Muzzles?? yes or no ?? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

my2yorkies31 · 12-16-2008, 02:46 PM

Sorry for all the questions lately but I seriously am at my whits ends here with this dog ... nothing is working .. things were going well .. and now again out of no where its just horrible .. I pay attention to all the signs and Peanut is very playful and will not back down from Precious.. but today Peanut did nothing .. I was petting Precious when I got home from work , she sat and earned it ... Peanut was in her crate just laying there .. and soon as I was done petting Precious she slithered over to the crate and jumped peanut!!! there were definatly NO SIGNALS from Peanut this time whatsoever!! not a look not a growl not anything !! BAM she was on her ! and I wasnt even any where near Peanut which I noticed I seem to be a trigger ?? ......... So any way I just cant do this im sooo fustrated and I feel like im on edge all the time now and am really afriad Peanut is going to get seriously hurt ... So I got a muzzle... Its a mesh one .. not to tight , got it a little big .. so she can still chew drink and whatever , but not open her mouth enuff to put it around Peanuts neck! I just dont know what else to do and I dont kno if this will make aggression worse or better ..... Im going to use it on her when she attacks .. I will take it off .. let them be watch the signs and if she doesnt listen and does attack the muzzle goes on .. Will she associate the 2 ?? she doesnt like it on its obvious .. she becomes very submissive with it on and Peanut is more at ease knowing she wont get hurt .. but I dont want to do more damage then good ....UGH im so confused and conflicted .. But all of you here seem to have such great insight on these yorkies!! Im hoping to get some knowledge here ! I dont want to but it for each of thier own best interest ..... and I have a 3 year old daughter that freaks when they fight so I have to realize this is doing something toher when they fight .. i dont want her to be afraid of dogs........ I just wish there was an easy solution but im up for anything at this point !!!! Thanks in advance .. Noel

cj125 · 12-16-2008, 03:24 PM

Hi! Have you ever seen the Animal Planet show called "It's Me or the Dog"? It's great! Victoria Stillwell is the dog trainer and she's very good. Everything is done with positive reinforcement. There was a show that had a situation similar to yours. It took 2 people to do it... but it was basically teaching the aggressive dog that when they didn't attack that it was a "good" think and that they would get rewarded with a piece of chicken. Here's her website - it says you can watch episodes on there - if not maybe email her for some info.

Good Luck!!

Official Victoria Stilwell Website - author & host of 'It's Me or the Dog'

phfgkl · 12-16-2008, 03:41 PM

How old is Precious, and how old is Peanut? Have either of them been spayed?

my2yorkies31 · 12-16-2008, 04:26 PM

I have seen that show i think 2 times.. Ill have to tivo it like i do the dog whisperer i guess... im going to check out her site now! thanks !!
as for the ages .. They are sisters and they will be 2 in Feburary and yes they are both fixed ..

phfgkl · 12-16-2008, 04:32 PM

Wow, that is really strange, since they're littermates. My sister has littermates(boys) that have been neutered, they have had a few fights, mostly over food, but, for the most part, get along great. The muzzle usually can only be on them for a few minutes at a time.
You have to be very careful as yorkies will fight until one is dead. This has happened more times than you could imagaine.

Have they always been like this? I guess those are 2 sisters that really don't like eachother.

my2yorkies31 · 12-16-2008, 04:47 PM

Yea I thought them being sisters would never be an issue! I am afriad Peanut will die.. she is smaller of the 2 and just doesnt kno how to defend herself greatly but she tries.. i wish she would just submit but nope she wont she gives almost as good as she gets... I didnt know yorkies could be so vicious..... im afriad for them .. they got along great when they were just puppies.. I think when my cats died , precious always kind of stalked them and then they died and then she turned that on peanut ... and now i cant stop it .. but the weird part is , they love each other .. they play together they sleep all cuddled up together just when precious i guess gets anxious she attacks .. im wondering if the vet will give her some pills to calm her ,shes easily excitable and thats big trouble.. i just dont know what to do with these two ...
I really wondered if Precious would really kill her sister.. i guess i have my answer .. thank you for the reply !

