Yorkie is out of control!
 

Hi everyone,

This is my first post, and I'm sad it has to be about my out of control Yorkie pup.

We have two 16 week old Yorkie puppies, Bruiser and Rocky (hence the username), who we've had for a little over a month now. Rocky is an absolute dream...he goes #1 and #2 on the puppy pads, he knows how to sit and stay, he is totally a loving dog (will lick you til his tongue falls off hahaha), and in general just understands that he is to obey what his parents (my boyfriend Jake and I) say is okay and not okay.

Bruiser is the polar opposite. He is absolutely NOT potty trained, and goes everywhere in the house. We praise Rocky when he goes on the pad, and Bruiser seems to understand "good boy" when we are showering Rocky with praise, but Bruiser just doesn't seem to care/get it. We also try to correct him when he begins to go in the wrong place, but he stops going at that point, waits until he has the opportunity, and goes in the wrong place again, like he's trying to rebel against authority or something. Also, he is very aggressive when it comes to toys, food, pretty much anything. I was trying to fit him with a harness today and he bit my hand. When he gets aggressive with food, Rocky is afraid to eat...they don't share a bowl, but they are in the same room, and Rocky is afraid that Bruiser will attack him if he sees him eating. I've tried verbal commands, holding his mouth closed, putting him in time out...it only seems to make him more aggressive. He is just as aggressive with Jake, which blows my mind, as you'd think that he'd maybe at least obey one of us. He also chews on anything and everything he is not supposed to (power cords and such) and will get extremely aggressive if we try to pull him away from whatever he isn't supposed to be chewing on.

I've been using the same training techniques (treats, praise, cuddles...and I'm pretty patient and will take my time with training) with both dogs, but Bruiser just seems like he is completely out of control. Rocky was already neutered when we got him (he had a congenital defect in his abdomen that needed to be fixed shortly after birth, so they neutered him while under anesthesia), and I'm wondering if this has something to do with the fact that Bruiser has not been neutered yet. We plan to get him neutered in the next month or two, before we start bringing them to the small dog park around the corner from our place. Will this change his demeanor to be a bit more submissive? We love his excited personality, but cannot deal with him being so aggressive and quick to bite. If neutering won't change it, what can I do to teach him to be less aggressive?

Thanks to everyone!

neutering him will most likely help the situation...

Neutering probably will help, but that's just a definite personality thing. Every dog is different. Bruiser sounds like he's just going to be more upkeep and work than Rocky :) Also, he's not being aggressive by what you describe... he's a 16 week old pup and I've never seen a puppy actually be aggressive. I think sometimes people throw the word aggressive around when it's really just rambunctiousness, fear, dominance or something else. It's all part of their play but Bruiser just seems to be more of a dominant personality than Rocky. Were they younger than 12 weeks old when you got them? Sometimes pups that are taken too young from their mothers don't learn proper ways to play and miss out on learning about bite inhibition. If you were to take Bruiser around an adult dog, they would teach them the ropes! Adult dogs won't put up with that puppy stuff and teach other pups how to be social and respectable to other dogs by nipping at them, etc.

I would suggest exercise, exercise and more exercise! A tired dog is a happy dog, in my opinion! :thumbup: Wear Bruiser out!! Take him for long walks, have fun games of fetch and tug, and keep up with the training you're already doing :) If you channel all of his crazy energy into something good, he could be a real smart doggie one day :) He sounds he already is!

Good luck, welcome to YT, hope you stick around! You can learn some great things!

# ONE thing to remember, he is a baby, and #2 he is obviously a type of learner than his brother and you have to find what works for him...

I rarely let 2 pups be adopted at once because of these things, but when I do I only allow it if they take a pup from a different litter than the other one.

While neutering him will help I feel he has some other issues. He is awfully young to be so aggressive. In a case like this I would consult a behavioral trainer.

I would also keep him tethered to you so he cannot just wander off and find a place to piddle. And some dogs just do not train as fast, and do not like wee wee pads or newspaper to go on. I would take him out to do his business. And use the kennel/crate when he cannot be watched. Do not use the crate for punishment or time out or they will learn to hate it.

I would also start feeding them in their crates.

