Every breed description I've read has told me the same thing.. That Yorkshire Terriers do not do well with children. I thought that rediculus until I got Harley. But his dislike for them is quite justified when you learn that his first encounter with someone 3ft nothing kicked him in the face. And it's always such a shame when little children want to pet him bc he's just so darn cute but I can't let them bc as soon as they put their hands near him he trys to nip and growls and sometimes barks @ them. I think it has a lot to do with the way they act and the energy the kids put off. They're loud and unpredictable and move around at a million miles an hour and I think that makes him anxious and so he bites. (saying that hurts so much) It's tough taking him out sometimes bc I fear that some kid is going to rush over (has happened atleast a dozen times) and reach out and touch my dog before I can even react or warn them not to do so. I mean in a world like today I nip on a childs hand means death of the accused dog. Whether he was provoked or not. Does anyone else have these problems? I reprimand him and try to explain to the kids that they need to calm down, not jump around, lower the voices, approach him slowly and not to scream at him or flail their arms and hands around. But I mean how do you explain to a 3-7 yr old that they need to learn how to act like an adult in about a minute? It just doesn't happen. I want Harley to be approachable and I don't want to fear the worst. You guys have any tips? Or atleast know where I'm coming from?
Another problem happened 2 days ago. My boyfriend and I went to visit my grandaddy who lives in assisted living a couple miles from our house. We've been taking Harley there to visit everybody since we first got him and he's been fine. But last night everybody had just finished eating dinner and they were all sitting out in the great big 'living room' conversating and watching Harley run around chasing his fav orange plush bone everywhere I threw it. A lot of the residents like to try and call him over so they can pet him but he basically likes to show off and run around their feet before they can touch him. (he's more of a "Watch me! Watch me!" than a "Please cuddle w/ me!" kind of doggie) But one lady in particular decided that she wanted a closer look and walked over to one of his toys and stepped on it and was reaching down to pick it up when Harley attacked. He basically jumped up her leg and tried to bite her all over until she finally got away from his toy. He was growling/barking/snarling the entire time. She then proceeded to try and poke him with her cane which only further 'ticked him off'. I mean no pun when I say we were all lucky that it didn't cause her to have a heart attack right then and there. I was appauled and embarrassed to say the least. I instantly jumped down on the floor beside him, rolled him over on his side, said sternly "NO! Bad boy!" and used my fingers as if they were teeth in his side and kept him pinned there until he calmed down and became completely relaxed. (he basically showed that he decided to be submissive) So I let him back up, asked him to get on my lap, where I took away his toys and made him sit quietly. I personally would have thought that the scare would have been enough but the sweet old lady seemed unabashed and came right up to his face while I was bent over stashing all his things back into his bag. I felt his growl before I heard it (he was on my lap) and I grabbed him just in time. The lady just couldn't understand that he was scared of her and she wouldn't stop. So I took him to my grandaddys room where he was totally fine. I was scared to death and feel awful. My baby isn't a bad dog.. I just don't know how to stop/avoid this terrible behavior. I mean, if he had actually broken skin it could have been the end of this poor lady. At their age their skin is like paper and their blood doesn't clot as fast as it needs to and... I just don't know what I would have done if he had really hurt her.. I always warn people that he's a nipper and more of a watch me dog than a cuddle me dog but they're never convinced until he acts out.. Please help if you can.. Or atleast let me know he's not a jack-the-yorkie-ripper..