cj125 · 12-16-2008, 05:01 PM

Did you check out that episode? I'm watching it now.

phfgkl · 12-16-2008, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by my2yorkies31

Yea I thought them being sisters would never be an issue! I am afriad Peanut will die.. she is smaller of the 2 and just doesnt kno how to defend herself greatly but she tries.. i wish she would just submit but nope she wont she gives almost as good as she gets... I didnt know yorkies could be so vicious..... im afriad for them .. they got along great when they were just puppies.. I think when my cats died , precious always kind of stalked them and then they died and then she turned that on peanut ... and now i cant stop it .. but the weird part is , they love each other .. they play together they sleep all cuddled up together just when precious i guess gets anxious she attacks .. im wondering if the vet will give her some pills to calm her ,shes easily excitable and thats big trouble.. i just dont know what to do with these two ...
I really wondered if Precious would really kill her sister.. i guess i have my answer .. thank you for the reply !

Send her here, I have a few of them that will straighten her out

Have you tried turning her over on her back when she does this? If not, try that next time, do not let her up until she looks at you, keep doing this. As far as doggie prozac, yes, they do have that, and you can talk to your vet and tell him what the problem is..good luck

cj125 · 12-16-2008, 06:05 PM

That doesn't always work. Besides, you're using aggressive behavior. Even if you're just trying to establish yourself as the alpha dog - you can still do it in a nonaggressive manner. Teaching them and/or using basic commands and positive reinforcement will be better in the long run. Respect rather than fear.

my2yorkies31 · 12-17-2008, 03:25 AM

Id love for her to go somewhere to see how a real dog acts!! lol .. Yes I have done the roll and everything you name it , ive done it! I did the muzzle for about half hr yesterday after the attack when I got home from work and last nite I sat and watched tv.. didnt let her on the couch .. didnt play with either of them and she was fine .. they played they chewed their bones.. they did that puppy play stuff... i kept an eye out , nothing vicious at all... but now today it could be in total attack mode! she flips like a lite switch... Do does get bi polar?! Seriously its like that .. So yes Im going to def. talk to my vet and get a dog trainer begining of the year and see what happens.. It would break my heart to get rid of her .. thanks for the replys

cj125 · 12-17-2008, 06:23 AM

Ok try this link and click on the Untamed and Untrained - bottom row on the right. Let me know if you have any problems.

movePlayer

There's alot of stuff on her if you do a google for "It's Me or the Dog" or Victoria Stilwell. She's written 2 books, too.

Victoria Stilwell - Latest News

Victoria Stilwell - Shop
second item is her first book

I really like her because she believes in a nonaggressive approach. I don't think forcefulnees is always the answer. Ceasar Milan is fine for some extreme issues but I think Victoria accomplishes the same thing with positive reinforcement. Just my personal opinion

Here's another link. It has episodes on the right hand side. There's about 7 pages so you can read about them before watching.

Victoria's Dog Training Secrets : Its Me or the Dog : Animal Planet

JoeyP · 12-17-2008, 08:44 AM

I hear ya .... that can be annoying and scary
A lot of it is just your dogs communicating with one another
if you listen to a pack of wolves it's even more scary but we need control
If it's getting to a point where one of them is getting hurt

That's a real problem
BUT "It's mMe or the Dog" is casting right now
go to the website and check it out
You can have Victoria Stilwell come to your house

How Kool would that be?

LBH · 01-08-2009, 11:55 AM

Hi guys,

I just posted this question here because I saw that you were discussing muzzles for aggressive behavior. I have a different problem..

My 8 month old yorkie, Moose eats EVERYTHING off the floor, and I mean every single tiny tidbit of anything that is on the floor. I know this is a common problem with yorkies, but I am completely at my wits end with Moose. I sweep/vaccum once a day then go over the floor with a swiffer mop..but Moose walks around with his nose to the floor 24 hours a day, and he inevitably finds fuzz/hair/dust and other tiny things.

