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

[Beamers Mom]

Originally Posted by Luvdogs2

Beamers mom - How about we maintain some focus and actively participate in a positive manner here. If you have nothing to offer, then you have really no business here don't you think? You have made a post about your feelings, great...how about mine and the problem I have on hand? I'd hardly call a dog that was used to kill rats and rodents a "Defenseless" dog - especially when she drew blood and continues to be aggressive - but oddly enough, she won't bite me anymore, however I do believe that given the chance she will...or maybe the swats on the nose has taught a lesson....but that's not something I enjoyed or will be repeating, which is why I'm here.

I'll offer the same advice to you - either proactively help and enter the dialogue or find another thread to discuss your feelings in. It would be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

I care more about the dog's feelings than yours. And if I want to post my feelings in this or any other thread I will.
Dogs do have feelings. I have dealt with many rescues and have seen what hitting a dog for bad behaviour does. I have no time for anyone who would hit a dog! Now if my opinion upsets you - too bad!

[DamSweet]

Originally Posted by MyTrixie143

After reading through all of your posts I can see some reasons as to why you are having such difficulty with training her.

First she came from a puppymill and she has all the signs of one. Puppy mill dogs are often twice as hard to potty train as they are caged up all the time and taught to go there. Breaking that habit is hard.
In addition they many times end up with behavior issues due to lack of socialization.

You will have to treat the situation like you just got a new puppy as she needs totally retrained.

Like mentioned before you need to come up with a regular feeding and potty schedule.
When you are taking her out tell her "let's go potty" or something similar. Do this every time so she will catch on and will later recognize the phrase and know what is expected.

Don't keep her outside for a half hour. She will forget what she is out there for. Give her 10 minutes to go potty. If she doesn't go bring her back inside making sure you are watching her so there isn't an accident. Take her back outside to try again in 5 minutes. Repeat the process until she goes. When she does go praise her and reward her. Positive reinforcement goes a lot further than negative reinforcement.

As for her biting, it sounds like she is hand shy, atleast with men. Of course if you had someone 10 times bigger than you reaching down to you, you might do the same.

You need to win her trust over. Just like respect, trust is earned.

Sit on the floor and toss her treats every so often and talk to her gently. Start tossing the treat right by her than gradually work up to where she has to come close by you for the treat. Don't make her take the treat from your hand until she is ready as after all it is the hand she fears. Encourage her to come to you, don't go to her, you need to go at her pace not yours. It takes a lot of time and patience but that is how you win her trust over.

Please never hit her again. Dogs have a good memory and the fact that you have hit her in the past means it will take even longer for her to get over it and be able to trust you. If you feel you must absolutely punish her, put her in a short 5 minute time out. Time outs work wonders with dogs. It teaches them what they did wrong but unlike hitting would do, it doesn't make them fear you.

If she bites you, say "yipe" or "ouch" in a high pitched tone and walk away ignoring her. Don't correct her with any negative reinforcement as it will only encourage the behavior. She left her mother and siblings too early to be taught proper bite inhabitation.
Have you ever watched a litter of puppies play?
When one gets too rough the puppy yelps and stops playing with the other pup. This sends the message, either you be nice or I'm not going to pay any attention to you. Since dogs are pack animals they crave our affection and attention. They soon learn biting will get them nowhere.

For food guarding, this is also a sign of a puppy mill dog.
You need to teach her the "leave it" command. Give the command and lure her away from her chew or food with a toy, treat or distraction. Once she leaves it, pick it up, praise and reward her. And then give her the treat back in a few minutes. Kinda like a time out for the treat if that makes sense.

Practice this several times a day. She needs to learn that A) when she acts badly when she has a treat it will be taken away from her for awhile B) when she gives it up willingly she will be rewarded and will eventually get the treat back.

My cocker spaniel had severe food aggression when I got her. Today she has none and willingly shares her food and treats with the others.
She was the runt in the litter of several pups and I believe she had to fight for her food to get any.
This resulted in any time another dog so much as went by her bowl she would attack them.
I used the above method and she soon realized that when she behaved she got to enjoy her treat, when she didn't it was taken away for a time. And once she figured it out that she would always get the treat/food back (even if another took it) she was alright.
If you had to fight for your food you wouldn't want anyone near it either. But once you learned that no matter what you always got it back you wouldn't be so inclined to fight or be nasty for it.

And since she is inclined to sneak off to mess somewhere or get into something, again treat her like you would with a puppy. Until she is completely trained, don't let her out of your sight.

