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09-22-2006, 06:17 AM | #1 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Pa
Posts: 14
| Gus is being even MORE aggressive I have been trying some of the tips I have gotten here to try and get Gus under control and nothing seems to be working. Last night my DH was holding him and he just suddenly turned and started growling and snarling trying to bite DH in the face. He was being so nasty and wouldn't stop. DH told him "NO" and pushed him down into his lap and Gus just kept lunging at his face. I was and AM very upset. DH just held him tighly on his lap and eventually he calmed down, after about 5min or more. There is a groomer in our town and I am going to talk to her today to see if she has any reccomendations, I am also going to call our vet and talk to them about. I will do anything to change this, it is keeping me up at night. Could he just naturally be a more aggressive dog? What do I do if it continues and/or gets worse? What if he bites ones of us and really hurts us? I am already begining to be nervous around him and find myself wanting to just put him in the other room, which I know isn't a good thing or fair to him I really don't know what to do |
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09-22-2006, 06:49 AM | #2 |
Crazy about Kacee! Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kansas
Posts: 21,173
| Well, this isn't my area of expertise, by a long shot. I have been lucky in my life and mine wouldn't bite a flea. I have a friend that has a male yorkie around the age of yours and he has an "attitude" as well. The only suggestion that I can offer is exercise him to the max. Walks, and I don't mean leisurely walks, are very good for this type behavior as well. Here is something I hope can help: Who's Leading Who? Becoming the Leader Your dog nips when you try to take a toy from him...ignores your request to exit the couch...or yanks ahead on walks. If you feel like your dog is challenging authority, then he probably thinks he is the "alpha" of the home. He needs to be taught a new, well-defined pecking order - and a new, lower place in the family hierarchy - for everyone's welfare. He needs YOU to become his leader. Otherwise, he'll rebel, growl and possibly bite when faced with a challenge. Dogs aren't looking for a democracy - they're looking for leaders. Dogs want to know their place in the family pack and what their people expected of them, otherwise they're stressed. Most often, an "aggression" problem is really a "stress and confusion" problem. If your dog tries to dominate you or someone else in your household, it's probably because he sees role confusion and responds by taking charge. "Alpha" is an attitude. It is not achieved by force or punishment. Rather, it is earned through confident, authoritative, consistent behavior on the part of the owner, who we prefer to call the leader. Dogs can sense who's in charge immediately; they are continuously reading your body language and are aware each time their people don't enforce commands. Notice how most dogs watch a good obedience instructor - and how they seem to wait to be given direction. They express respect and interest, not fear. Then notice how a good obedience instructor behaves. He or she will walk with confidence...stand up straight...use a firm tone of voice. And that voice expresses commands as a directive, not a question. ("Come...? Come on, come...?") The dog realizes this person makes the decisions. Are you rewarding bad behavior? Anticipate and remove opportunities for undesirable behavior. Don't let your dog dash out the door, for the accompanying feelings of joy and freedom are self-rewarding. Don't leave food on the counter, because if the dog grabs a tasty sandwich, counter-surfing has just been reinforced. For dogs, it's natural to try to control their world with their jaws. Natural, but unacceptable. We need to regain control by using our minds. How to reverse roles and become leader of the pack: Step one: no more freebies. From now on, your dog must behave in order to earn the good things in life - petting, treats, meals, walks around the block. These are rewards you can use as you reinforce the new rules of behavior. Use petting, feeding and playing as rewards. Before setting down the food bowl, instruct your dog to "sit." Say it only once. He receives his food - and enthusiastic praise ("Good boy!) only when he sits calmly. Pogo-ing from a seated position does not count. No "sit," no reward. Put the bowl out of his reach and walk away. Try again later. In addition, if your mealtimes coincide with your dog's, prepare his food first, but place it out of reach. Then eat your meal first before setting down his bowl. The leader in a dog pack eats first. Subordinate dogs lick and bow to dominant dogs as a gesture of respect. So when you're working to modify the behavior of a dominant, unruly dog, reserve petting to use as positive reinforcement. To receive attention, he must obey a command such as "sit." Praise and pet as soon as he complies. If he prods you for more attention, ignore him. The idea is to convey to him that you decide when to begin and stop petting. The same should apply to playing, feeding and going for walks. Lead the way, literally and figuratively. Starting today, don't let the dog bolt ahead ofyou out the door or drag you on walks. Keep your dog on leash, instruct him to sit, cross the threshold first and don't let him out until he complies. If he tends to push through the dog as you open it, slam it shut