I am home with him all day and he gets plenty of playtime and walks twice a day, and usually 30 minutes off of his leash at the park once a day, so he is definitely not bored or un-exercised. But I cannot stop him from sniffing up everything on the floor; his nose never leaves the floor if he is walking. I have been to the vet with him three times in the last 4 months because he has eaten things that have made him sick. It hasn't been two weeks since his last bout of sickness and since yesterday, he is throwing up and having a little diarrhea AGAIN. And AGAIN, its from eating things..this time it was a piece of string and a hairball.

I cannot keep paying expensive vet bills for the same diagnosis each time and I get so worried about the little guy when he gets sick like this..I have tried everything to stop this behavior short of confining him to a pen. I'm here all day so I really don't want to have him cooped up in a pen all day. I hate to even mention the word muzzle...has anyone ever had to resort to this to keep them from eating everything?

JenniferLeigh · 01-08-2009, 12:14 PM

Two of my larger dogs used to fight often. Quite viciously. I know how you feel, its scary not knowing what to do. Poor Lucy has been to the vet a couple times because of it. I was scared she would be killed.

The fights kept getting worse and worse, so my boss recommended her cousin who works with dogs. Kind of like a dog whisperer. She came over and did energy work with all our dogs, especially the two fighters.

I was skeptical, but at that point willing to try anything. It seemed to help. There has only been one fight since then, it was back in May and there was a cause behind it. When before there would be no cause and it would start in a blink of an eye.

Anyways, I wish you the best of luck with Precious.

bjh · 01-08-2009, 12:40 PM

From my experience, once this behavior starts it is hard to stop. It is unusual that it is happening with two spayed sisters. I have two sisters that really get into it when one is in heat. They only fight in my presence so I really think it is a jealously thing. I do hope you can get help. My only advise is that until you can get it resolved you might need to setup an x-pen and put the aggressive one in timeout until she cools off. Have you tried pulling some coins in a can and shaking a can when they start fighting. Sometimes that will stop them.

12-16-2008, 02:46 PM	#1
my2yorkies31 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: PA Posts: 39	Muzzles?? yes or no ?? Sorry for all the questions lately but I seriously am at my whits ends here with this dog ... nothing is working .. things were going well .. and now again out of no where its just horrible .. I pay attention to all the signs and Peanut is very playful and will not back down from Precious.. but today Peanut did nothing .. I was petting Precious when I got home from work , she sat and earned it ... Peanut was in her crate just laying there .. and soon as I was done petting Precious she slithered over to the crate and jumped peanut!!! there were definatly NO SIGNALS from Peanut this time whatsoever!! not a look not a growl not anything !! BAM she was on her ! and I wasnt even any where near Peanut which I noticed I seem to be a trigger ?? ......... So any way I just cant do this im sooo fustrated and I feel like im on edge all the time now and am really afriad Peanut is going to get seriously hurt ... So I got a muzzle... Its a mesh one .. not to tight , got it a little big .. so she can still chew drink and whatever , but not open her mouth enuff to put it around Peanuts neck! I just dont know what else to do and I dont kno if this will make aggression worse or better ..... Im going to use it on her when she attacks .. I will take it off .. let them be watch the signs and if she doesnt listen and does attack the muzzle goes on .. Will she associate the 2 ?? she doesnt like it on its obvious .. she becomes very submissive with it on and Peanut is more at ease knowing she wont get hurt .. but I dont want to do more damage then good ....UGH im so confused and conflicted .. But all of you here seem to have such great insight on these yorkies!! Im hoping to get some knowledge here ! I dont want to but it for each of thier own best interest ..... and I have a 3 year old daughter that freaks when they fight so I have to realize this is doing something toher when they fight .. i dont want her to be afraid of dogs........ I just wish there was an easy solution but im up for anything at this point !!!! Thanks in advance .. Noel

