Hello,
Your situation sounds just like mine!! My baby is almost 8 mos old (October 7th) and he is still high energy. I have posted here before regarding his chewing through every type of harness imaginable. . .his biting and nipping (which has now stopped, thank God, just keep diverting his attention with toys or bit "AHHHH" it worked for me). He continues to pull on his leash when out for walks, he barks like a madman at the sight of any other animal that's in his sight during walks, it doesn't matter if it squirrels, cats, dogs, any animal that moves he will gait towards them and bark like a madman and then cry, I'm serious, he whines like scooby doo when they disappear out of sight. I have tried pennies in the can, treats, soft whispers, everything and nothing can bring him out of that state of escalation except for the animal to move out of his sight. He has a window that he looks out during the day from his perch on the back of the sofa. . .I swear to God I have been on the second floor collecting laundry when he lets out a stream of barking that escalates to the point of frenzy and then subsides to whines when anything passing by the window that resembles an animal strolls by and subsequently moves out of his sight. When he plays he plays rough!!! Be it fetch, tug of war or just chewing on a chew toy which doesn't have a chance of survival beyond one or two playtimes with Barclay. He is a HANDFUL. . .I , like you, thought about natural calming remedies but to be honest I am too afraid to give him something that is OTC. I wish I could tell you it gets better in time, but it really doesn't. I have learned to accept that he has a high strung personality and he is a complete reactionary. . .there are times that I just can't help laughing at his "big man" mentality. The suggestion of the dog whisperer is a great one, I have learned so much, if you have a DVR or TIVO I suggest taping his episodes, they are very informative and give me hope that eventually "this to will pass". . . I signed Barclay up with a doggie day care five days a week while I work, mainly for socialization purposes and hoped that some of this barking and escalation around other dogs would subside. He LOVES going to daycare and plays great, he is not aggressive, he just wants to play, play, play all day long. It has been a great way to socialize him, but he still barks at anything out the window or within our sight during walks. When alone with me he is a lover, he is full of kisses and loves to cuddle in my lap with a bone (for about 10 minutes because that's all it takes for him to eat the Dingo bone COMPLETELY. If I am working in the kitchen or reading and not paying 100% to him he will start to bark, bark, bark, staring right at me as if to say, excuse me, I am here which means you must play with me. . . Bottom line, I truly think some of our babies are just high strung, type A personalities . . .I hope eventually your baby and MINE will calm down in time on their own.
I wish you the best, stay calm and just realize that not all Yorkies are strictly lap dogs, some are high energy, active little buggers. We, the lucky owners of these types just have to keep trying whatever it takes to divert their attention, praise them for listening, and keep their environments as calm as we can until they get over this CRAZY behavior!!!
I would love to hear from others who have high strung babies and how they have dealt with their behaviors. I am ready to purchase sit, stay, fetch as an ebook, has anyone tried that.
Thanks |