Make sure she is getting plenty of exercise, play and mental stimulation. A bored dog is likely to be destructive as they have nothing else to do.

Also the less crate time, the better. If she is too distracting for you when you are trying to study, give her something to occupy her such as a kong stuffed with peanut butter or a toy that challenges her. Something that will hold her interest for awhile.

I would also consider an exercise pen. They aren't expensive and it would give her more freedom than a crate but not enough to where she would be getting into things. If you had to lay in a small space all day you would probably be bored and destructive as well.






Yes you are wrong. You give dogs too much credit, they don't have vindictive minds like us humans.
Have you ever really considered why she would do this? What is the common factor?
That would be one of you leaves. She is showing signs of separation anxiety. Some dogs pace, some bark, some are destructive and others have accidents.

This one will take a lot of time to fix. First don't make a big deal out of leaving. Practice leaving for very short periods of time. Gradually increase the time you are gone. When you get back, don't make a huge deal out of it. Even if she had an accident, this will just increase her anxiety.
Ignore her for the first few minutes. When she is more calm and relaxed then you can pet her or give her a treat. This teaches her that a calm behavior gives her rewards while any negative behavior produces nothing.


I do believe your dog can be trained however you and your fiancee need to be on the same page. You both need to use the same techniques and consistency otherwise her training will take twice as long and just end up confusing her. You also both need to be completely dedicated to working with her on this so that all three of you can live a happy normal life.


Good luck with your training and remember to be consistent, patient and reward with treats and praise as positive reinforcement will get you a far better outcome.

Wonderful post - I've been a member and owned by a Yorkie for less than a year so I have no advice to give but I have read all the responses and once the "dust settled" this is exactly the kind of response I've learned to expect from YT!

[Luvdogs2]

Originally Posted by DamSweet

Wonderful post - I've been a member and owned by a Yorkie for less than a year so I have no advice to give but I have read all the responses and once the "dust settled" this is exactly the kind of response I've learned to expect from YT!

I hear you. I'm no newbie when it comes to forum activity so I'm pretty familiar with keyboard commandos and trolls along with all varying forms of patrons. My ignore list is getting a bit bigger, but the important information is making it's way here too.

DamSweet, have you had any experiences that sound familiar to mine or is it a whole different ball game in your home?

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by Luvdogs2

Another excellent post. This is great stuff. I hadn't thought about the treat for calm behavior either.

Getting the dog to leave the toy/treat/chewy....I don't know where to start on this one... NOT FROM EXPERIENCE - but I think you could swing her around your head before she would break the death grip of the toy/treat while growling and showing teeth.

Does she comes to you in a friendly matter if you call her name (which is what btw)? Or does she avoid you all together unless she has no choice?

Siting on the ground and throwing treats to her is a good idea to get her to come to you. She starts to associate you with food, which gives her happy feelings, and eventually she'll associate those happy feelings with you. If she is scared of you there are some things you can do to make you appear less threatening to her: Don't look her directly in the eye. sit cross legged on the floor and make yourself small and non threatening. having your body turned sideways toward her also makes you appear less threatening. just toss the treats to her and don't say anything or look at her. toss the treats closer and closer to yourself until she has to actually take it from your hand.

Teach her the Drop It command by making a game out of it. Here is a link to some training tips from Victoria Stilwell Victoria's Tips A-Z : Videos : Animal Planet Scroll down to the bottom and count up to the 6th video. it shows the drop it/take it game. There are also 30 other video's there that might be of some help to you

[kjc]

Vindictive behavior... IDK... sounds like she just really wants to be with you and/ or your fiancee. Maybe take her out to the car once or twice so she can see and understand what's going on when you run out to the car for something forgotten, and verbally tell her what you're doing. (some dogs understand language better than others), and then try not taking her to see if it still upsets her, but tell her where you're going and that you'll be right back. Whenever she is good... remember to treat her.

Try taking her into the gas station pay place to let her see where it is you're going. Maybe seeing will help her understand?

You both are her world, she can only learn and experience things you allow her access to. She may be bored and if she feels unbonded with you, it can cause her unresonable stress. I think when the bond becomes more reliable and stronger, her behavior may improve.

And this may seem silly, but I feel inclined to include it here:

Every night, before bed, the very last thing you do, is hold her on your lap, and tell her she is a good dog. I don't care if you had the day from h*ll with her, forgive her and say those words. Hold her for 5 or 10 minutes and say good things to her, in your calmest voice. Tell her she's the prettiest dog in the world. And the best dog ever. And that you don't care what she does, you will love her forever.

She will hear you, and you will hear yourself, and in time, you will mean it, and she'll believe you.