12-16-2008, 03:24 PM	#2
cj125 Mia, Max and Moe's Mom Donating Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 4,403	Hi! Have you ever seen the Animal Planet show called "It's Me or the Dog"? It's great! Victoria Stillwell is the dog trainer and she's very good. Everything is done with positive reinforcement. There was a show that had a situation similar to yours. It took 2 people to do it... but it was basically teaching the aggressive dog that when they didn't attack that it was a "good" think and that they would get rewarded with a piece of chicken. Here's her website - it says you can watch episodes on there - if not maybe email her for some info. Good Luck!! Official Victoria Stilwell Website - author & host of 'It's Me or the Dog' __________________ *Connie* Mia Max Moe Last edited by cj125; 12-16-2008 at 03:24 PM. Reason: forgot website

12-16-2008, 04:26 PM	#4
my2yorkies31 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: PA Posts: 39	more .. I have seen that show i think 2 times.. Ill have to tivo it like i do the dog whisperer i guess... im going to check out her site now! thanks !! as for the ages .. They are sisters and they will be 2 in Feburary and yes they are both fixed ..

12-16-2008, 05:01 PM	#7
cj125 Mia, Max and Moe's Mom Donating Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 4,403	Did you check out that episode? I'm watching it now. __________________ *Connie* Mia Max Moe

12-16-2008, 06:05 PM	#9
cj125 Mia, Max and Moe's Mom Donating Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 4,403	That doesn't always work. Besides, you're using aggressive behavior. Even if you're just trying to establish yourself as the alpha dog - you can still do it in a nonaggressive manner. Teaching them and/or using basic commands and positive reinforcement will be better in the long run. Respect rather than fear. __________________ *Connie* Mia Max Moe

12-16-2008, 03:41 PM	#3
phfgkl BANNED! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,376	How old is Precious, and how old is Peanut? Have either of them been spayed?

12-16-2008, 04:32 PM	#5
phfgkl BANNED! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,376	Wow, that is really strange, since they're littermates. My sister has littermates(boys) that have been neutered, they have had a few fights, mostly over food, but, for the most part, get along great. The muzzle usually can only be on them for a few minutes at a time. You have to be very careful as yorkies will fight until one is dead. This has happened more times than you could imagaine. Have they always been like this? I guess those are 2 sisters that really don't like eachother.

12-16-2008, 04:47 PM	#6
my2yorkies31 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: PA Posts: 39	Yea I thought them being sisters would never be an issue! I am afriad Peanut will die.. she is smaller of the 2 and just doesnt kno how to defend herself greatly but she tries.. i wish she would just submit but nope she wont she gives almost as good as she gets... I didnt know yorkies could be so vicious..... im afriad for them .. they got along great when they were just puppies.. I think when my cats died , precious always kind of stalked them and then they died and then she turned that on peanut ... and now i cant stop it .. but the weird part is , they love each other .. they play together they sleep all cuddled up together just when precious i guess gets anxious she attacks .. im wondering if the vet will give her some pills to calm her ,shes easily excitable and thats big trouble.. i just dont know what to do with these two ... I really wondered if Precious would really kill her sister.. i guess i have my answer .. thank you for the reply !

12-17-2008, 03:25 AM	#10
my2yorkies31 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: PA Posts: 39	Id love for her to go somewhere to see how a real dog acts!! lol .. Yes I have done the roll and everything you name it , ive done it! I did the muzzle for about half hr yesterday after the attack when I got home from work and last nite I sat and watched tv.. didnt let her on the couch .. didnt play with either of them and she was fine .. they played they chewed their bones.. they did that puppy play stuff... i kept an eye out , nothing vicious at all... but now today it could be in total attack mode! she flips like a lite switch... Do does get bi polar?! Seriously its like that .. So yes Im going to def. talk to my vet and get a dog trainer begining of the year and see what happens.. It would break my heart to get rid of her .. thanks for the replys

