Hey there! You haven't been wasting anytime I see... 4 already! Congratulations on all the new babies!
I didn't read all the replies. My eyes are acting up tonight. I do want to add something though. Here it is:
Okay: Story first: I just had a breakthrough with my female Sapphire. I got her when she was 2 years old from a breeder... she'll be 5 Years old at the end of the month. She would get in my lap, but only for about 30-60 seconds at a time, since I first got her. She comes up and digs on my leg until I pick her up. I set her on my lap, she looks at me but then looks away quickly, I pet her a few times, then she starts leaning to get down. Two and a half years of this 2-3 times a day or more, lol.
Well, two days ago, she fell asleep on my lap for hours! And had another nap in my lap yesterday too! WooHoo!
I think her problem was/is fear. She wants companionship, but may be afraid of heights, or me dropping her. She will wiggle to get down if I force her to stay longer than she wanted, but now she just goes limp and gets really heavy. I always try to go a few seconds longer, saying okay, okay, wait a minute and I'll put you down!
I wonder if at some point your puppy may have been dropped, or fallen from a lap, or held too tightly. This could be more an issue of building trust than anything. It's great that he takes treats and tosses them around (very Yorkie thing to do). I would do alot of floor work with him, maybe using a pillow on the floor too.
His dislike of touch may be from fear of getting picked up. Try using treats and just pet him and reward him to disassociate touch with being handled. When he learns that, then pick him up but don't lift him far off the floor, maybe an inch or two, and move him 2-3 feet to a new spot. Then work at putting him on your lap while you're on the floor, reward him, and allow him to leave if he wants. Give him treats when he's in your lap. Then progress onto a couch to get him used to heights.
You can do this type of work with all the puppies together, he will see them on you and learn from them that it's okay. Also do individual work with him. Maybe use a leash on him to stop him from running away and hiding at first.
And remember... he is a puppy and has been with other puppies all his life. It's natural for him to seek their companionship... he knows he is one of them. You, sir, are like an alien to him. An alien with treats, lol. Practice using a high, squeaky voice with him. Mine love it and I get their full attention when I use it.
Best of luck... I'm sure you'll have him turned around in no time!
