6+ years old, had it up to here - need help.

[megansmomma]

I think I remember you from a couple of years ago. Same type of issues, posting style, hitting your dog.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/tra...-opinions.html

[Luvdogs2]

Originally Posted by boopster

Maybe I got up on the wrong side of the bed, but I have the feeling you are trying to be the alpha over both your fiancée and her dog. Quote " I'm not letting it into our house...". Pardon me, but this is the 21st century and these days marriage is generally supposed to be a partnership, not a caveman thing.

I need to point something out here, I'm not a caveman and I didn't say "MY house" I said "OUR house" and because we will be a married couple, we either agree on something or it doesn't happen. I'm not buying new furniture or remodeling to have an animal pee or poop all over it! I'm especially not buying new furniture or remodeling to have an animal pee or poop all over it because the "mother" of the animal won't train it properly or follow some simple instructions to help get this under control.

I need to explain further here, the dog is out when my fiance is home and does not get out while she is at work or bed time. She takes it to the dog park and does take it out, but my fiance is not sensible on this ownership or training.

The dog has a good quality of life, just a poor trainer for 6+ years. The dog needs an overhaul or she's going "over the fence" soon. (over the fence as in finding another home.)

[kjc]

Hi and Welcome to YT!

Hmmmm... where to start???

Okay: You are not blind, you do see where the current state of affairs involving this Yorkie is not optimal, and that what you all are doing is not working.

Just an observation: Throughout your post, you repeatedly refer to the Yorkie as 'it' and your intended as 'the fiance'. I see this as possibly a problem with commitment.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, at least you came here asking for help.

And for advice... a bit more history on your Yorkie would be helpful. But I can offer some thoughts on generalities.

I am assuming Winter Break is coming up, so maybe you both will have a block of time to get a handle on your situation. Graduating soon... is that months? or years?

First, you both need to fully commit to owning and helping this dog. And I mean this dog stays and has a home no matter what. If you both cannot make this level of commitment, your Yorkie will sense it and may continue to act out accordingly. You described a 'sneak attack' ... that was her trying to show you love, Yorkies don't 'attack' with their tongues. This tells me she is too intimidated by you when you are awake, so she tried when you were in a less frightening position, (laying down, eyes closed).

Your fiance needs to accept you completely as co-owner, and must be willing to let you be an active part of this dog's life. You must both be on the same page with the dog's schedule and training methods.

I am going to stop here, and wait for your feedback, as I feel I may be wasting my time, if you all can't agree on what I've said so far. If that is the case then I would recommend turning her over to a Rescue organization, not a shelter or the pound. Rescues retrain them and prepare them for new homes, many, but not all shelters and pounds just pass the dog on with the same problems to another unsuspecting family.

I will tell you this. The behavior you are describing is a direct result of this dog never bonding emotionally with her human(s) and vice-versa, when she's out, she doesn't know right from wrong, and is greatly confused as to what is expected of her. Yorkies are very different than other dogs, and your techniques that may have been successful with other breeds will not work with her.

[Luvdogs2]

Originally Posted by Ringo1

An entire page of ranting and I still don't know your dog's name. Can I ask why you refer to her as 'it"? Your antagonism towards her is palpable.

No offense, but I have not used names to protect anonymity. "the dog" "the fiance" and lack of signature...

I'm just keeping it general to keep it anonymous.

[Luvdogs2]

Originally Posted by megansmomma

I think I remember you from a couple of years ago. Same type of issues, posting style, hitting your dog.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/tra...-opinions.html

Nope, I have never been to this forum.

[gemy]

Originally Posted by kjc

Hi and Welcome to YT!


First, you both need to fully commit to owning and helping this dog. And I mean this dog stays and has a home no matter what. If you both cannot make this level of commitment, your Yorkie will sense it and may continue to act out accordingly. You described a 'sneak attack' ... that was her trying to show you love, Yorkies don't 'attack' with their tongues. This tells me she is too intimidated by you when you are awake, so she tried when you were in a less frightening position, (laying down, eyes closed).

Your fiance needs to accept you completely as co-owner, and must be willing to let you be an active part of this dog's life. You must both be on the same page with the dog's schedule and training methods.

I am going to stop here, and wait for your feedback, as I feel I may be wasting my time, if you all can't agree on what I've said so far. If that is the case then I would recommend turning her over to a Rescue organization, not a shelter or the pound. Rescues retrain them and prepare them for new homes, many, but not all shelters and pounds just pass the dog on with the same problems to another unsuspecting family.

I will tell you this. The behavior you are describing is a direct result of this dog never bonding emotionally with her human(s) and vice-versa, when she's out, she doesn't know right from wrong, and is greatly confused as to what is expected of her. Yorkies are very different than other dogs, and your techniques that may have been successful with other breeds will not work with her.

Awh kjc that part I highlight brought tears to my eyes. Of course Yorkies don't attack with their tongues, actually no dogs do.

But I do find it interesting the OP hasn't been back to post in hours, yet his ID seems to show him on YT.

