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Old 10-04-2007, 11:19 AM   #1
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Default Help!! Aggressive Behavior Beginning

I'm posting this for my daughter who has a 10 month, muscular male yorkie. He weighs around 10lbs which I swear is mostly muscle. Over the weekend Barkley found a plastic bottle cap and my daughters significant other was going to retreive it. Barkley gets behind a end table in the den which he does when he gets something he shouldn't. The boyfriend couldn't get to him so he moved the table out of the way. When he tried to get the cap Barkley started growling and snarling showing teeth. The boyfriend has always been the dominate one with him so this was a unwelcome surprise. My daughter called me today and last night Barkley grabbed a piece of her clothing, ran under the table and did the same with her. She said he just goes from being good to terrible in seconds. This type of behavior is not acceptable, especially since she was bitten in the face as a child. He was purchased as a baby and has never been mistreated in anyway. I know YTer's have dealt with everything so your advise will be much appreciated.
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Old 10-04-2007, 11:26 AM   #2
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I bet you he's trying to get their attention. I think he might want to play, and that's how he expresses it - "come get me!"
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Old 10-04-2007, 11:32 AM   #3
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Growling and showing teeth is not play. He's serious.

Has he been neutered?

I'd consult a behaviorist. As you say, this behavior is not acceptable and has to be stopped before it gets worse.
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Old 10-04-2007, 11:39 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dani23d View Post
I bet you he's trying to get their attention. I think he might want to play, and that's how he expresses it - "come get me!"
I disagree. Dogs determine their hierarchy in the pack thru control of possessions. Whoever is in control of stuff is the dog in charge. He is attempting to gain control of the pack by controling "things".

there is only one way to stop this behavior and that's for the humans to begin to control his things.

1. His toys need to be picked up and put away and doled out by the humans. Only give out toys at the human discretion, not the dog's. Set up play times and play time is over before the dog gets tired of the game, so that it's the human decision to terminate the game, not the dog's.
2. Food - no more free feeding. The human controls the food. Food should be placed down 2 x day and for 20 minutes only. After 20 minutes, pick up the food and dog does not get more until his next feeding.
3. Human always (always) goes first. Out the door, in the door, thru entrances, etc. Dog never goes first.
4. Dog always moves out of your way when you walk in their path or when they are in your seat. Human always get deference over where to go and where to sit.

these are just a few ways to begin to take control of the dog. Once the human is in control, the dog will calm down and understand his role in the pack and defer to the leader for everything.
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Last edited by Ladylavender; 10-04-2007 at 11:40 AM.
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Old 10-04-2007, 11:39 AM   #5
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I can't explain it but I certainly know what she is going through.
I swear I thought Buddy had two different personalities at times.
All I can suggest it to stay on top of it. I really don't believe it
will go away unless they outgrow it. Anything that has made Buddy
get this way went in the garbage. Food, toys and I no longer give
him his favorite treat a cheese bone because when the cheese get's
stuck in the bone and I try to help he turn's into a beast. So last
week the damn bone went in the garbage too.
I have used the swifter to get him out from under a chair to retrieve
whatever he was guarding took the item away and repremanded him.
You daughter's dog is guarding what he thinks his his. He is still
young so he will learn, Buddy did. As soon as I retrieve the item Bud
turns once again into the loving boy he is. He has never been hit or
treated badly, ever. Only hugs and kisses and I still get attitude sometimes.
It's the terrier in them. Be carefull because food guarding goes right along
with toy,item guarding. Have your daughter make him sit before placing
his food dish on the floor then release him from his sitting position allowing
him to eat. Start that now so food guarding does not become a problem
down the road. Also play on the floor and SHARE a toy. Give it to him
and take it back then giving it to him again. THose who have never
experienced this have trouble understanding it. Good luck. Please
don't think he is dangerous he's just doing what he thinks is natural to him.
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Old 10-04-2007, 11:42 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ladylavender View Post
I disagree. Dogs determine their hierarchy in the pack thru control of possessions. Whoever is in control of stuff is the dog in charge. He is attempting to gain control of the pack by controling "things".

there is only one way to stop this behavior and that's for the humans to begin to control his things.

