shock collar?
 

hello all,

me and my wife have a 1 year old female yorkie. she is the daughter of my parents two yorkies. she was the only surviving pup of her litter, so she grew up as an only child.

she has never been very good with children or other dogs. everytime we pass a little kid or another dog on a walk, my first reaction is to turn around and walk the other way because she always causes a scene, barking, growling and trying to attack the kid/dog.

whenever we take her with us to visit my parents and her mom and dad, she will randomly attack her mom, viciously, usually when her mom is trying to get attention from myself or her wife. she has done the same thing to my wife's parents daschund, attacking him to the point that she left a bleeding gash in his nose.

im posting here cause we don't know what to do to get her to act up. we don't know what the cause is behind her behavior, we think its mostly a combination of growing up being pampered as an only child and being jealous of other dogs/little kids that might steal our attention away.

our vet suggested that maybe we try getting a shock collar for her. has anyone here ever used shock collar training? im basically just looking to get some feedback on it, to see if its the right solution or if i should try something else first

I would NEVER put a shock collar on a Yorkie (nor any breed, but especially a small breed like a Yorkie). I think they are inhumane.

Someone may have some advice for you on the situation, but a shock collar should be a definite NO.

I would invest in one on one training with a trainer. I would never use a shock collar on one of my dogs. It seems cruel to me. I'm sure others on here will have lots of good advice to offer regarding positive reinforcement. Victoria Stilwell is a trainer who uses this method with success, try looking at some of her episodes (Its Me or the Dog) on Animal Planet. In the mean time, good luck.

It is vital to socialize your dog when she is a puppy... Expose her to children and other dogs at a early age so she gets use to it and comfortable. It is harder to do it when the dog is older:eek:
I am surprised that a vet would recommend a shock collar. IMO those things are terrible. Especially for a small breed. I would be looking for a new vet ! NO, I would never consider using one of those :mad: Instead , gradually , work with your dog in short intervals , as soon as she "acts up" remove her from the situation . She has to build confidence and trust.. Use consistency and a whole lot of patience with her. If and when she does respond well , reward her with a small treat. This is very time consuming, but she will eventually catch on .

Never use a schock collar!
Seems she never learnt proper behaviour when meeting dogs or small kids. How does she react when adults approach her? Or bigger dogs?
I would consider training classes, be it one on one with a trainer, obedience class or even the dog park. She needs to socialize.
It will take time and patience; praise when she does well, be very strict when she acts up.
I wish you well.

I have 2 dogs that are not the most well trained. So, the only advice I could give you is run like hell to a new vet.

:thumbup:

I would love to know the thinking of this vet. How would shocking the crud out of a dog get rid of aggression towards other dogs? All it would do is create more of a fear response.

She needs to work with a good trainer who can get to the root causes of the problem and work on a specialized plan to deal with it.

Please DO NOT use a shock collar- they are inhumane- there are ways around it- why don't you try rewarding her good behavior with treat- every yorkie I know is food motivated. Please keep us posted

First off I would suggest that you spay her. The aggression could be due to hormones and the reason that you have 2 females fighting. Females whether they are mother and daughter could and have fought to the death!

As for using a shock collar I would not suggest that route. But I would suggest that you try using the Bark Repeller. It works really well with ultrasonic sound waves. If you do a search on YT there are a lot of good feedback for using it for barking. Recently, I have tried it for behavior when Bogey and Doodlebug like to bit at my feet when I am in the yard. For the $15 including the shipping is might help. But I would also spay her and get her into some training classes.

Dog REPELLER BARK Trainer STOP BARKING! Dog Training! - eBay (item 360300878604 end time Sep-21-10 22:59:40 PDT)

Sounds like the vet needs a shock collar so he/she can be "trained" not to give such advice.
Honestly, the fact that you said that when you see a dog on the street, you turn and walk away, tells me that you have reinforced your dog's behaviors.
I think that instead of a trainer, it sounds like your pup would benefit from an evaluation by a behaviorist.
Good luck!

NO I would never put a shock collar on any dog much less a tiny yorkie..I too would suggest a trainer or training class...they are very smart .. I would also run not walk to a new vet!:(

What about that bark off machine. The one where you put it on the desk and it sends out signals. I don't know if that works but I saw it on a commercial. :confused:

I agree with the responses you have already been given.

Spay her, socialize her & take her for training! I would also look for a new vet.
I would never service a vet that would suggest a shock collar for a Yorkie! :eek:

No Shock Collar on a little neck like that. If you consider one, buy a large one, and wear it, and give yourself a few shocks at the highest level. Socialize, correct, invest in some one and one obedience training. Some Yorkies just do not like Kids. You may want to get a Large Mastiff so the kids have a dog to pet and stand around when you are out and about. No Shock Collar.

shock collar
 

I agree with all of the comments that have been written, and definitely do get a new vet!

I would never use a shock collar on anything!!

The problem is, she is spoiled and she has taken on the roll as pack leader. Invest in Cesar Milan's tapes and books and learn how to become the pack leader.

She sees you as HER poperty rather than she being YOUR property.

