I Am REALLY at My Wit's End.
 

Stewie does not have any manners. Maybe its me being a horrible teacher, but he just PEED in my hallway, then proceeded to step in it and walk over to me and get me wet with pee. He jumped on my lap just to use me as a stepping stool and JUMPED on the coffee table to get to a dish that I had sitting there. He bites me when I'm on the phone because he's jealous I think, he NEVER EVER (not even once) comes when I call him. He runs from me full speed. He won't let me pick him up no matter what. I have to catch him first.

He can care less about me. He's not sweet and affectionate anymore. He is exactly like an angry old man. All he wants to do is bite me and manipulate me for food and treats. I wish I were kidding, but I'm 100% not. I can hardly take it anymore. :'(

I need help.

Hang in there Kristy...I think we all have days like your
having. How old is he? Teddy is almost 7 months and I
almost feel as though I have a toddler going through the
terrible 2's in the house. Just when I don't think I can
get any madder he will turn around and do something
totally cute that makes me remember why and how much
I love him.

Stewie is almost NINE months old.

lol......... that reminds me of toby when he was younger(except for the holding thing..... toby has always loved to be held)...... he grew out of it though , he is really good at come now and will give me his toy if i hold up one finger (like im counting to three with a toddler....lol) i have foudn him on the coffee table eating leftovers from my fiance too, he still tries this but he is sneakier about it now....... its just a phase, he will get better (this was the stage when i really asked myself what i got into)

GEEZE! 9 MONTHS!!!!!, i was imagining a 4 month old!!!!! :eek:

Yep. Its really embarassing. I try and try and he doesn't get it.

I wanna add that he is like 90% potty trained, but in the last week he peed in front of me on the carpet 4 times.

maybe he is a late bloomer???? :confused: toby went through the rebellious stage around 5 or 6 months and did that peeing in front of me thing......
thank gawd he is 100 % trained now or i would be at my wits end too

I agree I'd be frustrated too.....but there IS hope. I know there is. And in my perhaps limited experience with dog-training, I have learned some important lessons.

So, IMO.... Yorkies are among the smartest of breeds. DO NOT underestimate him. He KNOWS right from wrong and manners, etc....well, perhaps he does not know yet but he has a complete ability to learn.

Some things he does know and does not obey....you must make it clear to him. Dogs LIVE for our approval. Not just anyone's but their 1 person's approval mostly....Stewie's #1 person, is you.

How much praise do you give him when he does something right? And on the flip side, how do you express your discontent with him when he behaves in a way that displeases you? Making a clear, consistent contrast should better drive the message home to him and help him understand what you want from him.

My personal experience with Sully is this: When he does not come when called, I march over to where he is point my finger straight at him and say "bad, bad dog!" in a mean voice. Then, I walk back over to where I was standing and call him again to come, which he does. And when he does, I give him lots of praise, tell him good dog, and pet his head.

Now I don't know what a professional would tell you about my advice....and the're free to critique my methods b/c it's a learning process for me......but for me, this has worked and Sully is a very, very well behaved dog (most of the time) and we haven't had an accident in the house in over 3 months! :)

Don't feel bad, Bell at this moment is walking away the house like a crazy woman. We out went out to get a bite to eat, because the power went out. We were gone for a little over an hour. We came home to poop in my bathroom! :eek: (at least she got the right room) She ate about 5 of my mothers candies ( I found the wrappers) :( and believe me she never listens unless you have treats.. :rolleyes: And Bell is 2 1/2 years old.
I keep saying its hormones (because of her puppies) but I don't think I can keep blaming it on that. SHe just has a bad streak!! that comes out every few weeks.

I keep asking my mother to put her candy up high, but she doesn't listen either!!

Reconsmomma posted an excellent training site thread with a link to K9deb.com. start there. You are going to have to put a lot of effort into turning the situation around, but will be rewarded with a good companion, instead of a cute little terror.

Wow
 

Looks like you have your hands full.Puppy ADHD :).I dont have any advice my Neo never acted this way and he is 1 1/2 years old.But i would like to say that i am sorry to here that your fur baby doesn't snuggle with you.That is the greatest feeling(puppy love)I hope things get better for you as he gets older.






HEATHER

Kristy, have you tried puppy time out? When Stewie does something bad, you should crate him for a bit. I did that with Gracie when she messed on the floor. I took her back to the spot, pointed at the spot said, BAD! and then I pointed at her and said, BAD GIRL! Put her in time out. It's been a while since she's had an accident.

Have you considered enrolling him in school. I have heard the "Man's Best Friend" is a great school.

You need a trainer. Not necessarily one on one, but we've had Loki in obedience class for 3 months now and he's 8 months old now. He is really on his way to being a very well trained dog.

