Hello everyone!
My family and I adopted 3-4 year old (we're unsure the exact age) yorkie back in May. He has had two homes before coming to this one and we have very limited knowledge about which each where like. We think he was with a sixteen year old girl for his first two years of life, but she was put into foster care so Max was given to a family member who had him for 10 months. They could not watch him anymore due to his behavior and the fact that this household had very small children that – we believe – taunted him.
While Max is a very lovable dog who is deeply fond of affection, more of his personality is being revealed to us including territorial aggression that has become borderline intolerable. He will pick tissues up (either that are on surfaces, floors or in the toilet room; we've already had one brush with danger thanks to him eating a tampon from the trash), eat them, or try to tear apart socks/shoes and refuse to give any of the listed back to us. We try to distract him using treats or his toys, or even things that cover his eyes (which, in hindsight, is definitely not an intelligent thing to do but we are desperate) so we can grab what he's chewing on and run. My brother and I have gotten the brunt of this aggression and we both have several new scars on both of our sets of hands to show it.
Max is not crate trained, so we have started leashing him and taking him to our parents room when he nips/bites. We say no, point a finger at him, and forcibly him on his doggy bed for 10-15 minutes behind a baby-proof gate. Once we let him out, Max will proceed to try to find one of my (always
!!!my!!! things) possessions (e.g. a Toms slipper or flip flops; I have now been rendered flip flop-less thanks to Max destroying all three pairs) and destroy it or throttle it until we notice and/or play with him. I have a feeling this is causing more aggression than good so we recently stopped giving him timeouts.
Noticeably, he has some other quirky behavioral ticks. Max really enjoys climbing on tables (??) and either trying to eat what's on them or just spends time laying down on them as though he's settling in to sleep. He also is a fan of tug-o-war which we are always hesitant to play with him due to his aggression (and will inevitably lead to biting starting with him actively lunging/seeking out fingers to nibble). Max also does not know any basic commands – we only recently got him to partially recognize his new name. He will automatically sit when he sees a treat, but will otherwise ignore us.
My family and I are first time doggy owners so we're at a loss. We would love to put him in obedience training but they are quite expensive! I have decided that since I am currently unemployed for the summer, I can work with Max but I do not know where to begin or how to start.
If anyone can lend some direction, I would greatly appreciate it! Also, here are some
pictures of
Max (full disclosure: he did not drink the wine -- I did tho, lol)!
Best,
Louise