[Ringo1]

Originally Posted by kalina82

ok, so i think we've all come to the conclusion that hitting the dog is the wrong thing to do. I know you were angry because the dog bit you but please try to refrain from using a physical reprimand next time. Lesson learned (hopefully) and moving forward!


I don't doubt that you can train a dog to do what you want (hopefully with positive re-enforcement) but I'm guessing these were all larger working type breeds since you lived on a farm. Those types of dogs were bred to listen to people and do a job. A yorkie on the other hand is not a working breed, they are now a companion breed. A long time ago they were ratters, I believe, and most still retain the need to chase down critters and kill them (even if that "critter" is now a piece of paper on your table). Also, yorkies are known for being very hard to house break and it takes a long time for them to be 100% successful. That is why some people opt to have potty pads in the house or in the dogs pen so they have somewhere to potty if needed when nobody is home.

I believe you can train your fiancee's yorkie but both people in this relationship have to be working on the same page. You cannot be doing one thing, and your fiancee another. You two need to sit down and write up a schedule for feeding, walking, playing, etc... I understand you do not want to be looking after the dog while you are studying because you need to concentrate on your work. There is nothing wrong with that. However, i do think attention should be given to her when you come home from work/school for at least a half hour before you start your studying.

Also, about the food, since she is not housebroken she needs to be on a feeding schedule which correlates with a potty schedule. No more free feeding and no more over feeding. She's pooping so much because she's getting way to much to eat (unless she is a very large yorkie). You need to treat your adult yorkie like she is a new puppy. Here is a schedule you should adopt and make work with your situation.

Morning:
-When you wake up in the morning the FIRST thing you do is take the pup outside. At this point she will probably only pee which is fine, but if you think she has to poop then stay out there with her on a leash until she does her business.
- After a successful morning potty she gets free rein for a little bit. Then its into her enclosed area for breakfast time. During this time you should be getting ready for work while she eats and digests. After you're finished getting ready but before you leave for work you need to take her back outside to potty again. This time she most definitely should poop and pee.
-When you leave for work and no one else is awake or home to watch her she needs to go back into her enclosed area.

Late morning/afternoon:
-During the day she'll need to go outside every few hours. If she's in her area for a while and someone wakes up or comes home, she needs to be taken outside at once. If she has a successful potty then she gets free rein for a little while as long as she can be watched. This way accidents can be prevented. If she does manage to have one, then its your fault because no one was paying attention to her. Clean up the mess and move on. Do not scold her, hit her, or rub her face in it. She's already done it and won't associate the yelling with her peeing/pooping on the floor a few minutes ago. If you catch her while she's doing it then you can correct her. Clap your hands and say "No" to startle her, then quickly take her outside to finish.
-Basically she needs to go outside after being in the crate for a few hours, after eating, after playing, and after sleeping. Dogs are just like babies for the most part. they eat, sleep, poop, and play.

Evening:
-Dinner is the same as breakfast.
-Free rein after potty time after dinner until bed time. Depending on what time she eats dinner and what time you go to bed she may need to go out a few times.
-Right before you go to bed she needs to go outside, then put in her crate for bed time.
-when fiancee comes home at midnight she should probably take her outside again because she will be woken up from sleeping and probably have to pee again

Crate/Ex-pen Time:
-She needs to be given as much attention as possible when you are home because both of you work and/or go to school. play with her, walk her, cuddle with her, tire her out basically...
-If you are home and cannot watch her for whatever reason (studying) she should go into her enclosed area. This way she won't have an accident. Set her up for success, not failure.

Tips:
-Buy an ex-pen to give her a larger area to spend all those hours in while no one is home. This way you can put a wee wee pad in there that she will hopefully use. Also put a bed, some toys, and a bowl of water in there.
-Take her for long walks. If she is exercised properly she will be happy and tired, which will make her less likely to get into mischief.

Now for the biting issue. What were you doing right before the dog bit you? Were you trying to get close to your fiancee while the dog was sitting with her (bed, couch, kitchen table)? Were you just walking by and not even paying attention to her? Were you trying to leash her up to take her outside? There is a reason she bit you, even if you can't figure it out. Tell us what happened and maybe we can shed some light. I agree that a trainer is a great investment. You BOTH need to see the trainer with the dog so that you will both be using the same methods of training.

The situation right now between your fiancee, the dog, and yourself is not a good one, but you already know that. If you BOTH can commit yourselves to finding a solution then you can make it work. However, if you BOTH can't agree with what needs to be done then PLEASE, for the dogs sake, give her to a yorkie rescue. They will be able to find her a home with people who have more time for her so that she can be properly trained and have a happy life.

