Yorkie turning mean - YorkieTalk.com Forums

TerryH · 10-10-2015, 09:57 AM

Hi everyone, I have a 7 year old Yorkie that in the last year has been getting mean. It used to be when I would get up when he was sitting on my lap he would growl. He now growls and sometimes tries to bite me when he doesn't like something I'm doing. Anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this? I'm kind of new at this so if I'm doing something wrong please let me know.

Thanks,
Terry

Maximo · 10-10-2015, 10:03 AM

Changes in behavior like this can be caused by health problems. Has he had a recent checkup with the vet?

When he tries to bite, what things does he not like? Touching, grooming, or something else?

Yorkiemom1 · 10-10-2015, 10:24 AM

Agree with possible health issues cropping up....if there are none, then possibly, he has just decided HE is Alpha and you are going to do as HE says....I would stop this NOW....I do not tolerate biting by any of my dogs....I have a couple of males that HATE grooming and they will grab at me as I am clip[ping them....but if they manage to get my arm or hand in their mouth, they just "gum" at me....never have been actually bitten....I just do not tolerate them challenging my position with this pack of dogs as Alpha....I will NOT be bitten, period!

TerryH · 10-10-2015, 10:54 AM

He doesn't like when he has to leave my lap. That is the most time he will growl, show his teeth and sometimes try to bite me. The other night he was in his bed beside me on the couch like he is a lot and he knew it was time to go to bed so as I got up off the couch he jumped up and went after my arm. I told him no and he wears a harness so my husband picked him up by that and put him on the floor. It's happening a lot just at things like I ask him to move and he'll growl and show his teeth. When this 1st started I told the vet on our visit and she gave me a link to go to but that really didn't seem to fit what his situation was. I know I've let it go to long but I'm not really sure what is the best thing to do.
I don't brush him too much because I keep his fur kind of short but he does try to stop me sometimes when I'm brushing him. He'll tolerate it for awhile but he's not real mean like he is other times.

Jkpal · 10-10-2015, 11:45 AM

I don't know whether or not this could be applied in your situation, but when Piper goes from cutesy little ga-ruffs to demand barking and doesn't stop when I tell her 'no bark' I get up, go to other room and close door. Then within about a minute, I come back and tell her she's a good girl to be quiet. Usually she settles because one thing Piper simply can't abide is being ignored! I learned this invaluable tactic right here on YT---thee best source of practical useful help and information everrrrr!!!

TerryH · 10-10-2015, 12:40 PM

I can try ignoring him because he does hate that! When he does bad things I will say bad and he knows and his ears go down. When he's growling or showing his teeth that doesn't work. He just growls more!

Yorkiemom1 · 10-10-2015, 01:54 PM

My aunt had a beagle that was the sweetest fella.....until my aunt did something he did not want done for whatever reason.....my tiny little aunt was 80+ years old and she was a tiny little soul, 4'10" tall and a whopping 80 lbs....and of course, as she got older, she was more and more unsteady on her feet. That dog realized the changes age was doing to her and he got to where HE ran the house!!! That dog ran the house, and she did what he wanted, when he wanted it done, or he would snap and bite her....she had made 2 trips to the ER to get her poor old arm and hand seen by a doctor...the doctor told her one more time and they would have to report the dog as a biter.....so she quit going to the ER....we went for a visit and I was stunned and appalled by what I was seeing.....that dog was going to do some serious damage if allowed to continue.....I managed to talk her into letting a hunter have that dog so he could train Sparky not to bite and maybe he could use the dog for hunting.....he never had an issue after a couple of times with the dog snapping at him.....and he made a great rabbit and squirrel hunting gun dog! He was just too much for my tiny little aged aunt to handle...and he knew it! His behavior was getting worse and worse with her, and he would have done serious damage if allowed to continue! He went with someone that knew how to retrain dogs and he stopped that behavior. That biting is dangerous....dont allow him to continue doing that!

I am NOT a dog trainer, but I will NOT tolerate a dog attacking me for any reason they think they have! Two absolute NO-NOs around here are biting and rushing the door to bolt outside. No going to corner for time out....no scolding and sending to the other room or crate....any dog that rushes the door or bites me will get spanked and LOUDLY verbally reprimanded, period. And none of them have a horror of my hand unless they have rushed the door or have bitten at me!! I have a rolled up newspaper and I will spank some butt for either of those untolerated activities. The newspaper I use is a flimsy advertising section, so it makes more noise than anything, and all I can say is I do not have either of those issues here! It has been a long time since I had a dog snap at me for ANY reason....and the snapping was not a personality issue but more of a startle issue (he didnt know it was me coming up behind him and picking him up from the wrong food bowl he was eating from, but he got swatted for it anyway)....I have one that abhors getting trimmed....he will grab my hand with his mouth, realize what he has screwed up and done, look up sheepishly at me as if to say, "I dont have any arm in MY mouth", then just hold it in his mouth gently without biting down....that wont get a swat, but an immediate low growl from me, a stern, loud NO!, which is enough to get him to stop and release.....and then he does that lip curl grin as if to say, "I'm sorry momma, I got carried away and forgot what I was doing!!!"

