Biscuit's first day of Petsmart training - YorkieTalk.com Forums

eringabrielle · 11-12-2005, 05:54 PM

well guys, we had our first lesson at petsmart today.He did well until it was time for social play at the end.We are in a small group and the other dogs are two HUGE puppies and two medium sized dogs.He is tiny in comparison.One of the big dogs was so excited to meet our Bisco (and who would't be?) he jumped on him and this freaked Biscuit out of course.He has played with big dogs well in the past, so I was a little surprised to see him growling at the other puppies. He was being a little timid anyway because the store was crowded and he seems to be going through a four month "i'm scared of everything" stage. But after the big dog incident it was all over!He was aggressive towards all the dogs after that and would try to bite any dog that said hi.I met a fellow yokie owner outside the store and she said her yorkie has always been aggressive towards bigger dogs.Is this true for you guys? I don't want my Biscuit to be mean when doggies want to play. How can I help him get over this?The trainer is helping but I'm just fishing for others' experiences.
Thanks in advance for any help!

Thorsmomma · 11-12-2005, 06:19 PM

I am sorry to hear about this. In my experience, Thor is unpredictable about which dogs he is good or not with. He is good with most bigger dogs, but does bark agressively at them at first. It's wierd. I think it is all about socialiazing them when they are young and since your dog is still young you have time to do this. Don't worry, just keep hard at his socializing!!!
Good luck!
Hannah

rengaw · 11-13-2005, 01:28 PM

I have a Cairn Terrier, he weighs around 16lbs. Gracie (my yorkie, 2.2lbs) will NOT leave him alone. She bites on his tail, chews on his face, his ankles, his hair. I'm at a loss! Max will put up with it for quite some time, but when he's had enough, he'll put her down. I don't think he's hurting her, b/c she'll go right back to it. (The stern NO doesn't seem to work well) I don't want Gracie hurt, but I'm beginning to think she'll have to have the "P" knocked out of her before she gets it through her stubborn head!lol

Yorkie Mum · 11-13-2005, 02:12 PM

Well some of these guys are and some are not afraid of big dogs.
My girl is chose over who gets in her face and I do Muzzle her on first meeting.
Some of her best Friends are pyres, flat coated retrievers and Black Russian terriers. Which is as big as you can get in the dog world.
On the other hand she tends to dislike pits,labs and anything white and tiny with eat them passion.
My girl is in rehab and we work on getting close to other dogs without her going off. We can get with in 31 steps of a strange dog and she stays calm.
Trick is to desensitize and not let them practice bad manner.
There are a ton of good books and I would suggest you to look for a private trainer to help you.
But if they advise get tough run not walk the other way. Getting tough makes it worse.

joy

rnnw62 · 11-13-2005, 09:47 PM

Like you we just also went through our first obedience class.
Teddy has had 2 bad instances with bigger dogs so we felt
he needed a little confidence boost and there for enrolled
him in the class to help resocialize him. Well, not so good on
this end either because we no more than walked through
the door and a huge white dog pounced at him and about
sent him into shock. Needless to say our entire class he was
way too worried about what the big white dog was doing to
concentrate. He shook and shivered and I felt so bad for him.
The trainers were good with us though and they promised to
come up with a plan to help us through this situation so I am
hoping that this week goes a little better for us.

alaskayorkie · 11-13-2005, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eringabrielle

How can I help him get over this?

You are doing the best thing already: taking him to puppy class. From what I've read, socialization should be done at a young age. The more you put him around other dogs, the better he will become.

Obedience classes for us have been a real roller-coaster. One week he'll do horribly, and the next he'll do great. Eddie didn't start until 11 months, so socialization has been a real issue.

But I can honestly say he's improved with every class, so keep it up and good luck.

FirstYorkie · 11-14-2005, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alaskayorkie

You are doing the best thing already: taking him to puppy class. From what I've read, socialization should be done at a young age. The more you put him around other dogs, the better he will become.

Obedience classes for us have been a real roller-coaster. One week he'll do horribly, and the next he'll do great.

I agree with what alaskayorkie has said but have to add one thing...

