Hi all!
I joined to ask for some advice. Four days ago we adopted an 8 year old yorkie mix (not sure what the mix is but she's a little bigger than a yorkie should be) from the shelter. For the most part she has been great, but here and there she is showing aggression, mostly towards my 16 month old daughter. This morning, for instance, Roxy was sitting on the couch with me while my daughter was standing in front of us. She tried to touch Roxy's eye (because she's learning body parts and had just pointed out my eye) before I could stop her, and Roxy kind of snapped at her. No growling, just a little lunge like she was going to bite, but didn't actually make contact. Then again a little later, still on the couch with me, my daughter started crying in front of us and Roxy again did a little lunge at her.
She also nipped at my partner while he was playing with her, and she chased after my cat I guess for getting too close to her after I'd just given her a treat? Like the cat might take it or something?
I've already decided Roxy will no longer be allowed on the furniture in case that's giving her the idea that she is "above" the child on the floor. We also have a crate and I will be crate training her, so that she can have her own little space to go to. I don't really know what else to do though. If it were just me, I'd have all the patience in the world with her, but I'm starting to get afraid that I don't have much time until she actually bites my daughter. Who, by the way, for the most part doesn't bother with Roxy at all. Her favorite game to play with the dog is toddle-away-and-see-if-she-follows-me or throw-squeaky-toy-four-inches-and-expect-her-to-fetch.
No wrestling or roughhousing ever. Obviously they're never left alone together but things can happen in an instant, you just never know.
I really don't want to take her back to the shelter. If anyone has any ideas on how to keep our new family together, please let me know!