[Luvdogs2]

Ladies and gents,

I'll start off by addressing the hitting thing - it's not like I spent the night punting the dog like a football or spent a half out just pounding it like that bag hanging at head height in Rocky. Some (or many) of you may disagree with this method, but I have stepped up to this from being dismissive on violence and positive reinforcement to getting into a primitive psyche of "good behavior, good actions and bad behavior, bad actions."

The dog is loved, the dog is cared for and the dog has a great quality of life. One would think there is a child living in this apartment with all the toys laying around and the dog has human interaction constantly when people are home - just not when I'm studying because I can't effectively read or do homework when I have to keep an eye on the dog.

I would not want to be put in a position where I would have to decide between my dog and my fiance, but come on - if I wasn't going to do the necessary training or use common sense to address the situation, I would expect my fiance to have the same reaction.

Bottom line, there is a dog out here that is misbehaving regularly and I want to make it better but I can't get the fiance to commit to helping the situation.

Speaking out about my future kids or hitting the dog - thank you for the opinion, but it's circumventing the whole reason why I'm here.

I've told the fiance that I'm about to sign her up for a trainer and obedience school. One thing I have found is those trainers don't train the dog, they train the owner...and the fiance needs to be taught how to do this. Don't respond telling me I have to go because I don't know what I'm doing - if you seen how my dog at home behaves and acts, you'd have a much different opinion on how effective I am with my training.

P.S. I can't post till a moderator approves since I'm a new account. I don't know how this post made it up, there are about 5 responses to individual posts that need to be put up. I'm not lashing out, just responses. I don't know what the deal is.

[tammy8833]

it sounds like neither one of the "owners" are interested in the dog
it was a cute buy for the gf and she apparently never didnt anything with it and it sounds like they have way to much going on in their life to be responsible for a dog right now.
i will have to agree with everyone else and advise to rehome the pup to someone with the time and patience who can unwind all the negative behavior its learned over time.

[Luvdogs2]

Ok, I'd like to make this easier so I'm asking those with experience (which is why I'm here to begin with) so everyone can be happy and live out the days with this dog and enjoy the life while it is here.

1. Bathroom in the house with no hint or expression the dog needs to go.
2. Getting on the table or into things and tearing them up.
3. Biting.
4. Growling and snapping inside the kennel when I walk by to go to bed.

Your ideas, responses and suggestions are all welcome.

[gemy]

Originally Posted by Luvdogs2

Ladies and gents,

I'll start off by addressing the hitting thing - it's not like I spent the night punting the dog like a football or spent a half out just pounding it like that bag hanging at head height in Rocky. Some (or many) of you may disagree with this method, but I have stepped up to this from being dismissive on violence and positive reinforcement to getting into a primitive psyche of "good behavior, good actions and bad behavior, bad actions."

The dog is loved, the dog is cared for and the dog has a great quality of life. One would think there is a child living in this apartment with all the toys laying around and the dog has human interaction constantly when people are home - just not when I'm studying because I can't effectively read or do homework when I have to keep an eye on the dog.

I would not want to be put in a position where I would have to decide between my dog and my fiance, but come on - if I wasn't going to do the necessary training or use common sense to address the situation, I would expect my fiance to have the same reaction.

Bottom line, there is a dog out here that is misbehaving regularly and I want to make it better but I can't get the fiance to commit to helping the situation.

Speaking out about my future kids or hitting the dog - thank you for the opinion, but it's circumventing the whole reason why I'm here.

I've told the fiance that I'm about to sign her up for a trainer and obedience school. One thing I have found is those trainers don't train the dog, they train the owner...and the fiance needs to be taught how to do this. Don't respond telling me I have to go because I don't know what I'm doing - if you seen how my dog at home behaves and acts, you'd have a much different opinion on how effective I am with my training.

P.S. I can't post till a moderator approves since I'm a new account. I don't know how this post made it up, there are about 5 responses to individual posts that need to be put up. I'm not lashing out, just responses. I don't know what the deal is.

Thank you for posting again. Obedience/training school is very good, and yes you are very right the good trainers will train the owners to train the dog.

I will share with you now, I am a large breed owner, and this breed has needs unique to them, and training unique to them. I can not train Razz as I do my large breed dogs. He has at times made my go crazy with his barking, that command is still a work in progress!

This dog is at most 7 pounds if it is within breed standard or at the most 15 lbs... a SMALLL DOG. A small dog, that can get traumatized with hits, and too forcefull of a correction. And trust me when I say I am a strict disciplinarian with my big dogs, but the route I take with them, is not the route I take with my Razz man. BTW my big dogs either weigh as much as I do or more.

You need to step up to the plate. This is the "woman" you want to share your life with. Well guess what she comes with a YORKIE. Who was there when you met her. Be part of the solution.

Offer solutions. Look I will take YorkieXXXX out for an am walk. When I take my study breaks at night, I will take her for a 15 minute walk. You do need a break from studying right???? Let's reduce the food. Feed her so that we you or I can take her for a walk about 30 minutes after feeding.

