Agressive / barking We adopted our Toby at 6 months and have a situation that has been getting worse for the past year ( he is currently 2 y/o). He barks at people walking / jogging by our home....also at our next door neighbors for no reason. When we go for walks in the park, no issues, until someone approaches or even utters " hello". He goes full ballistic at our fenceline when the neighbor approaches, and has even tried to nip me when I try to control him. He's a great pup except for this issue. When people are expected, we put him in his crate for 15 minutes when company arrives, then let him out and he is fine. I'm afraid he is going to bite unprovoked, and then we'll have a real problem. What do you suggest....I will not give up our pup, but this is becoming tough to deal with. |
I would suggest a trainer or behavioralist. |
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I' am not a pet behavioralist, but this sounds to me like a socialization issue. Why do you think Toby behaves this way? Do you have any idea about who he is protecting? How does he behave at the vet's office? Do you take Toby with you to the pet store--where he might ride in the cart? What if you were to walk him to the park, but then carry him around the park--as you approach others to chat? Have you used a stroller with him? I haven't experienced this with a pup, but certainly understand your concern that he may bite. --KatysMom |
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Thank you for the additional information. You mentioned vet, groomer, and also boarder. How often and for what span is he at the boarder? Also, has Toby been fixed? (I should have asked that earlier.) Does Toby respond well to your commands--sit, stay, etc. Socialization is a process of slowly/over time (not all at once) getting Toby comfortable in a diverse set of circumstances--places, people, animals, smells, noises, textures, etc. My late senior sweetie was the perfect yorkie on our walks--didn't matter where we were walking. Ditto, when she was riding in a shoulder carrier. Our vet thought she was overly protective of me, and overly spoiled by me. She was the ideal patient for him ... as long as I was not in the room. Here's an article on YorkieInfoCenter.com, "Socializing a Yorkshire Terrier." That article covers a wide range of issues. The article may give you some ideas. If you describe the situation to your vet, he or she may also have some good ideas. |
When he goes to the Vet every 6 months or so, he sits on my lap and behaves. When going to be boarded, he doesn't act out either, and his longest stay was 8 days.....only boarded 3 times. He is fixed, and does well with commands as long as he knows there is a treat involved....no treat, he gets stubborn. Today, we have a few errands to run, and we will take him with us to see how he reacts......one place we're stopping is Petco for a new leash, he's been there before and was fine......maybe Home Depot along the way, that should be interesting. He is smart, and will eventually get it.....we hope. What we started doing, is when the neighbor kids come out, and he starts barking from our deck, we try to sush him, and he runs past us barking his head off......if he continues (which he does), he goes in the house till he quiets down......then we let him out.....he barks, then he's back in the house. Also, he was fantastic with he's potty training, ringing the bells to go out, and since the last boarding, he no longer rings the bells to poop outside......very comfortable with pooping in the house.....no pee though, he rings to pee. At the boarding facility, he get the luxury suite, 14x14 room with a 14x14 fenced run available for him to go out.....he gets walked 3 times a day, a 15 minute group play with other pups.....the dogs last human contact is at 6pm, and the first contact is 6am.....not comfortable with the 12 hours gap, but it is what it is. |
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Toby poops on the pad, but wants to pee outside--exactly the reverse of my late senior. Our pup, baby girl Duchess/Dutch, doesn't have ground permission yet--so she poops and pees on the pad. It's great that Toby is treat/food motivated--you have a good opportunity to teach him commands. Here's an article by Jenna Stregowski, RVT, from TheSprucePets, "How to train your dog to speak or be quiet" updated 11 March 2018. The article referenced includes a link to another article, "Getting started with clicker training for dogs"--by the same author. School. We didn't really try to clicker train our late sweetie, but I'm determined to give it a real go with lil Duchy. When we find the right training program for her, we are also going to go to school. We had intended to school our late senior sweetie when she just a pup--but she was so small, and I wasn't comfortable putting her in a class with many very loud and supersized dogs when she was young. Katy and "Look at me." We were rarely separated from our late senior girl. I can't tell you exactly how it happened, she took to looking at me for both direction (Is that thing friend or foe?) and as instruction (I need you!). Nellie and her toys. When my niece's daughter brought home a large dog breed puppy. The poor pup came to bark at just about everything--and she grew and grew. I'm not a behavioralist, but suspect her barking started as a bit of anxiety and became instinctive. They didn't do training classes, but did try a lot of training techniques. None seemed to work. Nellie had a strong chewing instinct. The family bought her squeaky toys and started using them to distract her. So, when they sensed a trigger, one of them would hand Nellie a squeaky ball. IT WORKED. Rather than pace and bark, Nellie would put the toy in her mouth. She still paced, but she was pacing with the ball or toy in her mouth rather than barking. Now, when there is a trigger, someone just says, "Nellie, find your toy," and she does. Hope these ideas are helpful. --KatysMom |
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As with Katy (who was not toy motivated--"Look at me") and Nellie (who was toy motivated--"Find your toy"), the trick is to find a distraction that comforts him. Then calming down becomes something he has more control over. My little one will be socialized in the stroller for only another week, and she'll probably travel around in her pet sling for a while longer. As she has more an more freedom, I'll surely be seeking out a distraction that comforts her. I do intend for her to go to school. We may learn a lot in that process. |
Took Toby out to Petco for a new leash....and of course, a toy. Had one person approached, no barking, he sniffed, then backed off, person recognized the sign and walked away. Then off to Walmart....he sat / stood in the cart, looking around as people passed....nobody approached, but he was fine as long as mommy was in view, otherwise looking for her. He issues at home, have to be territorial, now to deal with it.....we will not be shaking the can. |
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Were there many dogs with other customers at Petco? |
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