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Originally Posted by Luvdogs2  When we sit on the couch, Bdog will sit up there with us, but usually on the other side of my fiance or on my side...or up on the headrest area...wherever she wants basically - unless she has a chew treat, then it's right next to you and as I said before, if you move at all - it's bare teeth and growling. Oh, and it's not just with me, if my fiance moves or anything, she does it to her too. If you pick her up, she FREAKS, but you don't get bitten because she keeps her jaws locked on the chewy. She even freaks out if you push her over to the edge so she has to jump down herself (we never just shove her off the couch). My fiance will take the chewy away when she acts like that, but she has to pretty much stick her fingers in the mouth and (for lack of better word) pry and work it out of the mouth to get her to release it. She doesn't just rip it out or anything. I don't deal with that, I don't push my luck in that department.
When you do take the chewy away, she goes neurotic though. If she sees where you put it, she will circle the table or wherever forever. Also, when she whittles the chew treat down to a dangerous size, you have to get her quick and slip your fingers in her mouth to get it or she will try and swallow it whole. Again, I try to get it when she's sleeping or has left it somewhere so I don't have to stick my hands in her mouth or push my luck.
For the time being, she's not getting those treats. She really likes them though. Maybe after we get some real good time together and she starts making some good progress, we can start working on not getting so crazy with them.
I have asked my fiance if I can have one time of feeding per day. Would you suggest if I did all of the feedings for a while? I know the food giver is often the one of most respect so I wonder if me taking over for a while completely would be a good idea.
Oh, I have been meaning to ask you all, what size of pup(s) do you have in pounds and how much do you feed them (and how often) do you feed them. I have read a good number of posts on schedules to feed, but I could use some pointers on how much. I read that an adult Yorkie needs between 1/4 cup to 1/3 of a cup of kibble per day. That doesn't look like much food at all. The fiance wants to feed her about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup in one sitting, and that looks like too much.
I completely forgot to ask her about the dog food too....I know they have a blend specially for Yorkies because I remember looking it up a few months ago looking for the nutrition label online. While we are on that, does anyone have a suggestion on preferred brand for this breed? If, by chance, the food she's laying down isn't the best - how much of a problem is it to change food types? Does a person have to start mixing them and transition or can it be a pretty bad shock to them?
One thing that is really shocking with the behavior I have seen is she doesn't chew shoes or anything like that on the floor. If the remote falls off the couch, she doesn't get into it. Magazines, cushions...nothing. What she goes after is if you hang your coat off the back of a chair, she gets into the pockets and will pull out tissues, gloves or coozies that I will use at school for my water and such. She is also a pretty big fan of snagging my fiances underwear through the laundry basket and dart under the bed. It's hard to not laugh at times with that one. My fiance will giggle about licking my mouth and I poke back and say "at least my undies are safe..."
I wish winter wasn't so close and the weather turning uncomfortably cold. The dog park and walks are a great idea together, but with her on second and my school schedule in the mornings and early afternoons, and studies in the afternoon/evenings - it's hard to meet up in our schedule, let alone in a time of day when it's nice and warmest. We'll find some times though, especially when springs starts showing up.
Back to the bed and being defensive...she has been set in her kennel overnight (she has a spacious kennel and a crate bit enough to turn in and lay down) when I had started sleeping over and leading up to me living there. On the weekends she is allowed to sleep on the bed with my fiance since I have to come home to work. Lets just say she doesn't do the lick in the mouth thing and is allowed to roam at night...if I roll over, have a leg spasm, shift in the night or have some romance - will there be a high risk of aggression? Would it be best to just keep the routine of the kennel in the evenings?
Thanks a bunch |
Okay, about the chewies, if she gets like that, she cannot have them. I have a dog that gets like that over certain chew toys and if he gets like that and I manage to get it away from him without being bit (he's only bitten once), it goes in the trash. The only thing he doesn't act that way with is one certain kind of bone and he's usually pretty good with bully sticks... usually. Chip does the exact same thing she does. He will either lay on top of it and snarl or he'll clutch onto it with his teeth for dear life and if you try and pick it up, he'll also clutch it with his front paws. If you take it away, he'll follow you to where ever you put it and bark and freak out until I have to get up and put it somewhere else while someone distracts him. My recommendation is to not give those back to her or maybe find something that she's not so protective about.
Is the food your girlfriend feeding by any chance Royal Canin? I know they have a formula just for yorkies. I've never used that, but was told not to because of the high amount of corn. From what I've been told, corn can cause allergies in yorkies. Someone, correct me if I'm wrong! If switching food, do transition it. I'm no help on the feeding schedule... I have two dogs, one 15 lbs, the other 7, and I free feed both of them. It works for them and they are perfect weight wise. I don't recommend that for your situation though.
As for getting things out of coat pockets, don't hang your coats on the back of the chair. Just like with baby proofing a house for a nosy, in to everything toddler, you have to puppy proof everything. If you know that your dog gets into coat pockets, you can't let it be accessible to her. Same thing is said to new puppy owners with shoes and such that puppies like to chew on. You can't expect to leave things out that you know she likes and expect her not to get into it. Chip likes to search my purse, so I can't expect to leave it unzipped and not come back to find my stuff everywhere. Just like you can't leave things out for toddlers to get into, the same thing applies to dogs. Keep these items out of reach, problem solved.
As for the underwear thing, I have TWO dogs that did the same thing. Somehow, they grew out of it. They only liked MY underwear. When Chip was a puppy, I was sorting out laundry and there was one pair that he really wanted... I'd look behind me and he had taken it out of it's pile and was licking it. I took it away, said "No" and put it back where it belonged. A few minutes later, guess who's mouth was on it again? Yup, Chip's! I took it away and put it at the bottom of the pile. Turned back around to sort more laundry and next thing I know Chip is sprinting by me with this pink lacy thing hanging out of his mouth and flying behind him like a cape. I couldn't quit laughing! Smokey, my other dog, he would pull them out of the little holes in the hamper and I'd wake up to find large holes torn out of my underwear. I had to keep buying more and more until he finally learned that doing that was bad.
I understand it's cold but the dog does need walked and played with. I know it's unreasonable to say every time you have to do it together, but if you are both home, then both take her for a walk or both spend time playing with her on the floor or whatever it takes. You also need to gain her trust by spending one on one time with her too.