Going to puppy classes is the right thing to do, however this may not be the best puppy class for Biscuit (or Teddy's for him either). You may need a class where the dogs are kept under better control and aren't allowed to pounce on each other like that. I'm glad the trainer is going to come up with a plan, but perhaps a good trainer wouldn't have let it happen in the first place...

rnnw62 · 11-14-2005, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FirstYorkie

I agree with what alaskayorkie has said but have to add one thing...

Going to puppy classes is the right thing to do, however this may not be the best puppy class for Biscuit (or Teddy's for him either). You may need a class where the dogs are kept under better control and aren't allowed to pounce on each other like that. I'm glad the trainer is going to come up with a plan, but perhaps a good trainer wouldn't have let it happen in the first place...

Just to let you know...I have probably the best trainer that money can buy where I live. What happened was when we walked through the door not in the presence of the trainer and when this dog misbehaved in the class room
setting the trainers were there immediately. I also heard them talk to the owner about getting a gentle lead so that she would have more control over the dog. The dog I am talking about is just an over rambunctious huge 6 mo
old puppy with no manners. If I felt that there was a danger to the absolute
love of my life believe me I would have walked immediately. I appreciate the
concern as well as the advise on Teddy's behalf with the facts you were initially given.

FirstYorkie · 11-14-2005, 07:35 AM

As long as you are confident that this won't happen again, that's all that matters. I'll be anxious to hear how Teddy (and Biscuit, too) do next week. It's possible that they'll forget all about it and be okay. Or, they may not. Let us know how it goes and how the trainer helps you work through it, okay?

ninanitnat · 11-14-2005, 08:32 PM

I was just reading through and saw your title. My yorkie is also named Biscuit and we start our 1st day of training at Petsmart tomorrow night. How wierd huh? I also live in Tx, Dallas.. just thought it was funny.. Thks

YorkieShadow · 11-14-2005, 09:16 PM

If the big dogs scared him that might be why hes acting like that.

eringabrielle · 11-14-2005, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninanitnat

I was just reading through and saw your title. My yorkie is also named Biscuit and we start our 1st day of training at Petsmart tomorrow night. How wierd huh? I also live in Tx, Dallas.. just thought it was funny.. Thks

That is too cool!Aren't Biscuits the best?Good luck in training and keep us posted on Biscuit's progress.

Rockster's Mom · 11-15-2005, 08:03 AM

My little Rocky growled at the other puppies and acted very scared when I took him to Petsmart for training, which is not like him at all. He was the smallest puppy there, and I think he was a little intimidated with all the noise and puppies. We have started private lessons with a trainer and practice at home, this is working out a whole lot better than the Petsmart class.

hinten · 11-15-2005, 08:10 AM

I have a yorkie puppy(1.8lbs) and a 16lb pug/jack russell terrier mix. My yorkie, Brie, takes his toys away from him and bites on his tail. My other dog, Miller, just sits there and takes it!!!

skingstone · 11-16-2005, 04:58 AM

I'm just wondering at what age we can start puppy classes and obedience classes? We are getting our puppy at 12 weeks of age.

11-12-2005, 05:54 PM	#1
eringabrielle YT Addict Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 293	Biscuit's first day of Petsmart training well guys, we had our first lesson at petsmart today.He did well until it was time for social play at the end.We are in a small group and the other dogs are two HUGE puppies and two medium sized dogs.He is tiny in comparison.One of the big dogs was so excited to meet our Bisco (and who would't be?) he jumped on him and this freaked Biscuit out of course.He has played with big dogs well in the past, so I was a little surprised to see him growling at the other puppies. He was being a little timid anyway because the store was crowded and he seems to be going through a four month "i'm scared of everything" stage. But after the big dog incident it was all over!He was aggressive towards all the dogs after that and would try to bite any dog that said hi.I met a fellow yokie owner outside the store and she said her yorkie has always been aggressive towards bigger dogs.Is this true for you guys? I don't want my Biscuit to be mean when doggies want to play. How can I help him get over this?The trainer is helping but I'm just fishing for others' experiences. Thanks in advance for any help! __________________ Biscuits, Willow, & Erin See us on Dogster!

