My Taya (my spaniel/rotweiller mutt) is the same way. She is the sweetest little dog in the whole world with people she knows and loves. Very loving and cuddly. However, the minute she sees a stranger she freaks out- barking, growling peeing/pooping...EVERYTHING. She was a stray shelter dog so I think she may have been abused. She's actually a little less agressive and more just shy when we're out in public than when we have people over at home. She's now had several incidents that have resulted in us having to muzzel her when people are over. It's very sad that she's like this but I love her just the same. When she was a puppy I tried to socialize her- I lived in an apartment and would take her out to play with other puppies and their owners who also walked their dogs in the same areas. I used to take her to petsmart all the time- she seemed to get worse. She goes with me to siblings houses- and she's eventually gotten used to that and acts normal there, however, when I take her to the park or for walks away from home she gets very upset and freaked out still. I do not think this behavior means that I did a bad job with her or that she's a bad dog. I seriously think it was a result of her circumstance before she came to me but even if it's just a mental issue that she has...I love her and I've tried to socialize her as much as possible (for almost 4 years now) and since that seems to only make her more upset...the best option is to keep her at home where she is a happy, safe, and content dog.
Wow that was long. Anyway I was just sharing my experience to show you that it's not necessarily your fault- a lot of that behavior has to do with the temperament of the dog. Yorkies tend to be territorial and agressive in general (my puppy, Roo, thinks she's the boss of my other two 35 and 55 lb dogs!)- I'm sure you love your pup and you've been a great mom! Good luck with training! |