1. His toys need to be picked up and put away and doled out by the humans. Only give out toys at the human discretion, not the dog's. Set up play times and play time is over before the dog gets tired of the game, so that it's the human decision to terminate the game, not the dog's.
2. Food - no more free feeding. The human controls the food. Food should be placed down 2 x day and for 20 minutes only. After 20 minutes, pick up the food and dog does not get more until his next feeding.
3. Human always (always) goes first. Out the door, in the door, thru entrances, etc. Dog never goes first.
4. Dog always moves out of your way when you walk in their path or when they are in your seat. Human always get deference over where to go and where to sit.

these are just a few ways to begin to take control of the dog. Once the human is in control, the dog will calm down and understand his role in the pack and defer to the leader for everything.
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Old 10-04-2007, 11:52 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ladymom View Post
Growling and showing teeth is not play. He's serious.

Has he been neutered?

I'd consult a behaviorist. As you say, this behavior is not acceptable and has to be stopped before it gets worse.
Yes, he was neutered in March. He is trained to not go through the door before them, not to run outside when the door is opened and he must comply to "down" when playing for his toy to be thrown. He is fed twice a day and he eats it within 15 min or less.

My husband and I noticed when we were on vacation a couple of weeks ago he was showing some unwelcome behavior to our 5 lb female yorkie and even tried to "hump" our arm which was stopped immediately.

This behavior is not playful and I don't think a snarling dog has play in mind.
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Old 10-04-2007, 12:00 PM   #8
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ok so i totally can feel you on this one. Bruin at the age of 1 year started doing that. i first noticed when i took a paper towel under the sofa and i tried to reach and grab it, but instead he growled and bit me kinda hard, but didnt pierce my skin. i thought, "oh, this is probably a one time thing but weird". So time when on and it kept happening and happening. So after about a month i realized that its more serious than i thought and he might bite some kid at some point if they try to take something some his my mouth. So here is how i fixed that behavior really quick. . . this is going to sound awkward, but here is what i did. First I gave him his paper towel to tear apart. then i got close and he got quiet. i could sense the tension building inside him. so i put my hand even closer and he went to bite. although his attempt was unsuccessful, he was serious. so i got down on all fours and started showing him my teeth and opening my mouth. yea i know weird! he started barking so i went slowly crawling to pick up the paper towel with my mouth and he was trying to bite my face. . . keep reading, here is the clincher. so i grabbed his collar pretty hard, got in his face with my face and teeth and mouth showing, then i bit him hard (at least hard from his point of view based on the squeal i got out of him) on his neck and he retreated back. after that incident, the situations with taking things out of his mouth got milder and milder because I would bite his neck. after 1 week he got the point and has not bitten me or anyone else since then. it's weird though because in that aggressive time period he never bit me when it came to taking his toys or anything else out of his mouth. aggression only came out when he had paper towels and socks in his mouth. That being said, to this day he is absolutely not afraid of me being close to him or touching his mouth with my hands. i would give him treats when i got the stuff out of his mouth and he didnt bite. yes, this is super unconventional but it worked. "Bruin, you want to act like a wolf (cause thats whats in a dogs genes), i can act like a wolf too!" anyway, if you are comfortable enough with maybe getting your face bit or hand bit, then try it. otherwise it may still continue and get worse
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Old 10-04-2007, 12:04 PM   #9
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p.s. i want to preface what i just said with that I read about wolf behavior in wolf packs in some book long ago so thats how i got the idea.
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Old 10-04-2007, 12:05 PM   #10
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He is resource guarding. You need to teach him to drop things on command. Start by trading for a higher value treat. Give him a toy, and then ask him to drop it and trade for a higher value treat or toy.

