneysMommy. He's going to start feeding her beginning TONIGHT!! I've also sent a message to our trainer who specializes in other training sorts and hope to get a referral from her soon for maybe a home visit. We just love her to pieces and it makes me sick to my stomach when I think it's something we've done to cause this. We want her to be happy, happy, happy!

02-04-2014, 05:26 PM	#9
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	She is not trying to defend you. This is more about her feeling that you are hers and she does not want anyone else taking her place. As YTjilly said training is the best way to show her who is in charge here. Even simple commands like sit, stay, down, come will help her to recognize her place in the order of things in your home. Don't forget that training should always be about fun. She should not feel like she is being punished. Don't start training when there is an issue, always do it under stress free conditions and don't forget the treats!