[yorkietalkjilly]

Diana, for the present I would have separate play sessions, until you've had some help and gotten some good guidance on how to handle your little "wild child" (ha) appropriately and then, over time, the dog behaviorist will teach you how to introduce them to play without triggering so much reaction. It will be slow and Franklin has much to learn before you get there. He's got to learn that you, and not he, decides who plays with what when and with a highly motivated resource-guarder, sometimes you never fully get there unless you are an extremely dedicated and an innate dog handler/trainer by nature. However, if you are motivated enough and willing to take on the challenge and work with Franklin training, motivating, essentially positively reshaping his behavior over time, causing him to happily work for and ask you for everything, never letting him get by with not following your directions or command by ALWAYS following through to see that he obeys, get him working hard to please you - which - when you make it all fun, set them up for success and stay matter of fact and indefatigably patient no matter what - he'll WANT to get on board and he'll work his little Yorkie butt off to buy into your program and do what you ask. If the rewards of your training program are satisfying enough in his mind and it's all made to be fun and motivating, he'll do just about anything for you.

I won't lie - it really takes dedication to the program to wrestle the "attitude" from the little resource-guarder that he's the boss and has the right to that toy or chew. That 'tude is usually genetic and one that comes about usually in dogs that feel somewhat comfortable taking over pack leader roll at times. One of the ways I handle them is once I've used the resource-guarding desensitization technique to teach them over time another way to respond to their genetic impulse, as well as taught them "Leave It!", once they start to approach a dog with a chew or begin to show interest in what a another dog is doing, or start to guard and alert when another dog or person comes near their food or chew, I say "Leave It", and when the dog backs off, relaxes on cue, because he's learned impulse control over his genetic tendency, learned that pleasing me is ultimately good to him, I always, always, always, always, always get up and get him a treat and give him big praise him for his hard work overriding his impulse to start to alert to the other dog over a resource. I don't care if I am post-op or seriously ill or what, that dog gets his reward and praise when he stops alerting and backs off. So I use the "Leave It" for many things than just to get a dog to drop something in its mouth, etc., but it also means stop whatever you are doing or thinking and back off from the object or situation AND relax. And they know mom will back it up and stand up, walk to them, bore them with my eyes, point at them with a finger directed right at them(NOT mad or threatening at all - just in third-grade teacher mode) and keep the "pressure" on until they decide to "let go"/relinquish whatever they are starting to alert to/guard. Then they know mom gets that treat and gets right into their little face and tells them what a darling boy they are, how good, how smart, how precious and lots of sweet loving. They know if they want something really bad, even a piece of chicken on the floor but they leave it, back off and look to me that mommy always gives them a reward and takes special time to show them they are really wonderful. Every single "leave it" situation is celebrated and they come to learn that.

But you have to work a lot with a dog to train it that well and the training work has got to be fun enough, rewarding enough that they want to please you because you make them feel so darn good and happy when they do. And they know that if they mess up or make a mistake, there is no harm or fear coming to them - my dogs I train all can trust me implicitly without fear or intimidation(I want happy dogs!), just a mommy that will say "uh oh" and keep working with them in such a way as to cause them to WANT to get it right. So part of their going against genetics and bad habits and such is that they get more reward from pleasing me and being a team member of mine than they do from keeping up the bad behavior. I guess they just love all the celebration and love and happiness and such from successfully doing what I ask - well, that and the treat!(ha). It's a big deal to me when they do something right and they are made to know that they are absolutely wonderful for doing that.

But just as in any family, some siblings don't mesh all times and it is something parents learn to work around. I would keep the toys and chews and things away when both are together in the room or leash the little aggressor near you while the other one is chewing a chew or playing with toys, if he's in the same room and while the other dog is enjoying his toy or chew, toss a treat to Franklin every so often during the other dog's entire play/chew session so Franklin is distracted and associates the other dog's play/chew session with his getting treats even if he is restrained. Also, a little squeak toy to squeak in his face or at his bottom playfully during that time can distract him and cause him to focus on you and the squeaky and not have a lot of time to keep alerting and thinking about that toy/chew he wants. Then let him outside to run off his pent-up feelings once the play/chew session of Tucker's is over. That is just something you could try to tide you over until you can get some training in how to deal with this from a professional.

Well, the tooth is starting to throb a bit. Back later.