each time his nose approaches the opening. After 5 or 6 repetitions, he'll start getting the idea, but you cannot lapse and let him barrel out in front of you or he will resume the bolting behavior. On walks, strive to keep him at a heel. Stay on a higher level than your dominant dog. During the retraining period, don't sit down to pet or play on the floor with your dog. Pet and praise from a level above the dog's head. In addition, at least until the dog learns his place in the pack, keep him off your bed and other furniture. He should stay at floor-level. On a related note, when you and your dog eye each other, as a leader you should hold the stare longer until he averts his eyes. Stop the jumping. For dogs are challenging their people, it is important to discourage jumping up, as it is a dominating behavior. Ignore the dog, or command "Off" or "No." When greeting, give attention and petting to the dog only when he sits. If you later want to teach your dog to jump up (or get on the couch with you), you can, but the behavior should be on your terms. No more playing favorites. If the dog ignores or intimidates another member of the household, let that person be the one to feed and dispense treats to the dog for now. It's essential that everyone in your family practices the same techniques while retraining the dog. Like a child, if a dog finds someone he can dominate, he'll do it. Control the games. Tell family and friends not to taunt, wrestle or play tug-of-war - these games encourage dogs to dominate physically and to use their teeth. The outcome of games determines who's dominant in a pack. Instead, play hide and seek with a prized toy or fetch. As leader, you must be the one who decides when to start and end the game. Stop playing before the dog loses interest. Use a crate. The crate serves several important functions. It gives the dog a secure den to call his own - a place to retreat when he wants to relax. Keep the crate door open when you're home so that he can enter if he'd like. The crate also helps you establish a new routine during retraining. Work on training him to go into the crate willingly, on command. Don't take "no" for an answer. To make the crate a welcoming place, start by giving him treats for going in the crate and feeding him in this area. Before training sessions, keep him in the crate an hour so that when you let him out, it will be easier to focus all of his attention on you. This practice also conveys that you, the leader, decides when he goes in and exits the crate. If your dog barks in the crate, ignore him. Do not release him until he's quiet and somewhat relaxed. Diligently work at retraining so you can reach a point when your dog looks to you as the leader who decides what to do and when. And when you reach that point, don't slack off. You and the other human members of your household should always exude leadership and confidence. In most cases, if a dog knows he can depend on you, he will respect you and his new position on the family totem pole. http://www.paw-rescue.org/dog_guide.php#s8
__________________ Karen Kacee Muffin 1991-2005 Rest in Peace My Little Angel |
09-22-2006, 07:04 AM | #3 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Pa
Posts: 14
| Oh my! I just put the leash on him to keep him with ME at all times and he is flipping out! Its kind of funny, he is throwing himself around and I am basically having to drag him around behind me. I am rewarding him when he comes along nicely. Oh, he is so stubborn! I think this may just put him in his place some |
09-22-2006, 07:17 AM | #4 | |
Crazy about Kacee! Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kansas
Posts: 21,173
| Quote:
__________________ Karen Kacee Muffin 1991-2005 Rest in Peace My Little Angel | |
09-22-2006, 07:23 AM | #5 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: American in London
Posts: 1,739
| You really need to find a trainer or a behaviorist for this pup!
__________________ FirstYorkie We Love Clicker-Training! |
09-22-2006, 09:24 AM | #6 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 695
| I really don't think all hope is lost with him. He just needs to be put in his place. It sounds to me like you really should look into a trainer!!
__________________ Howie & Sarah Check us out on dogster: http://www.dogster.com/?327817 |
09-22-2006, 10:16 AM | #7 |
YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Rialto CA
Posts: 3,243
| First of all I wanted to welcome you to YT. I havent been able to log on much due to things being a bit busy in my personal life. I am amazed on how much this site has grown! I too have a Gus Gus, and there is one other member who's name is also Erin and she also had a Gus Gus who happens to be a beautiful Biewer. I really have have no advice for you. The only problem I have with my Gus is being too protective over me. He used to snap at the kids when he was a puppy. It was something we all had to work on. The kids used to think it was funny when he would act this way. I had to put a stop to that and although he will still growl at them he will not snap at them. I used to use a water bottle but after squirting his eye, I felt so bad I never did it again. A firm no and clapping of my hands usually does the trick when he is doing something he's not supposed to be doing. It takes time and patience. I know I was of no real help but I wish you all the the best!
__________________ Monica, Proud mom of Gus who is forever missed! And new mom to Leiloni Gus's Dogster page |
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