Oh and as for the dog biting children, i agree that it should NOT be acceptable. Even if the child did something to provoke the bite (intentionally or unintentionally), the dog should be re-homed because it is an unsafe living situation for both the child and the dog. Yorkies are little and some kids just cannot be trusted with tiny creatures.

That is my honest opinion. Make of it what you will.

Kalina has given you excellent advice and a good schedule to follow. You will have to start all over with the training. In additional Kalina's excellent advice ~ I would add to really praise her when she used the bathroom outside. The second she is through with her business - praise, praise, praise. Have a PARTY, tell her what a GOOD GIRL she is and have some REALLY GOOD treats. Not just the any ho hum treats; but treats that she loves and rarely gets.
This is my failsafe method for getting Lucy back on track.

In addition, if she is biting or growling at you - you may want to take over the feeding for a while so that she will associate you with GOOD things and not bad things (like hitting).

Another thing you can try while you search for a trainer is "Nothing in Life is Free". This is a gentle way of every day - reinforcing that you and your fiance are the Alphas and worth following as well.

I'd attach the link but I forgot how. You can google 'NILF".

[DamSweet]

Originally Posted by Luvdogs2

I hear you. I'm no newbie when it comes to forum activity so I'm pretty familiar with keyboard commandos and trolls along with all varying forms of patrons. My ignore list is getting a bit bigger, but the important information is making it's way here too.

DamSweet, have you had any experiences that sound familiar to mine or is it a whole different ball game in your home?

Not totally different - but I think that I pretty much knew what to expect when I decided to get Bridget - I knew there would be difficult areas - potty training - at the top of the list. Bridget trained very easily (bless her heart). She is pee pad trained - she has (had - she now has a room mate) her own room which is gated. She is gated while I'm at work or anytime I need to leave the house. She is now 1 year old and I wouldn't hesitate to let her have free run of the house if it weren't for the things she could get into that would be harmful (jumping off furniture for example). Greta, who is our new girl, is having a hard time with the potty training - I have lined my hall (her favorite spot to "go") with pee pads, and she will walk over them or find the one place where the carpet is not covered and use that. I did order an indoor potty system - hoping the "grass" will attract her. She was used to going outdoors at her other home - but this is Erie, PA and the winters are not little dog friendly. Right now she thinks the pee pads have been put there for her entertainment - but she'll get it, it took me a long time to potty train my son - and I don't expect anything less from Greta. Not to mention, I'm sure that she "smells" Bridgets accidents on the carpet, which I'm sure is not helping.
Bridget went through some posessive issues - food, toys, and me. She snapped a few times when I tried to take a treat from her. I know - its her treat - but I have a grandson who was just 8 months old at the time, and I had to be sure she wouldn't bite him if he approached her. I as I would take one treat from her - I would replace it with something else she liked - so she didn't feel like she was "losing" anything. She would also growl and jump on my older grandson, and my fiance when either would come near me - but only if she were there first. They learned to distract her by playing with her for a few seconds first. It made it all about her - and not so much about me, and she associated them coming over to us with having fun. I was very nervous about getting Greta, because Bridget did seem so posessive and definately the "alpha" - but they both have two different personalities (Greta is much more easy going and laid back than Bridget)so it has worked out well.
Not having children....and not being a woman, I'm not sure you'll understand - but it's like having children......the outcome far outways the pain of the labor.

Good luck - and hang in there....it will happen when you least expect it. (I've learned not to expect it - so when it happened it was a pleasant surprise). Relax and enjoy her - I guarantee - she'll make you smile at least a million times a day!

[Luvdogs2]

One problem I see is the fiance is going to resist some of this... like taking over feeding. I REALLY want to do this because I'm not convinced she isn't over feeding her and not sticking to a schedule.

Usually, the one that brings the gold, makes the rules - and I see Bdog not listening to me on part that I'm not the one that feeds her. I work with her, I am trying to establish a role here, and the dog doesn't seem to mind.

I'll be the first to admit when I'm wrong so here are some ideas that I've been handling incorrectly.

1. I take her out to do business and stay there till she does. Apparently, this isn't correct. I see why now, but before, I was just trying to associate going outside meant using the bathroom and by making her go would alleviate the need to do so indoors.

2. Time in the crate. I thought by my research that spending the time in there would benefit more to the Bdog so she can associate getting out of the crate means going straight outside for the bathroom before being played with....like "business first, play later."