A few exercises to get you started. When you put her food bowl down, do not let her eat the food until you tell her that she can. Set the bowl down and guard it from her until she backs off. I use the command WAIT. If they come toward the bowl, I push them back and say WAIT. when they stop trying to get it, I say OK and move away.

Another exercise. Walk toward her and make her back up, blocking her from getting around you.

Take toys away from her, then give them back when she stops trying to grab them. Take her bowl away while she is eating and give it back when she is being nice.

Always eat first, and then feed her. You can even allow her to lick your plate, when you are finished, so she learns that you eat first. Pack leaders always eat first.

Find a new vet. I cannot believe that any vet would think it is OK to use a shock collar on a small breed dog.

[QUOTE=ladyjane;3274030]Sounds like the vet needs a shock collar so he/she can be "trained" not to give such advice.



Great answer!!!




:bravo::eyetearss:number1ri

:yeahthat:

Agree with you Jodi....:)

I bought the "Bark Repellent" (hand held thing that emits a sound in a dog's hearing range I read about here on YT) Stopped the neighbor dogs from barking :D and helps some with my Yorkies; however, it's clear this thing hurts their ears (some) so I suppose it's no different from a shock collar (hurt neck/hurt ears???, thus I try not to use it often) --- though I recently met someone with a Min Pin with a "shock collar" and when I asked if that hurt them, they said theirs doesn't deliver a "shock" rather it just vibrates which stops them from barking. I don't know, we're working on the positive training right now (though it hasn't been that successful thus far) Kendra

I am not an advocate of any kind of repellant or shock collar. I think a dog learns better when they have a positive experience to something rather than a negative experience. JeanieK gives some good advice, and here is some more.

Have children give her treats (very small, enough to eat in one bite only). They don't have to give them from their hands, they can toss the treats in your dog's direction. She will eventually see them as good things as they come near her.

When she snaps at the other dogs, remove her from the room (preferably on leash) and only bring her back when she has calmed down. Each time she snaps, she has to leave. She only gets to come back and stay there when she is behaving herself.

If you're worried about her barking during walks, when you see someone/something approaching that she will bark at, get her attention by using treats and commands like "sit". Have her work her brain so she is too busy to bark at the object or person.

Hiring a positive reinforcement trainer would be a great idea for you (ask them about their methods before you pay them). Negative reinforcement can create a more unconfident dog, and a shock collar is negative reinforcement (so is a spray collar and a bark repellant).

Your dog needs to be socialized more, which is why you're having the problems. You've missed the best time to do it (when she was a puppy) but you can still do so. Hitting her or shocking her for her mistakes is wrong. You failed as her owner in teaching her proper doggie etiquette. Sorry to be harsh, but it's the honest truth.

And, as others have said, find a new vet.

Not use a shock collar!
I think thats cruel, there are ways to make this proplem dissapear without shock collars.
I like to use the Cesar Milan training ways, I use them on my yorkie, and they work really well.
Go to a good dog trainer , get private lessons with her at first then go to lessons where there are other dogs later.
A good vet does not reccomand a shock collar, they reccomand a good dog trainer for you and your yorkie!

Before you go to your parents who have her mom and dad (i think you said they were your parents?) , excercise her well so she is really really tired, more likely that she doesnt attack her parents if she's really tired.
When you get to their house, start by saying good things to her, say like ''good girl!'' and something like that , just say one ''NO!'' when shes showing teeths or anything like that, then right away when she stops doing that , stops showing that she doenst like the dogs, then again say to her like ''good girl'' and something like that, always do that, and have her favorite food with you and give her a treat when shes not acting bad :)
That has worked for me always, then just be patience !
I have been getting a yorkie girl for sleepovers sometimes, i was doggysitting her for 1 and a half month this summer, she HATES other dogs but when i did this she started to be ok with them! instead of growling at them and showing teeths she did nothing at all, then later she started playing with them, it didnt take long for her to learn that.

Good luck! :)

also, i reccomand that you have a muzzle on her at first, for the other dogs safety, then when you think she's ready take it off :)

A Shock collar? Yikes!

Dude, don't do that. If the dog isn't behaving now, do you think he/she will knowing you put that dreaded collar on him/her?

I would not use the shock collar. Why would your vet say that?
Seems he would recommend a trainer.

No shock collar, and no classes (for now). You need a good, certified trainer for one-on-one training. Search at Association of Pet Dog Trainers - Dog Training Resources for a certified trainer. They will use positive reinforcement to desensitize her to other dogs and children. You may never get to where you'd feel comfortable leaving her unsupervised with small children, but she can learn to turn to you for instruction and rewards for ignoring them.

I'd also agree that she should be spayed, and that you need a new vet!

I had a dog-aggressive Kerry Blue Terrier (35 pounds) who's now crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but I know from that experience that my fear when other dogs approached (fear because I'd gotten stitches from breaking up dog fights) got transferred down the leash and greatly increased her aggressive response when she saw other dogs. So be aware that your reaction will also affect her reaction.

But you need a trainer, quickly.

The OP hasn't been back on since the day of the post. I hope he didn't start using the shock collar!