[yorkietalkjilly]

LOL. Yes, I've had Yorkies for years and I have read many books and articles about the Yorkshire Terrier and am very aware of the origin of the breed so, knowing so much about this breed, I know you can use that ratter focus and determination he uses on other dogs to channel into something else he's been pre-programmed to focus on with equal purpose and intent when he faces a dog. Food for a very hungry dog usually keeps them very focused and intent on getting to it, particularly if they are hungry for the first two or three days of training and they've been tempted with it for 30 minutes or more just prior to almost being given access to it.

If he's extremely fond of a certain toy, chewie or ball, you can use that to take outside and shake in front of him as a distraction but most hungry dogs are most interested in food for distraction/desensitization training and as a reward when they do what we want them to do.

No matter what he's been through, he can move on as I had a tiny 3 lb. Yorkie, Jilly, attacked by a 65 lb. dog, and the dog had her up in the air in its jaws shaking her and biting away at her, she had seizures, choked, went silent and I thought she was dying from a broken back but she had surgery as soon as I got her to the ER vet, stayed in the hospital, came home, had rehab and had no residual fear of any dog.

Six weeks after her attack, out walking, she went toe to toe through the Cox fence with a huge, snarling German Shepherd dog 12 x her size but I whisked her up and back home fairly quickly as I feared the GSD might try to climb that fence to get at her! She never had any subsequent dog fear but I never showed any anxiety around her when we were outside as I knew she would feed off my fears. I calmed myself and got relaxed before I took her out realizing my anxiety would just travel down the leash to her. And I carried a huge, auto-open umbrella to whoosh open to discourage any dogs I might see coming out way off lead. That big old umbrella suddenly flowering open in front of us certainly has discouraged many a hostile dog to just go the other way!

And I never take a dog for a walk without it being on a short, secure leash - not ever. It's too dangerous these days with so many dogs out and about.

Just because many professional trainers couldn't help him themselves doesn't at all mean he's beyond all help. All it takes is teaching him he's not in control when other dogs approach and that he should look to you for direction when they do.

YOU CAN RETRAIN BASIC BREED INSTINCTS TO SERVE YOUR PURPOSES! It's true - herding dogs do it every day by not killing their charges, trained attack dogs are called off before killing, dogs who scent out drugs and bombs use their seeking/hunting skills not for food for themselves but to find things we train them to find, etc.

It sounds like since the attacks, Toby's been allowed to become the more powerful member in his pack when other dogs approach him and feels he needs to attack them because he's never really been persistently stopped with training in mind, never really appreciated any boundaries set for him around other dogs or been successfully retrained in another way of dealing with being around other dogs. But certainly, he can change his ways. Even old dogs can be rehabilitated psychologically in the right hands using what he knows and his instincts and a lot of persistent retraining.

Do you mind if I speak frankly? It's only my impression from your very few posts here on this thread and I could be totally wrong but I'm trying to help so only consider it if you feel like it and please know I'm not trying to upset you but merely examine the story your present and assist you with helping your dog. Here goes: To me it's likely the human anxiety he lives with that may be the biggest block to his psychological rehab around other dogs as you tend to dwell on all the bad things that have happened still in your descriptions related to his attack problem. Believe me or not, your smart little dog picks up on that from you and your family and he becomes anxious and dreads other dogs and what could happen when they approach and he just lashes out due to stress, anxiety and fear.

It's natural for us to recall with horror when our dog and our own person have been so dreadfully attacked, our dog near death due to other, huge dogs attacking them but you can change that mindset and move on past it to help your dog. You can. With the right trainer with the right dog skills, you dog can be helped. I've worked with dogs just as bad off as yours around other dogs and humans and used the same training type techniques described on this thread to bring them around to acceptance in time with love and infinite patience and doing the same things over and over and over and keeping them interested in working toward our goal - so I know it can work magic in a troubled dog. It sounds as if you've almost given up on him ever being able to learn how to be around other dogs and unless he's brain-damaged or ill or injured/in physical pain, he can learn how to adapt with the right methods and an upbeat, patient trainer who knows when to do what. Many people give up on dogs like this and just live with them as they are or surrender them to shelters or rescues. I'm encouraged you are still reaching out to try to learn now to help your beloved, loving, smart little Toby. He sounds like your soulmate!

You might ask a friend who has a dog who you don't fear will try to attack your baby to work with you two the first month so you are not as anxious as you see that dog approaching on the lead from the end of the block while you are starting in retraining Toby. Or hire a dog trainer to walk his trained, well-behaved dog past Toby as you teach Toby not to focus on him but what you are asking him to focus on. Using all your skills and persistence, you can do it!

After you have trained him to accept dogs approaching on leash, you can retrain him not to focus in intently on other dogs by watching his ears, eyes and body language and disagreeing with that intensity which in him probably always amps up immediately to attacking. As soon as he begins to prick his ears, widen/slit his eyes to alert on another dog with intensity, begins to grow still while tensing his muscles, you instantly snap him out of it by - all at the same time - clapping you hands, saying "leave it!", immediately standing up and touching him on the shoulder/flank or moving him out of his spot and giving him the command to lie down in another spot away from the other dog with his muzzle on the floor by telling him to "relax". And standing there staring at him until he follows through. Only walk away the moment he gives in and relaxes in the down, stay.

If you practice that same routine over and over, in time he will learn that he will always be stopped and disciplined for focusing in intently with attack in his mind and will begin to control his impulses to do that and he will actually start to police himself and begin practicing avoidance of other dogs by turning his head and or body away from them as they enter his presence. It doesn't mean that he can't learn to socialize with them in a while later but for the time being, he'll learn his job now is not to attack but to avoid alerting to them and give them their space and he will do it on his own. Dogs always like to anticipate us and if he knows you will ALWAYS step in a stop him - because you are more determined than he is - he will give it up and avoid alerting on other dogs by giving them their space.

Once he's learned to accept other dogs being around him, it's only training in the next steps before he's becoming social with them again. But we can cover that part when he's ready.

Sorry, this is so long but I'm truly trying to help you help your dog but use what you want, disregard the rest and consider I don't have all of the facts I'm sure and am going only on my impressions from what you've shared in responding.

I'd have him checked thoroughly by a vet first and get some mild sedatives perhaps for the first two weeks or so of early training but probably the sedatives aren't really necessary, in truth, just your willing determination to help him. And I think you can do it!