You basically have to start over with the training as if he was a 10 week old puppy and just learning. Don't scold him, only use praise, and treats. A little baby food (meat) on the finger for a after potty treat works great!! That is a super special treat and they remember it..hehe

And again, I do not think your problem with aggression is due to him not being fixed. Being intact does not cause aggression. Especially in a 16 week old puppy. He has not gone through puberty yet, so he has no male hormones effecting him, that comes after 6-8 months of age when they become sexually mature.

Getting him into some puppy classes is the first thing I would do.
good luck;)

This doesn't sound like puppy stuff to me. The puppy BIT her, is food and toy aggressive. This IS aggression that will get worse unless addressed now.

And please re-think the tug game as this only reinforces aggression...

Puppies bite all the time though, and while it needs to addressed and be stopped for certain... I just can't see a 16 week old pup being truly aggressive. I guess we would need a little bit more info. I would have to see a video of the pup in action to know for sure. I mean if a dog is lunging at you and actually physically attacking/biting you, that's aggression, but puppies bite all the time! I got lucky with Jackson because he never really bit but my dad's pup was a terrible biter as a puppy, you couldn't even go near her but she was taken from her mother at 7 weeks old. She wasn't being aggressive, she just didn't know how to properly use her mouth.

I do agree that this needs to be fixed sooner rather than later, and puppy classes sound like an excellent idea. To me, he just sounds like a SUPER rambunctious pup that has a ton of energy that he doesn't know what to do with. Puppies aren't born being aggressive, it's something that they are taught in some way or another. Some are naturally more dominant than others but dominance is a totally different thing than aggression.

Thanks for the responses. With regards to taking both pups for long walks, I plan to start that soon. They have a lot of room to play inside, but I live in Chicago, and it's been very cold and we've had snow on the ground until the end of last week, so I've been hesitant to take them outside as pups in those conditions. We've been around 50 degrees now pretty steadily for the last week or so (but you never know here...we've had snow in April before, nothing phases me anymore hahaha), so I figure now is the time to actually housebreak them and get them used to going outside both for going potty and for walks. I will likely leave a pad down in their play pen area (we've been keeping them cooped up together instead of in separate crates...they bark ALL NIGHT if we do that, they like to cuddle up with one another and it seems to make them happy :)).

I may start feeding them in their crates though...hopefully, Bruiser will then get the point that his food is his, and Rocky's food is Rocky's, and he can't have both bowls of food. Regarding the aggression with food and toys, he is downright scary. I mean, I know he is only 4 pounds right now, but I jump back because I'm afraid he'll lunge at me. They do gnaw on things they shouldn't, and I get that they are puppies and it's normal, but he is actually coming at me/Jake/Rocky (while he's eating) with the intent to bite.

Any suggestions on obedience classes? Are there ones specifically for Yorkies/small dogs, and if so, is there a website that lists them?

Oh, also, they were taken at about 10 weeks, from 2 different litters (same breeder), so I'm wondering if it has to do with genetics as well.

I too have an aggression issue. I need suggestions.............my husband's granddaughter (13) came over today and will be here until tomorrow. I did the right thing and had her give him a couple treats when she first got here so he knows she's not a threat. He's fine as long as she's sitting down (he laid his head on her lap while she petted him. Then when he was sitting with me on the loveseat and she was on the couch, he was growling at her and wanted to jump over there but I would not let him. As soon as she got up and started to walk around, he jumped up on her back legs trying to bite her. He's done this with other people too. So I am leaving his harness and leash on him. We've been telling him "no" every time he jumps up on the back of her legs but he keeps trying to bite her. She's a very soft spoken girl and is afraid of Toby now. And she just looks at him and doesn't talk to him. I'm sure he senses that she's afraid of him and he knows he can dominate her.

I'm assuming it's a dominating thing but how can we break him of this? I don't want to put him on a leash every time we have company (which isn't very often.)

Now I feel like I need to watch is every move while she's here.

Suggestions?

Speed forward about 4 hours.............the granddaughter approaches the back of the loveseat to show me a picture and Toby growled at her and started to lunge towards her. Good thing he is on a leash. How do I correct this unacceptable behaviour?

I want to welcome you to Yorkie Talk.
I'm sorry I can't help with this issue as I don't have experience with it but just wanted to say that you have gotten some good advise here already.
Please come back often and take in all of the information.
There are a lot of very knowledgeable, caring and supportive people on this site.
Good luck and please keep us posted.