12-17-2008, 06:23 AM	#11
cj125 Mia, Max and Moe's Mom Donating Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 4,403	Ok try this link and click on the *Untamed and Untrained* - bottom row on the right. Let me know if you have any problems. movePlayer There's alot of stuff on her if you do a google for *"It's Me or the Dog" or Victoria Stilwell.* She's written 2 books, too. Victoria Stilwell - Latest News Victoria Stilwell - Shop second item is her first book I really like her because she believes in a nonaggressive approach. I don't think forcefulnees is always the answer. Ceasar Milan is fine for some extreme issues but I think Victoria accomplishes the same thing with positive reinforcement. Just my personal opinion Here's another link. It has episodes on the right hand side. There's about 7 pages so you can read about them before watching. Victoria's Dog Training Secrets : Its Me or the Dog : Animal Planet __________________ *Connie* Mia Max Moe

12-17-2008, 08:44 AM	#12
JoeyP YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Miami, FL,USA Posts: 1,005	I hear ya .... that can be annoying and scary A lot of it is just your dogs communicating with one another if you listen to a pack of wolves it's even more scary but we need control If it's getting to a point where one of them is getting hurt That's a real problem BUT "It's mMe or the Dog" is casting right now go to the website and check it out You can have Victoria Stilwell come to your house How Kool would that be? __________________ Mike and Zach's Dadd

01-08-2009, 11:55 AM	#13
LBH Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: St Augustine, FL Posts: 123	Muzzle for eating things off floor? Hi guys, I just posted this question here because I saw that you were discussing muzzles for aggressive behavior. I have a different problem.. My 8 month old yorkie, Moose eats EVERYTHING off the floor, and I mean every single tiny tidbit of anything that is on the floor. I know this is a common problem with yorkies, but I am completely at my wits end with Moose. I sweep/vaccum once a day then go over the floor with a swiffer mop..but Moose walks around with his nose to the floor 24 hours a day, and he inevitably finds fuzz/hair/dust and other tiny things. I am home with him all day and he gets plenty of playtime and walks twice a day, and usually 30 minutes off of his leash at the park once a day, so he is definitely not bored or un-exercised. But I cannot stop him from sniffing up everything on the floor; his nose never leaves the floor if he is walking. I have been to the vet with him three times in the last 4 months because he has eaten things that have made him sick. It hasn't been two weeks since his last bout of sickness and since yesterday, he is throwing up and having a little diarrhea AGAIN. And AGAIN, its from eating things..this time it was a piece of string and a hairball. I cannot keep paying expensive vet bills for the same diagnosis each time and I get so worried about the little guy when he gets sick like this..I have tried everything to stop this behavior short of confining him to a pen. I'm here all day so I really don't want to have him cooped up in a pen all day. I hate to even mention the word muzzle...has anyone ever had to resort to this to keep them from eating everything?

01-08-2009, 12:14 PM	#14
JenniferLeigh YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Calgary Posts: 357 Blog Entries: 1	Two of my larger dogs used to fight often. Quite viciously. I know how you feel, its scary not knowing what to do. Poor Lucy has been to the vet a couple times because of it. I was scared she would be killed. The fights kept getting worse and worse, so my boss recommended her cousin who works with dogs. Kind of like a dog whisperer. She came over and did energy work with all our dogs, especially the two fighters. I was skeptical, but at that point willing to try anything. It seemed to help. There has only been one fight since then, it was back in May and there was a cause behind it. When before there would be no cause and it would start in a blink of an eye. Anyways, I wish you the best of luck with Precious.

01-08-2009, 12:40 PM	#15
bjh Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 7,959	From my experience, once this behavior starts it is hard to stop. It is unusual that it is happening with two spayed sisters. I have two sisters that really get into it when one is in heat. They only fight in my presence so I really think it is a jealously thing. I do hope you can get help. My only advise is that until you can get it resolved you might need to setup an x-pen and put the aggressive one in timeout until she cools off. Have you tried pulling some coins in a can and shaking a can when they start fighting. Sometimes that will stop them.