Maximo · 10-10-2015, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TerryH

I can try ignoring him because he does hate that! When he does bad things I will say bad and he knows and his ears go down. When he's growling or showing his teeth that doesn't work. He just growls more!

I would skip telling him that he is bad when he misbehaves. Go with ignore. Withdrawing attention is very powerful.

For instance, when Max continues barking after being told "quiet," I leave the room and ignore him. He can't follow when I go to the other side of the baby gates.

If my boys fight while playing and do not heed the warning to settle down, I get up and walk away.

When you get up from the couch and have to move your pup, make sure you give him a little warning. Talk to him kindly. Maybe pet him or scratch his chest, whatever he likes, then place him in his own doggy bed. Maybe that way he won't be so fussy about losing his comfy place on your lap.

I strongly believe in positive reinforcement training, with the ignoring being the only "negative." I've gotten much better results with my boys this way, and they are strong males.

Just remember that changes may not happen overnight. Be patient. Good luck!

TerryH · 10-10-2015, 04:41 PM

I will try the ignore thing and see how that works. I've tried to be nice to him before I get up and also letting him know I will be getting up but that doesn't work he just growls at me!
Thanks everyone for your advice.

matese · 10-10-2015, 05:31 PM

Cody is adopted, he was a owner surrender, he was 2.5 y/o. His prev. owner loved him and spoiled, the reason for his surrender is to long of a story lol. Cody's first couple of months with me was like a 5 y/o kid with a new baby sitter. How many buttons can I push, how far can I go. First night home with me he jumps on the back of the sofa and stares me in the eye, I say good boy, (first button) then he jumps on my bed, again stares me in the eye, again I say good boy (2nd button) then lays on my extra pillows, how cute I think to myself, he's settling in, he's staring at me, good boy I say,(3rd button) what ever Cody did was always good boy, why, because all my past girls were allowed to do these things. The prev. owner had asked the rescue team who ever adopts him can they let them know from time to time how he is and can they send pictures. I had Cody 2 weeks before I contacted them, they told me he was not allowed on the furniture, not allowed on the bed if it was not their bed time, when he slept on the bed he was not allowed to sleep next to them, he had to stay at the foot of the bed and have no body contact. Now I understood why the stares when he went on the sofa, bed, pillow, he was testing me, pushing buttons, seeing how far he could go, he always got what he wanted, because it's what I wanted. He was with me about 6 weeks, he was on the bed, I started to play, I'm gonna get your paw then I would lightly get his paw, I'm gonna get your foot, lightly get his foot, I'm gonna get your tail, lightly get his tail, I was playing this appox 3 minutes when he bit me, I jump away, in a stern voice that he had not heard from me I tell him NO BITE, I get in his face stern voice NO BITE, I wait a few minutes then begin the I'm gonna get.....he bites, again I go through the stern NO BITE, wait 10 minutes, start the game again, he starts to come after me, I say NO BITE, he backs off. The next night I play the game again, he grabs my hand with a soft mouth, did not bite, I praise and say good boy, no bite the momma.. From the night he came home with me everything he couldn't do with prev. owner he was allowed to do in his new home, the biting I guess he thought he could get away with that too. It took a few NO BITE to teach him biting was unacceptable. He is now 4 y/o in a few weeks it will be 2 years we are together, he has not growled or tried to bite me. This is my experience in training my adopted boy to NOT BITE, using the command words NO BITE, this is what worked for me.

TerryH · 10-10-2015, 06:01 PM

I will keep that in mind Joan for the next time he goes to bite me thank you for your advice.

matese · 10-10-2015, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TerryH

I will keep that in mind Joan for the next time he goes to bite me thank you for your advice.

The next time he is on your lap and you want to move him, or he's not on your lap and you want to get up, before you move him, or before you actually get up say NO BITE, when you move him or start to get up if he shows signs that is is going to bit, or shows his teeth, firm voice NO BITE. Good luck.

TerryH · 10-10-2015, 08:40 PM

Thanks Joan I will do that😊

SirTeddykins · 10-11-2015, 01:51 AM

I'd suggest not letting him up on your lap. It sounds like he's getting a little possessive and feels entitled to be where he is when he wants to be there. Make him lie down in his own spot on the floor. He needs to be reminded that he doesn't own you and that your lap is a privilege and not his right! Consistently make him sit/lie on the floor and I'll bet the behavior stops in a few days.

