[yorkietalkjilly]

There is one thing that really helps a dog that is now coming into his own and not respecting that he has a pack leader. If you will do some research and read some articles and a couple of books on Behavior Modification, you will learn how to basically modify this behavior by becoming the leader in your relationship and have your dog love it and go right along with what you say. By following the short and simple training techniques on a regular basis, if you truly want a behaving and lovely companion that truly respects you while enjoying the heck out of the training, before long you will not recognize your dog because he's becoming slowly programmed to respond basically to you and what you say moreso than what is happening around him. I am not kidding! It works. Before long, your dog will have a Pavlov's dog response to you - he will automatically do what you say - literally 98 - 99% of the time(he still is a dog & not a machine). It is by choice that he does this at first and after time, becomes an autonomic response. But you will need to do your homework - research these training techniques, learn how to become a very very patient and fun and loving trainer and how to set your dog up to succeed. Your delight and praise begins to be something he works for - even modify his own behavior for, choosing not to dart out the door or run off with a forbidden object but to hold back and please mommie. It is a wonderful drug for your dog, working with you and then glorying in your generous praises and happiness. During the early training sessions, he begins to feed off his successes and feel like an extension of you. It is a win-win situation but it does take time and dedication that many trainers lose interest in if they don't see immediate and dramatic success. And if you are a very very good trainer, you can have that, but if not, the dramatic success takes a while but if you keep at it, it does come even to us mediocre trainers.

I got my Tibbe at 9 mos. after he'd lived only in an outside crate all of his life, was riddled with fears and knew nothing of life outside the cage or how to relate to humans or their strange ways of living, let alone anything they told him to do. He fought me like a tiger during any attempts at grooming, nail-trimming, baths, car trips and screamed like a banshee when I left the room or the house or crated him, stood in his water bowl, pottied anywhere, ran and hid from anything new and barked almost nonstop - tried to escape out the front door every single time it was opened. I seriously looked into having him tested for learning disabilities, thinking he was mentally challenged by the 4th day I had him. He was a mess.

He's now a calm and loving, well-behaved companion that thoroughly enjoys life, is full of energy, attitude & self-confidence with only rare brief fear bouts which he manages to overcome in seconds to only a few minutes, and everybody compliments me on how smart and well-behaved he is, all the while remaining 100% terrier as he goes about his day. Behavior modification training worked the miracle.