Not sure why we still don't know the name of this Yorkie


Please commit to solving the problem, be that a rehoming, a re-evaluating and commitment to this pup, a discussion with your fiance as to how you can EFFECTIVELY help the situation.

[Luvdogs2]

GHAAAAA!!! *that is frustration because it seems like some responses are much like the dogs actions, failure to listen* THIS IS NOT DIRECTED AT YOU GEMY

The dog is well cared for, the dog is loved, the dog is played with, the dog has attention when people are home, JUST NOT WHEN I'M HOME AND I'M STUDYING. It is impossible to do complex differential equations or Fourier analysis on damping of an oscillating beam with natural frequencies to develop resonance for design criteria when you have a dog that likes to sneak around the corner and crap or pee on the floor!!

Other than that, the dog is allowed out and to run around the apartment, but has to stay within eye shot.

The dog has been hit twice for biting me 3 times...and they weren't even hard hits - just a progression from negative reinforcement to a few swats on the nose with an open hand.

I'm here for help, not ridicule. If I'm doing something wrong, don't tell me I'm wrong and walk away - show me where I'm wrong and how to do it right!! I'm here for help!

[boopster]

Hitting the dog even once is NOT acceptable.

I was feeling bad about being too hard on you but not now. You have serious issues here. Yorkies and other small breeds are so different in so many ways that even if you are an expert at big dogs, you have a lot to learn. Trust me, I have learned this myself. I read hundreds of posts about Yorkie training here and kept thinking to myself that the info didn't apply to me because I have raised so many well mannered dogs. I was wrong, and you need to admit to yourself that you are wrong too.

Do you think piles of toys prove that a dog is loved? HE&& NO! What proves that a dog is loved is the dog itself - a well mannered and affectionate dog. A dog that age that can't behave has not been given the right kind of attention.

You both need to go to someone who knows how to train small dogs. bOTH of you - not just your nameless fiancée. Let me ask you this... If you have an engineering problem that doesn't work out, do you assume you're right and beat it into submission? Or do you think you may have made a miscalculation or need to try a different approach? Same thing applies to living things... If what you're doing is not working, you need to rethink what you're doing - not blame the other being.

You might also get more cooperation from your fiancée if you offered to help by both of you going to a class instead of telling her what you're going to make her do.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Luvdogs2

GHAAAAA!!! *that is frustration because it seems like some responses are much like the dogs actions, failure to listen* THIS IS NOT DIRECTED AT YOU GEMY

The dog is well cared for, the dog is loved, the dog is played with, the dog has attention when people are home, JUST NOT WHEN I'M HOME AND I'M STUDYING. It is impossible to do complex differential equations or Fourier analysis on damping of an oscillating beam with natural frequencies to develop resonance for design criteria when you have a dog that likes to sneak around the corner and crap or pee on the floor!!

Other than that, the dog is allowed out and to run around the apartment, but has to stay within eye shot.

The dog has been hit twice for biting me 3 times...and they weren't even hard hits - just a progression from negative reinforcement to a few swats on the nose with an open hand.

I'm here for help, not ridicule. If I'm doing something wrong, don't tell me I'm wrong and walk away - show me where I'm wrong and how to do it right!! I'm here for help!

Smart dog. I would not listen to someone who hit me either. You can compare me to a dog all day long. That will not change my opinion of your statements.
You hit a small dog and I find that reprehensible...fist or open hand.
Help? I have help for you. Go to counseling and figure out why you cannot control yourself and feel a need hit small dogs because they "don't listen to you". I am not going to listen to you either. I stand by what I have said. You are not drawing me into this game.

[Luvdogs2]

booper,

I appreciate your input, but you are basing your opinions on brief posts and I don't believe you are reading 100%.

The dog has human interaction with such toys.

I agree 100% though, a dog that age should not be acting this way - and I credit it to my fiance and her training and such. I would love for her to read your post because her immediate response would be to give you a laundry list of excuses rather than think about why the situation persists.

I have offered 100 different solutions for taking care of this, and I'm being met with resistance from my fiance. I have even used the problem solving in engineering to back up my claims. If it doesn't work or you don't get the proper solution, step back into the problem solving and make adjustments....I get the "I don't have time for that" or "it's fine"

Well, no - actually, it isn't fine.

I'll ask everyone to look past the hitting part. It's done, it happened, lets move on and focus on the real problem at hand...otherwise I'll be tempted to come to your place and hit your dog. (bad joke)

In all seriousness though, I want this problem fixed and I want a dog I can trust 100%. Yes, my fiance comes with a dog - but the dog is broken and needs to be fixed. I need help, that's what I'm here for.

[Luvdogs2]

ladyjane,

please don't post in my thread anymore. Your response was of ridicule and of no positive help - it is apparent you are here to stir the pot rather than be an active part of helping the situation like your colleagues here. If you feel like helping, then do so...if you feel like poking the bear, please leave.