Tay65 · 10-11-2015, 06:36 PM

I agree. Him sitting on your lap is his way of "owning" you. I had to stop this myself for a while. I let my Zoey lay beside me. That lasted a couple months. Now she'll lay her head on my lap. I don't allow her to lay completely on my lap.

10-10-2015, 09:57 AM	#1
TerryH Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Hope, RI Posts: 14	Yorkie turning mean Hi everyone, I have a 7 year old Yorkie that in the last year has been getting mean. It used to be when I would get up when he was sitting on my lap he would growl. He now growls and sometimes tries to bite me when he doesn't like something I'm doing. Anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this? I'm kind of new at this so if I'm doing something wrong please let me know. Thanks, Terry

10-10-2015, 10:03 AM	#2
Maximo ♥ Maximo and Teddy Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 25,041	Changes in behavior like this can be caused by health problems. Has he had a recent checkup with the vet? When he tries to bite, what things does he not like? Touching, grooming, or something else? __________________ Kristin, Max and Teddy

10-10-2015, 05:31 PM	#10
matese Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: E.Stroudsburg, Pa. Posts: 67,950	Cody is adopted, he was a owner surrender, he was 2.5 y/o. His prev. owner loved him and spoiled, the reason for his surrender is to long of a story lol. Cody's first couple of months with me was like a 5 y/o kid with a new baby sitter. How many buttons can I push, how far can I go. First night home with me he jumps on the back of the sofa and stares me in the eye, I say good boy, (first button) then he jumps on my bed, again stares me in the eye, again I say good boy (2nd button) then lays on my extra pillows, how cute I think to myself, he's settling in, he's staring at me, good boy I say,(3rd button) what ever Cody did was always good boy, why, because all my past girls were allowed to do these things. The prev. owner had asked the rescue team who ever adopts him can they let them know from time to time how he is and can they send pictures. I had Cody 2 weeks before I contacted them, they told me he was not allowed on the furniture, not allowed on the bed if it was not their bed time, when he slept on the bed he was not allowed to sleep next to them, he had to stay at the foot of the bed and have no body contact. Now I understood why the stares when he went on the sofa, bed, pillow, he was testing me, pushing buttons, seeing how far he could go, he always got what he wanted, because it's what I wanted. He was with me about 6 weeks, he was on the bed, I started to play, I'm gonna get your paw then I would lightly get his paw, I'm gonna get your foot, lightly get his foot, I'm gonna get your tail, lightly get his tail, I was playing this appox 3 minutes when he bit me, I jump away, in a stern voice that he had not heard from me I tell him NO BITE, I get in his face stern voice NO BITE, I wait a few minutes then begin the I'm gonna get.....he bites, again I go through the stern NO BITE, wait 10 minutes, start the game again, he starts to come after me, I say NO BITE, he backs off. The next night I play the game again, he grabs my hand with a soft mouth, did not bite, I praise and say good boy, no bite the momma.. From the night he came home with me everything he couldn't do with prev. owner he was allowed to do in his new home, the biting I guess he thought he could get away with that too. It took a few NO BITE to teach him biting was unacceptable. He is now 4 y/o in a few weeks it will be 2 years we are together, he has not growled or tried to bite me. This is my experience in training my adopted boy to NOT BITE, using the command words NO BITE, this is what worked for me. __________________ Joan, mom to Cody RIP Matese Schnae Kajon Kia forever in my A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog

10-10-2015, 10:24 AM	#3
Yorkiemom1 Rosehill Yorkies Donating YT Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Houston Texas Posts: 9,462	Agree with possible health issues cropping up....if there are none, then possibly, he has just decided HE is Alpha and you are going to do as HE says....I would stop this NOW....I do not tolerate biting by any of my dogs....I have a couple of males that HATE grooming and they will grab at me as I am clip[ping them....but if they manage to get my arm or hand in their mouth, they just "gum" at me....never have been actually bitten....I just do not tolerate them challenging my position with this pack of dogs as Alpha....I will NOT be bitten, period!

10-10-2015, 10:54 AM	#4
TerryH Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Hope, RI Posts: 14	He doesn't like when he has to leave my lap. That is the most time he will growl, show his teeth and sometimes try to bite me. The other night he was in his bed beside me on the couch like he is a lot and he knew it was time to go to bed so as I got up off the couch he jumped up and went after my arm. I told him no and he wears a harness so my husband picked him up by that and put him on the floor. It's happening a lot just at things like I ask him to move and he'll growl and show his teeth. When this 1st started I told the vet on our visit and she gave me a link to go to but that really didn't seem to fit what his situation was. I know I've let it go to long but I'm not really sure what is the best thing to do. I don't brush him too much because I keep his fur kind of short but he does try to stop me sometimes when I'm brushing him. He'll tolerate it for awhile but he's not real mean like he is other times.

