Gio's Mamamia - Tell us what you are seeing

[Gio'sMamamia]

Thank you FirstYorkie and Yorkie Mum for the advice, I will definitely be putting it to good use. Giovanni and I have sort of started working on "Drop It". We play fetch and when he brings back the object he'll drop it and I say "Drop It" as he does it, so he is somewhat familiar with the phrase.

[TLC]

GREAT THREAD!!!

TJ has started to guard and be aggressive too! It started about 1 month ago. He was 10 months old. MY BF would try to pick him up off of my neck while he was sleeping and he would do a quick growl. Kind of like: "I AM SLEEPING, LEAVE ME THE F*&% ALONE!!!" The first couple of times were kinda cute, we would joke how TJ was 'cranky'. Well, TJ started to do this more often and he started to do it to me too, and then he would do a growl and then try to snap at you. NOT FUNNY! I try to talk calmly if I am going to move an disturb TJ. This has helped, but TJ is growling and snapping at others things...

1. TJ doesn't like toys, etc. that make strange sounds or move. He wants to KILL these things. He will growl and attack these type of toys, so I really try not to let him see or have any of them!

2. This past week he started to attack Roxy for her cookie. TJ has turned into the DEVIL...The routine in the morning has been the same ever since I got them back in May 2005. I won't go into the whole thing but, when I gate them in there room, I give them a cookie each so I can sneak off to work. Well, NOW...TJ wants his cookie and Roxy's cookie. He is focused ONLY on both cookies. He jumps and attacks and growls and bites Roxy, to the point that she SCREAMS (very strange to hear a dog scream, but she does). She gets sooooooooooo scared that she doesn't even want to look at the cookie in fear of being attacked. If I try to hold him back he starts to wiggle, growl and snap at me. ALL HE WANTS IS BOTH COOKIES FOR HIMSELF. And he lets BOTH OF US know he means business!

3. Special chew bones are the same way. I feel soooooooo bad for Roxy. She likes to have these too, and I want her to have them, for pleasure and to help her teeth, but TJ wants them both!!!

I have to get control of this DEVIL DOG!!!

I am going to check out and probably buy:
MINE! A GUIDE TO RESOURCE GUARDING IN DOGS, by Jean Donaldson

I hope this is a good start!

Any other suggestions are GREATLY APPRECIATED!

[Yorkie Mum]

Originally Posted by TLC

GREAT THREAD!!!

TJ has started to guard and be aggressive too! It started about 1 month ago. He was 10 months old. MY BF would try to pick him up off of my neck while he was sleeping and he would do a quick growl. Kind of like: "I AM SLEEPING, LEAVE ME THE F*&% ALONE!!!" The first couple of times were kinda cute, we would joke how TJ was 'cranky'. Well, TJ started to do this more often and he started to do it to me too, and then he would do a growl and then try to snap at you. NOT FUNNY! I try to talk calmly if I am going to move an disturb TJ. This has helped, but TJ is growling and snapping at others things...

1. TJ doesn't like toys, etc. that make strange sounds or move. He wants to KILL these things. He will growl and attack these type of toys, so I really try not to let him see or have any of them!

2. This past week he started to attack Roxy for her cookie. TJ has turned into the DEVIL...The routine in the morning has been the same ever since I got them back in May 2005. I won't go into the whole thing but, when I gate them in there room, I give them a cookie each so I can sneak off to work. Well, NOW...TJ wants his cookie and Roxy's cookie. He is focused ONLY on both cookies. He jumps and attacks and growls and bites Roxy, to the point that she SCREAMS (very strange to hear a dog scream, but she does). She gets sooooooooooo scared that she doesn't even want to look at the cookie in fear of being attacked. If I try to hold him back he starts to wiggle, growl and snap at me. ALL HE WANTS IS BOTH COOKIES FOR HIMSELF. And he lets BOTH OF US know he means business!

3. Special chew bones are the same way. I feel soooooooo bad for Roxy. She likes to have these too, and I want her to have them, for pleasure and to help her teeth, but TJ wants them both!!!

I have to get control of this DEVIL DOG!!!

I am going to check out and probably buy:
MINE! A GUIDE TO RESOURCE GUARDING IN DOGS, by Jean Donaldson

I hope this is a good start!

Any other suggestions are GREATLY APPRECIATED!

I like that you let him know your are going to pick him up that is great.
He is in his teenager stage, stay clam be firm but kind and consistent. This may pass.
I let my little one kill toys it helps as it gets the stress and need to beat on things out. If it controlled it is ok. These guys where breed to kill they need too and it is fun for them.
I separate them at treat time.
Try a kong two of them frozen with peanut butter in them. It will keep him working for a long time and may keep his mind off the other ones treat.
He is a push boy that needs a ton of rules. Protocol for leadership would be a good thing. Everthing he wants he gets by working for it first. He gets a cookie if he sits, He want to go out to pee he does a down, he toy he does a wait get it. He wants supper he learns to wait and sit till you say ok.
Boy needs more rules.
Classes be a good thing and gentle ones, this boy is going to need it slow and easy and gentle all the way. You got a minni my girl. She was that way and I blow it by training yank and correct and to hard to fast. Plus she was not lucky enough to have a good start your guy was you and a good start.
The ones that are the toughest and most pushy are the smartest. You have a smarty pants in your house. Put the brain to work.
One other book Click for calm be good got it on my self it by Emma ??
will have to go look it up and get back to you.

