LF>Territorial Aggression Assistance
 

Hello everyone!

My family and I adopted 3-4 year old (we're unsure the exact age) yorkie back in May. He has had two homes before coming to this one and we have very limited knowledge about which each where like. We think he was with a sixteen year old girl for his first two years of life, but she was put into foster care so Max was given to a family member who had him for 10 months. They could not watch him anymore due to his behavior and the fact that this household had very small children that – we believe – taunted him.

While Max is a very lovable dog who is deeply fond of affection, more of his personality is being revealed to us including territorial aggression that has become borderline intolerable. He will pick tissues up (either that are on surfaces, floors or in the toilet room; we've already had one brush with danger thanks to him eating a tampon from the trash), eat them, or try to tear apart socks/shoes and refuse to give any of the listed back to us. We try to distract him using treats or his toys, or even things that cover his eyes (which, in hindsight, is definitely not an intelligent thing to do but we are desperate) so we can grab what he's chewing on and run. My brother and I have gotten the brunt of this aggression and we both have several new scars on both of our sets of hands to show it.

Max is not crate trained, so we have started leashing him and taking him to our parents room when he nips/bites. We say no, point a finger at him, and forcibly him on his doggy bed for 10-15 minutes behind a baby-proof gate. Once we let him out, Max will proceed to try to find one of my (always !!!my!!! things) possessions (e.g. a Toms slipper or flip flops; I have now been rendered flip flop-less thanks to Max destroying all three pairs) and destroy it or throttle it until we notice and/or play with him. I have a feeling this is causing more aggression than good so we recently stopped giving him timeouts.

Noticeably, he has some other quirky behavioral ticks. Max really enjoys climbing on tables (??) and either trying to eat what's on them or just spends time laying down on them as though he's settling in to sleep. He also is a fan of tug-o-war which we are always hesitant to play with him due to his aggression (and will inevitably lead to biting starting with him actively lunging/seeking out fingers to nibble). Max also does not know any basic commands – we only recently got him to partially recognize his new name. He will automatically sit when he sees a treat, but will otherwise ignore us.

My family and I are first time doggy owners so we're at a loss. We would love to put him in obedience training but they are quite expensive! I have decided that since I am currently unemployed for the summer, I can work with Max but I do not know where to begin or how to start.

If anyone can lend some direction, I would greatly appreciate it! Also, here are some pictures of Max (full disclosure: he did not drink the wine -- I did tho, lol)!

Best,
Louise

Welcome to YT. Although Max is an adult dog and obviously has had past behavior issues, he has to be treated as if you have a 2 yo toddler living with you. You need to baby proof your home, meaning, you know he will chew your shoes, socks etc. these should be kept where he cannot get them. I once had a puppy that chewed 7 pairs of slippers even tho I had them in my closet. The closet had sliding doors and always kept closed, she would tap, tap, tap the door causing it to vibrate and opening an inch or so, then with her nose she could get the door open and grab the slippers, so I gated off my bedroom. You have to "prevent" things from happening. Tissues, napkins, paper towels seems to be a "yorkie" thing, again, prevention. Keep bathroom door closed so Max cannot get in there. Getting on the table, again, I have had yorkies do the same thing, prevention, make sure your chairs are always pushed under the table so he cannot jump on the chairs then the table. Chasing after him to get him to "drop it" will become a game to him, and grabbing things out of his mouth, well, you have the battle scars to prove that's not a good idea. All this chasing and grabbing will only make him more aggressive, or cause him to think it's a game. You, your brother and family have to change your life style for a while by keeping things put away and out of his reach until you can train him basic command, such as "drop it, leave it, sit, stay, wait. Command training, command words must be the same word used by everyone one in your house. Your home is his 3rd home in his short 3 or 4 year life, this is a big adjustment for any dog and yorkies tend to be a bit stubborn. You and your family have to be trained first before you train this boy. Train your self to keep things out of Max's reach. Keep temptation away from him. Put your flip flops in your room and keep your door closed. Your entire family has to do this. You must be consistent in this. Once you have all temptation out of the way then you can work on training him. My adopted boy is 6 yo, I have him 3 years now and he is very trainable, he learns new commands fast, he is very food motivated, so he makes sure he does what he is being trained to do cos he wants that food reward. Food reward can be his kibble, one little cheerios, green beans, or doggie treats, followed up with happy praise, clapping hands also works great when he gets it right. But, first, baby proof that house.

Have you considered a basic obedience class with Max. Sound like it might help him and give the humans in his life a different perspective as well.

Thank you so much for the response and your helpful tips. We are definitely getting adjusted to baby-proofing our home. We try to catch ourselves with everything he gets into, and so far it's getting a little better but we'll still find him with a sock or a tissue now and again and it feels as though we've moved three steps back. We have to navigate how to get him off the table or remove the things from his mouth without the risk of a bite but I'm working on it (he gets excited when he hears a door open, so we use that to distance him from tearing up/eating things and/or getting him off the table).

I acknowledge we have a long way to go, but we are not faltering on changing things around here! Also, thank you so much about letting us know what treats we can use. I have been using kibble and diced up carrot pieces with him. We've begun training with 'sit'. Max gets it 50% of the time, which we're so proud of him for doing!

Thanks for your response! We are looking into it but, as I mentioned before, it's a little expensive. I wanted to take him to Petco near us but we have to look at reviews and do all our research. Private obedience classes appear to be a no-go at the moment until I start working full time. Personally speaking, I think it would behoove us to get some training too, as this is a new dog and I don't know if all five members of the household are on the same page yet with his behaviors so I will not back down from looking for affordable classes.