3. Scolding and saying "No" I was always under the impression good behavior, good responses - bad behavior, bad responses to reinforce the good behavior and make bad behavior less desirable.

4. Cheerios - not so much that I was wrong, but I completely forgot those delicious O's and how much of a healthy and good treat for the training.


I'm going to hold onto the name for a bit longer. The nature of the business I own is directly involved with Government and I don't want any personal issues being brought into or disrupting my professional career beyond my Engineering.

KJC, in the beginning of our relationship, I told my fiance once that I went over to the apartment and got Bdog out and took her for a ride. When I told the fiance I took her to Fed Ex so I could ship some packages - a look of horror went across her face and she asked what I did. Confused, I asked what the heck she was talking about and I got the explanation that Bdog hates being left in the car and will crap right there on the center console or seat - and she was amazed that she didn't do that to me.

I'll start putting in some extra time with the lap ideas and having some soul merging (I couldn't think of another word or phrase for "bonding" - hahaha). I can't do the sleep and let her roam though...I don't like being woken up with a dog's tongue in my mouth...Fiance - yes....Bdog - no. I don't mind dogs licking my hands, face or whatever decent - but they can lick their tail ends and with that, I'd rather not have it in my mouth. (for the record I said "Sneak Attack because I seen her try a few times when I heard her creeping up...like a stealthy indian in the night, she was out for a mission)

Thanks everyone.

[kjc]

To get the chew stick from her, you may need two of them. Give her one, then ask for it, or do the 'Drop it' command. When she refuses, show her the 2nd one, and see if she'll go for it. Hopefully, you'll be able to get the first from her while giving her the second. Yes, it's a trade off, but it will help lessen her possessiveness. If she's the same way with squeaky toys, Hide-a-Squirrel is a great toy as it comes with 3 identical squirrels. (also comes in other varieties)

[Luvdogs2]

Originally Posted by kjc

To get the chew stick from her, you may need two of them. Give her one, then ask for it, or do the 'Drop it' command. When she refuses, show her the 2nd one, and see if she'll go for it. Hopefully, you'll be able to get the first from her while giving her the second. Yes, it's a trade off, but it will help lessen her possessiveness. If she's the same way with squeaky toys, Hide-a-Squirrel is a great toy as it comes with 3 identical squirrels. (also comes in other varieties)

Hahahaha, you might laugh...but she's good at holding two in her mouth. I've seen her corral 3 chew treats, but two of them have to be getting small for her to do it.

I'm not saying it can't be done, but she's smart and I've tried this before...not saying that repetition isn't key here, but it's funny you said that because I started laughing thinking about how quick she is.

[DvlshAngel985]

Just curious, does the B stand for anything in particular? Cute name though, but if you had said Bdog without specifying she's a well, she, I would have thought you had a little boy dog.

[Luvdogs2]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

Just curious, does the B stand for anything in particular? Cute name though, but if you had said Bdog without specifying she's a well, she, I would have thought you had a little boy dog.

Bdog came from an earlier thread patron because of my reluctance to share names at this time. I've been calling her that since I came home.

My Blue Heeler at home has the name "puppers" for a pet name...Bdog has been getting called "Buh-dog" tonight and will probably stick.

Like when I'm taking her outside "come on Buh-dog, let's go outside and go potty"

[DamSweet]

Not that any one really cares what I think - but I wanted to give a round of applause to "Kalina82", MyTrixie143", and "KJC" for turning this thread around - there was some great information given here, and I've learned a few things as well - so thank you for that. You have given possibly the "saving grace" to something that started off pretty ugly.
Way to go YorkieTalk!!

Just wanted to say that!

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by Luvdogs2

Bdog came from an earlier thread patron because of my reluctance to share names at this time. I've been calling her that since I came home.

My Blue Heeler at home has the name "puppers" for a pet name...Bdog has been getting called "Buh-dog" tonight and will probably stick.

Like when I'm taking her outside "come on Buh-dog, let's go outside and go potty"

Cute! If you keep saying it she will learn the command. I tell Kaji, "you need to go pipis?" If we're outside, you better believe he's lifting his leg on a tree. If inside and no piddle pad, he's waiting at the door waiting to be let out. They're smart little stinkers!

[QuickSilver]

One other word on Leave It / Drop It - start out with something she isn't going to defend with her life. I think people have already told you to try feeding a little bit at a time so she is looking to you (or whoever is feeding her) to give her more, not guarding what she already has.

Personally, I would not give any chews that she snarls over right now. I would try to find things she enjoys, but is less passionate about. Work your way back to things she holds most dear.