10-10-2015, 11:45 AM	#5
Jkpal YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Lake Geneva, WI Posts: 2,776	I don't know whether or not this could be applied in your situation, but when Piper goes from cutesy little ga-ruffs to demand barking and doesn't stop when I tell her 'no bark' I get up, go to other room and close door. Then within about a minute, I come back and tell her she's a good girl to be quiet. Usually she settles because one thing Piper simply can't abide is being ignored! I learned this invaluable tactic right here on YT---thee best source of practical useful help and information everrrrr!!!

10-10-2015, 12:40 PM	#6
TerryH Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Hope, RI Posts: 14	I can try ignoring him because he does hate that! When he does bad things I will say bad and he knows and his ears go down. When he's growling or showing his teeth that doesn't work. He just growls more!

10-10-2015, 01:54 PM	#7
Yorkiemom1 Rosehill Yorkies Donating YT Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Houston Texas Posts: 9,462	My aunt had a beagle that was the sweetest fella.....until my aunt did something he did not want done for whatever reason.....my tiny little aunt was 80+ years old and she was a tiny little soul, 4'10" tall and a whopping 80 lbs....and of course, as she got older, she was more and more unsteady on her feet. That dog realized the changes age was doing to her and he got to where HE ran the house!!! That dog ran the house, and she did what he wanted, when he wanted it done, or he would snap and bite her....she had made 2 trips to the ER to get her poor old arm and hand seen by a doctor...the doctor told her one more time and they would have to report the dog as a biter.....so she quit going to the ER....we went for a visit and I was stunned and appalled by what I was seeing.....that dog was going to do some serious damage if allowed to continue.....I managed to talk her into letting a hunter have that dog so he could train Sparky not to bite and maybe he could use the dog for hunting.....he never had an issue after a couple of times with the dog snapping at him.....and he made a great rabbit and squirrel hunting gun dog! He was just too much for my tiny little aged aunt to handle...and he knew it! His behavior was getting worse and worse with her, and he would have done serious damage if allowed to continue! He went with someone that knew how to retrain dogs and he stopped that behavior. That biting is dangerous....dont allow him to continue doing that! I am NOT a dog trainer, but I will NOT tolerate a dog attacking me for any reason they think they have! Two absolute NO-NOs around here are biting and rushing the door to bolt outside. No going to corner for time out....no scolding and sending to the other room or crate....any dog that rushes the door or bites me will get spanked and LOUDLY verbally reprimanded, period. And none of them have a horror of my hand unless they have rushed the door or have bitten at me!! I have a rolled up newspaper and I will *spank some butt* for either of those untolerated activities. The newspaper I use is a flimsy advertising section, so it makes more noise than anything, and all I can say is I do not have either of those issues here! It has been a long time since I had a dog snap at me for ANY reason....and the snapping was not a personality issue but more of a startle issue (he didnt know it was me coming up behind him and picking him up from the wrong food bowl he was eating from, but he got swatted for it anyway)....I have one that abhors getting trimmed....he will grab my hand with his mouth, realize what he has screwed up and done, look up sheepishly at me as if to say, "I dont have any arm in MY mouth", then just hold it in his mouth gently without biting down....that wont get a swat, but an immediate low growl from me, a stern, loud NO!, which is enough to get him to stop and release.....and then he does that lip curl grin as if to say, "I'm sorry momma, I got carried away and forgot what I was doing!!!"

10-10-2015, 04:41 PM	#9
TerryH Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Hope, RI Posts: 14	I will try the ignore thing and see how that works. I've tried to be nice to him before I get up and also letting him know I will be getting up but that doesn't work he just growls at me! Thanks everyone for your advice.

10-10-2015, 06:01 PM	#11
TerryH Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Hope, RI Posts: 14	I will keep that in mind Joan for the next time he goes to bite me thank you for your advice.

10-10-2015, 08:40 PM	#13
TerryH Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Hope, RI Posts: 14	Thanks Joan I will do that😊

10-11-2015, 01:51 AM	#14
SirTeddykins aka ♥SquishyFace♥ Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: n/a Posts: 1,875	I'd suggest not letting him up on your lap. It sounds like he's getting a little possessive and feels entitled to be where he is when he wants to be there. Make him lie down in his own spot on the floor. He needs to be reminded that he doesn't own you and that your lap is a privilege and not his right! Consistently make him sit/lie on the floor and I'll bet the behavior stops in a few days.

10-11-2015, 06:36 PM	#15
Tay65 YT Addict Join Date: May 2015 Location: Washington,pa, united states Posts: 287	I agree. Him sitting on your lap is his way of "owning" you. I had to stop this myself for a while. I let my Zoey lay beside me. That lasted a couple months. Now she'll lay her head on my lap. I don't allow her to lay completely on my lap.