11-12-2005, 06:19 PM	#2
Thorsmomma I Love Thor Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: British Columbia, Canada Posts: 4,177 Blog Entries: 1	I am sorry to hear about this. In my experience, Thor is unpredictable about which dogs he is good or not with. He is good with most bigger dogs, but does bark agressively at them at first. It's wierd. I think it is all about socialiazing them when they are young and since your dog is still young you have time to do this. Don't worry, just keep hard at his socializing!!! Good luck! Hannah __________________ Hannah & Thor & Harry The boys on DOGSTER

11-13-2005, 01:28 PM	#3
rengaw Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Lenexa, KS Posts: 80	I have a Cairn Terrier, he weighs around 16lbs. Gracie (my yorkie, 2.2lbs) will NOT leave him alone. She bites on his tail, chews on his face, his ankles, his hair. I'm at a loss! Max will put up with it for quite some time, but when he's had enough, he'll put her down. I don't think he's hurting her, b/c she'll go right back to it. (The stern NO doesn't seem to work well) I don't want Gracie hurt, but I'm beginning to think she'll have to have the "P" knocked out of her before she gets it through her stubborn head!lol __________________ Gracie May

11-13-2005, 09:47 PM	#5
rnnw62 Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Gilbert, Arizona Posts: 1,610	Like you we just also went through our first obedience class. Teddy has had 2 bad instances with bigger dogs so we felt he needed a little confidence boost and there for enrolled him in the class to help resocialize him. Well, not so good on this end either because we no more than walked through the door and a huge white dog pounced at him and about sent him into shock. Needless to say our entire class he was way too worried about what the big white dog was doing to concentrate. He shook and shivered and I felt so bad for him. The trainers were good with us though and they promised to come up with a plan to help us through this situation so I am hoping that this week goes a little better for us. __________________ Shelly, Teddy, Toby,Hanne & Indigo

11-14-2005, 08:32 PM	#10
ninanitnat Yorkie Talk Newbie! Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: TX Posts: 1	Something funny I was just reading through and saw your title. My yorkie is also named Biscuit and we start our 1st day of training at Petsmart tomorrow night. How wierd huh? I also live in Tx, Dallas.. just thought it was funny.. Thks __________________ Biscuit & his mom Selena

11-13-2005, 02:12 PM	#4
Yorkie Mum YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Somewhere land Posts: 364	Well some of these guys are and some are not afraid of big dogs. My girl is chose over who gets in her face and I do Muzzle her on first meeting. Some of her best Friends are pyres, flat coated retrievers and Black Russian terriers. Which is as big as you can get in the dog world. On the other hand she tends to dislike pits,labs and anything white and tiny with eat them passion. My girl is in rehab and we work on getting close to other dogs without her going off. We can get with in 31 steps of a strange dog and she stays calm. Trick is to desensitize and not let them practice bad manner. There are a ton of good books and I would suggest you to look for a private trainer to help you. But if they advise get tough run not walk the other way. Getting tough makes it worse. joy

11-14-2005, 07:35 AM	#9
FirstYorkie YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: American in London Posts: 1,739	As long as you are confident that this won't happen again, that's all that matters. I'll be anxious to hear how Teddy (and Biscuit, too) do next week. It's possible that they'll forget all about it and be okay. Or, they may not. Let us know how it goes and how the trainer helps you work through it, okay?

11-14-2005, 09:16 PM	#11
YorkieShadow Donating YT 9000 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: USA Posts: 9,453	If the big dogs scared him that might be why hes acting like that.

11-15-2005, 08:03 AM	#13
Rockster's Mom Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Fort Worth, Texas Posts: 1,275	My little Rocky growled at the other puppies and acted very scared when I took him to Petsmart for training, which is not like him at all. He was the smallest puppy there, and I think he was a little intimidated with all the noise and puppies. We have started private lessons with a trainer and practice at home, this is working out a whole lot better than the Petsmart class.

11-15-2005, 08:10 AM	#14
hinten Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Crown Point, IN Posts: 211	I have a yorkie puppy(1.8lbs) and a 16lb pug/jack russell terrier mix. My yorkie, Brie, takes his toys away from him and bites on his tail. My other dog, Miller, just sits there and takes it!!! __________________ BRIE http://www.dogster.com/?224946

11-16-2005, 04:58 AM	#15
skingstone Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 210	What age can you start classes? I'm just wondering at what age we can start puppy classes and obedience classes? We are getting our puppy at 12 weeks of age.