Originally Posted by matese  Welcome to YT. Although Max is an adult dog and obviously has had past behavior issues, he has to be treated as if you have a 2 yo toddler living with you. You need to baby proof your home, meaning, you know he will chew your shoes, socks etc. these should be kept where he cannot get them. I once had a puppy that chewed 7 pairs of slippers even tho I had them in my closet. The closet had sliding doors and always kept closed, she would tap, tap, tap the door causing it to vibrate and opening an inch or so, then with her nose she could get the door open and grab the slippers, so I gated off my bedroom. You have to "prevent" things from happening. Tissues, napkins, paper towels seems to be a "yorkie" thing, again, prevention. Keep bathroom door closed so Max cannot get in there. Getting on the table, again, I have had yorkies do the same thing, prevention, make sure your chairs are always pushed under the table so he cannot jump on the chairs then the table. Chasing after him to get him to "drop it" will become a game to him, and grabbing things out of his mouth, well, you have the battle scars to prove that's not a good idea. All this chasing and grabbing will only make him more aggressive, or cause him to think it's a game. You, your brother and family have to change your life style for a while by keeping things put away and out of his reach until you can train him basic command, such as "drop it, leave it, sit, stay, wait. Command training, command words must be the same word used by everyone one in your house. Your home is his 3rd home in his short 3 or 4 year life, this is a big adjustment for any dog and yorkies tend to be a bit stubborn. You and your family have to be trained first before you train this boy. Train your self to keep things out of Max's reach. Keep temptation away from him. Put your flip flops in your room and keep your door closed. Your entire family has to do this. You must be consistent in this. Once you have all temptation out of the way then you can work on training him. My adopted boy is 6 yo, I have him 3 years now and he is very trainable, he learns new commands fast, he is very food motivated, so he makes sure he does what he is being trained to do cos he wants that food reward. Food reward can be his kibble, one little cheerios, green beans, or doggie treats, followed up with happy praise, clapping hands also works great when he gets it right. But, first, baby proof that house. |