I know my trainer would have the answer to each one of the problems you listed, but I'm sure you are too far away for a once-a-week session out by me (it's in Elburn). Please don't give up - there must be a trainer near you that does positive reinforcement training. I have seen dogs go from complete terrors to quite pleasant in just a few months, if you work with them daily.

The basics are to reward good behavior, ignore bad behavior (do not chase him, if you need to because he steals important stuff then keep a leash on him), and use time-outs before you get mad. If he doesnt want to do what you want him to do then he can do whatever he wants by himself in his cage - he just isn't allowed to hang out with you. Also, don't give him anything for free - especially attention. If he bites you, put him in time out. There is SO much more to it and I'm 100% sure you would benefit from having him in obedience class. Good luck!

:confused: I am wondering if any of this has anything to do with your feelings about him. Didn't you post that you had "ruined your dog" by shaving him a few days ago?

These dogs are soooo super sensitive, I wonder if your sadness over his new "do" has affected him.

Are you treating him the same?

Yes, I did post that I ruined my dog, but I meant that I got rid of the coat that I spent so much time getting healthy (when I got him he had a skin condition and was losing hair). He seems happy about his new 'do and I am used to it. I don't think I am treating him any differently than I did before. I wouldn't have a reason to.

I don't have $$ to spend on a personal dog trainer until I am done w/ school this summer. I have only given him puppy time-out once when he was a baby. I felt horrible about it and never did it again.

Valerie - I make a HUGE deal out of him when he does something right. Last night I taught him two new tricks and gave him lots of treats.

Today he is doing much better. I just have to watch him like a hawk and yell a remind of "paper paper" when he is sniffing somewhere else.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I am going to keep working with him and won't let him out of my sight so maybe I can correct the problem before it gets to be too late.

I completely understand! Kona wasn't completely potty trainied until 1 year old, and even now she may have 1 accident a week, usually less. She liked to be held and petted, but you would have to chase her to pick her up. But just recently in the past 3 months or so (she's 14 months now), she's become a super cuddler. She crawls up in my lap and asks for affection. Hang in there, it may just be a phase!

If you really can't work with a trainer then I have another suggestion. When Loki gets really crazy we go for a REALLY long walk. Obviously not when it's 90 degrees although I take him around 7:00 at night and when we get up first thing in the morning. Then he is just too tired to act out and he really behaves well. He is always clingy when he's tired (which I like, I want a lap dog - which he is not!) and he doesn't have that pent up energy that makes him want you to chase him all day!

Also, be careful trying to train from a book or on your own. I have several training books that I've read that don't give the best advice. You should never punish or correct your dog. (Time-outs are not a punishment, their crate is a happy place for them, or at least it should be.)

You have to be consistent and I know you said you didn't like time-outs but they are necessary. He will learn that nipping at you when you are on the phone means he doesn't get to hang out with you for a while. It really does work.

I once heard Dr. Phil say, your child is joining your family, you are not joining theirs. I treat my kids and my dogs the same way. Don't feel bad for giving him a time out. He has to learn the rules of his family. I hate when they bolt from you when you try to pick them up! Put a leash on that boy, make him wear it around the house full time for a while. When he darts away, grab that leash (or step on it!) and reel that boy back in. It has worked with all of my dogs. That's the extent of my advice. :p Good luck.

To Stop the Biting:
 

When he bites you, you have to yelp or squeal REALLY LOUD the way a puppy would if they got hurt.

This is how they learn not to hurt their brothers and sisters in their litter when they play as puppies.

If you do the yelp loud and high pitch enough, he'll probably release and look really surprised, and hopefully learn not to do it. Remember to be consistent.

That's what I learned it Otis's puppy training.

"Come, Stewie!"
 

To teach him to come on command, first start with short distances and use TONS of treats. Lengthen the distance, and he'll probably be following you throughout the house. Use treats consistently for a week, and soon you won't need treats anymore!

Use the same phrase, and do not switch words around, or he'll get confused.

Do not use 'Come, Stewie" for things like baths or brushing teeth or grooming. Only use it for things he likes at this point, like his toys or treats or a walk.

Try some of the things that were suggested here. If they dont work, let me know and we can work something out and I will train him as a personal favor for you and in exchange for word of mouth refferals from you.

I would be more than willing to help if things that were suggested here dont work but might as well try them before trying anything else. It may be that he is just going through his adolesent(sp) stage and being a little sh**.

I still have to email you my address and I will include my phone number so if you get to the point where Stewie is driving you insane you can call and I will try to give you some pointers over the phone.

As for him running from you and you cant catch him you should use a leash , let him drag it around and when you say come or here and he runs step on it and stop him in his tracks , then pull him to you with the leash and repeat the command. You must do this overr and over until he knows what it means. All 3 of my yorkies come when called and thats how i taught them, I trained NSTRA birddogs for 14 yrs and the leash(aka)checkcord worked on them and birddogs are the hard headiest dogs there is to teach to come to you.

