Frusterated new Yorkie owner

[BellaYorkie]

Hi All. I have had Bella now for 1 week. She has been an Angel so far, but last night and today she has been a monster. I have been leaving her in her pen and she has been fine, no barking ext. Last night she was whining and yapping off and on. Today when I left after feeding her and playing with her for an hour she barked all morning. Her routine has not changed so I dont know what is happening. My policy has been to ignore her whining and she always calms down and settles. Her whining has intensified into a yap, which I do not wantt to promote. Should I keep ignoring? Or go an tel her to stop with a little hit? I am not sure what approuch to take? Or should I spray her with a water bottle? I want her to be o.k. in her pen alone at times...it is early so I want to curb any negative behaviour now. Please help, I do not want to turn her into a terror.

Thanks so much.

[tonyismybabyboy]

My little guy was ok for the first couple of days I had him, but then all of a sudden he started being really noisy and barking a lot... so i decided that he just became attatched to me and that was that.
He is such a little S%!^
You have officially spoiled your baby

[xbeebeex]

PERSONALLY ME I WOULDNT HIT MY YORKIE....BUT WHAT YOU COULD DO IS TRY LEAVING THE TV, OR RADIO ON FOR YOUR YORKIE...ALSO TRY GIVING YOUR YORKIE A PIECE OF YOUR CLOTHING SO SHE CAN HAVE THE SCENT OFYOUR PRESENTS AROUND HER....IM A NEW OWNER TOO...BUT THATS WHAT I WOULD TRY...OTHER OWNERS MIGHT HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION...WELL

[frankiesmommy]

Hi There,

I definitely know what you're going through. I recommend checking out the Dog Whisperer Show on the National Geographic Channel. He seems harsh at times, but has a lot of good information about understanding and ultimately training your dog.

Good luck!

-Daphne

[sweetr72]

Ive never crate trained my dogs so I cant help you...maybe she is lonely? How long is she in there during the day? Mine have free run of the house..my baby Reece is 11 weeks old..sleeps with me and my other two dogs lol..I dont think I could handle the crying or yapping either..I know tons of people that crate train that will be able to offer you some great advice..hang in there!!

Dawn

[FirstYorkie]

BellaYorkie,

Try to look at it this way. Bella has gotten more attached to you and wants to be close to you at all times. She's not being a monster; she's expressing her loneliness/boredom/desire to be close to you.

Can I ask why she had to be in her pen "all morning" after you played with her? I think it's possible that you are leaving her there too long.

At any rate, I would NOT - repeat NOT - do anything punishing to her while she is in her pen. Think about it. From her point of view, this is horrible place that separates her from you. You squirt her or smack her (which should never be done, BTW) while she's in there. Does it make her feel better about being in there? Obviously not. It only adds to her distress.

You want her pen to be a positive experience for her. Give her lots of toys, bones, and a Kong to occupy herself with. If she is quiet while in there, REWARD her with a small treat. If she is noisy, ignore her. Be sure that you never, ever go to her when she is noisy (otherwise, you'll be reinforcing that behavior).

Does that help?

[sweetr72]

Originally Posted by FirstYorkie

BellaYorkie,

Try to look at it this way. Bella has gotten more attached to you and wants to be close to you at all times. She's not being a monster; she's expressing her loneliness/boredom/desire to be close to you.

Can I ask why she had to be in her pen "all morning" after you played with her? I think it's possible that you are leaving her there too long.

At any rate, I would NOT - repeat NOT - do anything punishing to her while she is in her pen. Think about it. From her point of view, this is horrible place that separates her from you. You squirt her or smack her (which should never be done, BTW) while she's in there. Does it make her feel better about being in there? Obviously not. It only adds to her distress.

You want her pen to be a positive experience for her. Give her lots of toys, bones, and a Kong to occupy herself with. If she is quiet while in there, REWARD her with a small treat. If she is noisy, ignore her. Be sure that you never, ever go to her when she is noisy (otherwise, you'll be reinforcing that behavior).

Does that help?

great advice!!

[chachi]

Great advice

[Diego]

The little ones are just like children , you can't have them quiet all the time .

[BellaYorkie]

Hi everyone, thank you for the advice. It is exactlt what I have been reading elsewhere. The reality is that I work, and although I have a friend who comes in during the day to play with Bella ext. she does need to be in her pen in the morning for a few hours. Last night she was quite and slept well. I think ignoring the whining and crying will pay off.
A question I have about trying to discourage barking is how exactly to use the water bottle or pennies in a can method? I have been ignoring and this is starting to loose effect. If I spray her with a litle water when she starts really barking, will this be attention even though negative that engourages the barking??
I have made her pen a very comfortable place with her toys, blankets water and pee pads. I know it is her safe place, but I also dont feel like I can sit there and listen to her start to become a yapper with good concious. I feel bad spraying her, but I will feel worse if I am a bad owner who lets my puppy turn into a yapper.
It may not be the way you tained your puppy, as I am sure everyone has a different expereience, so I am just woundering how this worked for people who have used this method.
The one thing I do know is that consistancy is key, which is why I ask before I start reinforcing bad habbits ext.
Its great to here that I am not alone in this process. Thanks for all the advice and words of encouragement!

[FirstYorkie]

When is she yapping other than in the pen?

[BellaYorkie]

Just when I put her in the pen. At night she is fine, settles in and seems to understand that its bed time. But in the morning, or during the day when I need to leave. I have been trying to leave her in the pen even when I am home for short periods of time so she is used to it.

[FirstYorkie]

Again, I would not punish your puppy in any way for barking/crying/whining in the pen. You will only teach her to dislike the pen more. Ignore her when she's noisy. Noisy dog = invisible dog. Quiet dog = best puppy in the whole world! Shower her with praise and treats when she is quiet.

If she starts barking in other situations, you can then worry that she might become a yapper and we'll try to offer more advice at that point.

[BellaYorkie]

Thanks! I will not spray her while she is in her pen. I was wondering if I should move her pen into the Kitchen a more central place so she can be in it while we are around and not feel isolated? I want her to like her pen and not think of it as a bad place were she goes when we leave. It is in my bed room right now. I tried putting her in it this morning before I left and just playing with her in it, but she kept whining to get out and was not interested in playing. I can see that she wants to be with me, but I do need to leave at times. Maybe I am expecting to much to soon, and should be greatful for all the other good things she does!
Any thoughts on how to make the pen a less tramatic place?

[FirstYorkie]

Moving her pen to a more central location is a very good idea. See if that helps.

Have you discovered Kongs that you can fill with peanut butter, squirt cheese, or even canned dog food? Takes quite a while for pup to work the goodies out so it works like a pacifier for many dogs. Freezing them with goodies inside makes it them last even longer.

When she's not looking, I'd occasionally put a couple of treats in for her to find later. When you give her new toys, introduce those in the pen. You can also feed her meals in the pen. The message being - Great Things Happen when I'm in here.