A good thing for everyone to practice is to go up to your dog and ask to see their Kong/Stick/Toy. Pick it up, look at it, and give it back. Do this periodically so the dog learns that you aren't going to steal their toy.
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Old 10-04-2007, 12:08 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alexbnieto View Post
ok so i totally can feel you on this one. Bruin at the age of 1 year started doing that. i first noticed when i took a paper towel under the sofa and i tried to reach and grab it, but instead he growled and bit me kinda hard, but didnt pierce my skin. i thought, "oh, this is probably a one time thing but weird". So time when on and it kept happening and happening. So after about a month i realized that its more serious than i thought and he might bite some kid at some point if they try to take something some his my mouth. So here is how i fixed that behavior really quick. . . this is going to sound awkward, but here is what i did. First I gave him his paper towel to tear apart. then i got close and he got quiet. i could sense the tension building inside him. so i put my hand even closer and he went to bite. although his attempt was unsuccessful, he was serious. so i got down on all fours and started showing him my teeth and opening my mouth. yea i know weird! he started barking so i went slowly crawling to pick up the paper towel with my mouth and he was trying to bite my face. . . keep reading, here is the clincher. so i grabbed his collar pretty hard, got in his face with my face and teeth and mouth showing, then i bit him hard (at least hard from his point of view based on the squeal i got out of him) on his neck and he retreated back. after that incident, the situations with taking things out of his mouth got milder and milder because I would bite his neck. after 1 week he got the point and has not bitten me or anyone else since then. it's weird though because in that aggressive time period he never bit me when it came to taking his toys or anything else out of his mouth. aggression only came out when he had paper towels and socks in his mouth. That being said, to this day he is absolutely not afraid of me being close to him or touching his mouth with my hands. i would give him treats when i got the stuff out of his mouth and he didnt bite. yes, this is super unconventional but it worked. "Bruin, you want to act like a wolf (cause thats whats in a dogs genes), i can act like a wolf too!" anyway, if you are comfortable enough with maybe getting your face bit or hand bit, then try it. otherwise it may still continue and get worse
OK please don't do that. Dogs know we are not wolves or dogs. And dogs don't "miss" when they snap. They intend it to be a warning. If they want to bite, they bite. You could have gotten your face bitten or you could have made your dog VERY scared of humans.
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Old 10-04-2007, 12:09 PM   #12
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to give him a higher value treat for something in his mouth I would highly be cautious about. reason being we all know yorkies arent stupid. he is going to thnk that if he is guarding something then he will eventually get a treat. i dont want him handling fill in the blank in his mouth at all. by no means am i a dog expert but thats just my opinion
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Old 10-04-2007, 12:12 PM   #13
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OK please don't do that. Dogs know we are not wolves or dogs. And dogs don't "miss" when they snap. They intend it to be a warning. If they want to bite, they bite. You could have gotten your face bitten or you could have made your dog VERY scared of humans.
well it was my last resort because i exhausted all other resources. sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. its not like i do that all the time, just for that one week. we all have our ways of discipline.
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Old 10-04-2007, 12:16 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Erin View Post
He is resource guarding. You need to teach him to drop things on command. Start by trading for a higher value treat. Give him a toy, and then ask him to drop it and trade for a higher value treat or toy.

A good thing for everyone to practice is to go up to your dog and ask to see their Kong/Stick/Toy. Pick it up, look at it, and give it back. Do this periodically so the dog learns that you aren't going to steal their toy.

Erin, what your saying is true but this is something totally different.
It only happens when it's something THEY WANT. It is dangerous if
not treated with kid gloves and teaching them that you are above
(alpha) them. They have to be treated like the dog they are.
I can only go from my own experiences. Bud loves people, kids,
my grandchildren 6 and 10mos he adores and is so gentle with them.
He loves me and obey's me daily but when this thing get's into his
head he's a different dog. It has nothing to do with sharing his toys.
There is no way on earth he would ever give up anything that he was
guarding for another thing. Belive me. I guess some have it and some
don't. Months and months can go by and then there is an incident out
of the blue because he decides he wants to guard something. It can
be something that we play with everyday even. It just happens and he
has to be repremanded for the behavior. I hope he out growns it eventually.
It went from quite frequently to months at a time. So hopefully it will
stop. You just have to remind them daily that you are the boss.
Always go ahead. I even stopped him from sleeping in my bed.
I miss him but I know it's better for him and shows him I am above him.
He's completely happy in his bed next to mine and when the alarm goes
off he's right there my in face giving me good morning kisses.

Last edited by ARCHIE; 10-04-2007 at 12:18 PM.
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Old 10-04-2007, 12:19 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alexbnieto View Post
well it was my last resort because i exhausted all other resources. sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. its not like i do that all the time, just for that one week. we all have our ways of discipline.
There's no way that is a last resort. My trainer would NEVER advise anyone do that. I've trained with her from puppy all the way through advanced with Loki and I'm starting over again with Sammy. Did you find a positive reinforcement trainer or a trained animal behaviorist?

Quote:
Originally Posted by alexbnieto View Post
to give him a higher value treat for something in his mouth I would highly be cautious about. reason being we all know yorkies arent stupid. he is going to thnk that if he is guarding something then he will eventually get a treat. i dont want him handling fill in the blank in his mouth at all. by no means am i a dog expert but thats just my opinion
It's basic conditioning. You teach the dog that taking something away from him is a GOOD thing, not a bad thing. You can phase out the reward if you want. There is science behind it.

Of course Yorkies aren't stupid. Loki will "fetch" socks and bring them to me and spit them out thinking he will get a treat for it. Who cares? I don't leave anything dangerous around and if you just ignore them they will stop doing it because it's no fun anymore.
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