Joy

[FirstYorkie]

Most likely, you will only be able to order MINE!. I doubt you'll find it in a book or pet store. Check out Amazon or dogwise.com. But, it is well worth the effort. It will discuss location guarding. As far as the other things...

1) I think this is pretty common in terriers. Joey does it and I let him. Better that he destroys toys than other things! Behaviorists used to say not to let a dog growl in play (in tug-of-war or whatever). More recently, they are saying that there is absolutely no evidence that this behavior leads to aggression. I wouldn't worry about that aspect.

2) & 3) This is very common in multi-dog households. I'd separate the dogs with a babygate or door when they have treats or bones.

As I've previously explained, I'm not a fan of the dominance theory or alpha-rolling your dog. HOWEVER, I think you'd be wise to do some reading about leadership. The Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF) program is a way of showing who the leader is:
http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

"Leading the Dance" is another leadership program that's a bit more extreme (some say too extreme), but still worth reading:
http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/dance.html

If TJ hasn't done any obedience training, NOW would be a good time to start!

[TLC]

OH, YOU 2 ARE WONDERFUL!!!

I know and agree with all you say. I must start now. TJ is a 'smarty pants'. He is very, very smart, this I do know. But he is also a little bugger, and then other times the perfect angel! He can be very, very calm, just sitting and waiting and watching. He has an excellent attention span, I am very amazed...BUT then he does go to the extreme opposite end to absolute DEVIL, like when he is obbessed with what Roxy has.

Then I have Roxy, who for the most part has NO interest in anything. She will sleep, she will come to you when you say: 'Come here'. I can place her down and she won't try to run away or I can yell stop and she will drop! When you hold her she is as still as can be, not a peep! BUT she too goes to an EXTREME. She get VERY NERVOUS! She still on occasion with my BF and always will 'new' people will do a submissive pee. When I go downstairs or upstairs and leave them behind, I look at her and say, "I'll be right back" and I am usually just gone for 5 minutes or less, BUT always when I return she has peed (in the litter box) or pooped (if she had to go). It's like she does a nervous pee or poop when she thinks I am leaving. Also, When I am making their food, TJ will just sit calmly, BUT Roxy is doing laps and barking like crazy! I put some change in a coffe can and it only took 2x of shaking it, but now Roxy NEVER barks while I am making theor food. Actually, they both were so terrified those 2x that they now wait in the other room until I call them into the kitchen to eat. But, Roxy will still bark like crazy under stress, like when I gate them in their room, she does laps and barks and barks, etc... She turns into a witch when we are going out for walks, I get them all ready and the whole time she is barking and barking and jumping on my legs as we are walking through the house getting ready, then when I am putting on my shoes, she is barking and jumping and now BITING me...And her thing is whenever I go to pick her up, I always repeat "up" a couple of times, but she likes to run away somewhere (to the side of the souch, or in her crate or under the bed) and she immediately drops and rolls on her side. She has been doing thins since day one when I got her (she was 6 months old then). This is very annoying, is this a game she is playing:
Run, Drop and Roll ROXY!!!

So, I think I will start by getting some books and educate myself. I am going away for 2 weeks (next Sat.) and my step father is watching the 2 of them, but when I come back, I will also check into taking them to a class of some sort.

OH, THANKS AGAIN!

[FirstYorkie]

Oh, boy! You have 2 at opposite ends of the spectrum, don't you? Roxy is anxious and easily frightened (as evidenced by the pennies in the can experiment) and TJ is highly intelligent and, possibly, over-confident. {Sometimes dogs who act aggressive are actually fearful. The number one cause of dog bites is fear, not "dominance"].

If you want to do MORE reading, you might read some of Turid Rugaas. She's written some books about dog body language and "calming signals". One thing you could try when approaching Roxy is to not tower over her. Turn sideways, avoid direct eye contact and "make yourself smaller". Crouch down to pick her up instead of leaning over her - it's less threatening.

I hope you're taking a FUN vacation!

[FirstYorkie]

PS. Nicole, you might also look at the info about the DAP Diffuser on this thread:
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27853
It might be useful when you have to put her in her room, etc.

[TLC]

Yes, I do have 2 opposites for the most part. They do however, exchange rolls and it is quite interesting. There are times that is seems as Roxy is in completed control of TJ (he turns into a whimp). She will be chasing him around and around, attacking him and he is just going along with the whole thing, he rolls on his back so she can play and bite his neck, etc. Sometimes Roxy will get the Nylabone and TJ just lays about 5 feet away just waiting for her to loose interest in it. Sometimes Roxy will grab a toy and prance around and around taunting him and he crawls like a cat after her.

AND then the rolls reverse and POOR Roxy is being attacked by the devil....