Thanks everyoen for your suggestions -- Junebug, I have tried the things you've suggested and he used to be a lot better when he was younger; its like he's regressing or something.
Kelly, thanks for your offer of helping. I'll take you up on it if things don't improve in the next few weeks. Its very generous of you.

Great advice!

The "come" command should always be a happy command, never angry. You should only call them to come in a happy voice and they should get nothing but paise when they come. If your puppy has done something wrong, go and ge them to reprimand him, do not make him come to be punished. It will make him think twice bout coming in an emergency when it an absolute necessity.

Kristy, I feel your pain girlfriend! But it's very important to remember that Stewie is still very much a puppy. Short attention span and lots and lots of energy. He'll be more of a cuddler as he gets older. All the above advice is really excellent. If he's regressing, then go back to what used to work and the way you trained him that clicked with him. Puppies, just like children will push the limits when they can. I'm a firm believer in puppy time out. I have a 2x3 foot cage for Bo. It's not just for time out but he knows when he's in there for discipline purposes. When Stewie runs from you he's prob just being a little rascal. Teach the come command. Excellent advice above.
Now, let me confess...
Is Bo a little angel? Nope.
Will Bo never have a potty accident in the house again? Ha!!
Does Bo run from me and ignore me when I call? Yep! Every time. Can't tell you how many times I've told my husband this weekend, "That pup needs some training!"
Do ya think I get any help from any pet lovers in this household? Nuh uh!
I'm actually glad you posted this cause I've been dealing with the same issues. But it seems like every time I'm ready to pull my hair out Bo looks up at me as if to say, "Gotta love me!!" LOL! Hang in there girl. It'll get better. And the Stew dawg is worth it, lol!

OMG! You read my mind. Deegan has been a little terror for the last week and a half, and I don't know what changed him??? I also feel like I am going through the terrible two's with him.

He doesn't let me hold him unless he is exhausted, he runs away when I try to catch him outside, and lately he's gotten into biting everything, especially me!

He start biting at my ankles last week, but I thought that it was just my capris that he liked, but it's not. If I don't have a water bottle in my hand he attacks my ankles. If I go to pet him or pick him up he bites my hands.

I usually bring him everywhere I can (like walmart, friends, my aunts or parents), but now I don't want to bring him anywhere except his time out corner because he is sooo bad. He bites people who are trying to pet him, he's constantly got something in his mouth that hes not supposed to have... I could go on forever!
Another problem is that he seems to bite me alot more than my bf. And I am begining to feel like he hates me because I am the main authoratative figure. I'm the bad guy...

I'm trying to tell myself that this is just a phase and to keep on keepin' on, but how long is this going to last???? I wanted to try and train him myself to save some cash, instead of a school, but maybe it would help????

I totally feel your pain!

Kristy - I invested in these training audio sessions that once I paid the company downloaded them onto my computer.

I would be more than happy to transfer them to your computer or try to copy them once I find "a computer genius" to show me how.

The audio trainings have done wonders so it might be worth a try if you'd like to have them.

Kristy,

I used to feel the same way you did. I'd been taking Saffie to "puppy school", taught by a wonderful trainer, once a week since she was 3 months old. By the time she was 7 months old, we didn't seem to be making much progress, as I wasn't being the "Alpha". The trainer was very patient with us & reassured the whole class that at about 7 months our puppy would start behaving like a teen rebel. This did happen, but I hung in there & when Saffie was 9 months we even started taking a private lesson, once a week, as well as the class lesson.(My trainer's fees are very reasonable) The transformation after 2 months was fantastic & seemed to happen practically overnight! Saffie's so much more obedient & I'm so much more self-confident about training her. We're keeping up with the class lessons, once a week, probaly forever, as it's a way of me making sure I spend a minimum of 1 hour a week training.(Her & me!) She stopped having "accidents" on the floor (which I'm positive sometimes were NO "accident") & listens & responds so much better now. She still doesn't sit in my (or anyone elses) lap & never did, but I think that's just her personality. She does cuddle up though, & likes to have her belly rubbed.

I would strongly suggest lessons with a good trainer, like the generous YT-er who offered her services & I also agree with the other YT-er that suggested taking the long walks. I found that those long walks helped begin the positive changes. When I 1st started with the walks, I spent the whole time just getting her to "heel". After that the rest of her disciplining started to fall into place.(and of course using lots of delicious treats as incentive didn't hurt)


I was so frustrated in the beginning that I used to feel like I did when I had "post-partum blues" when my sons were newborns babies. You & your baby will eventually do fine as long as you keep hanging in there. You're not alone: I bet theres "a whole bunch of YT-er's" that felt the same way at one time or another! :thumbup: