So Disappointed...
 

I just got off the phone with a dog trainer/behaviorist to try to get some advice. I'm trying to see how I can help Chelsea. I thought perhaps I was doing something wrong or I could enroll in a class. She is quite timid and many times seems frightened. Sometimes she even stays away from me:confused: I am so saddened by this b/c i have really done everything I can to make her happy. My heart breaks when she doesn't come running over to me when i call her.
Well the trainer suggested that the breeder I got her from was either a backyard breeder or a puppy mill. She said Chelsea's problem was either genetic or poor upbringing from the breeder. I was really devastated. I never thought of it but now that I put all the little pieces of the puzzle together, i think it might be true. I bought 2 puppies from this breeder in Oklahoma (specialyorkies) and honestly she seemed great. She was very pleasant and they seemed to really care about the puppies. She answered all my questions and asked me a ton of questions as well. Once I got the puppies, she wasn't available. I think she might have answered one of my emails. Now she is nowhere to be found. :thumbdown
I know it doesn't really make a difference now, but I feel so betrayed and foolish! It might not be true but it's definitely questionable! To think I have referred her to a few of our clients!!

Awww...how old is Chelsea? Maybe she will come around yet. How does the other puppy act? Are they siblings? Someone on here might have a suggestion for you. Don't give up hope! :)

They aren't siblings & my best friend bought it for his mom. He is extremely outgoing and hyper! I don't mind that she's layed back, but it's so sad to see her frightened. I have tried so many things. I think she's gotten worse since my 12 yr old Rocky passed 2 months ago :(

I am so sorry Chelsea is having fear issues. I have two with great fear issues. One is a puppy mill survivor, Cocoa, and the other is from a byb, Rosie, who had her for 1 yr. It has taken Rosie years to come to when I call her. At first she ran and hid when I called. Gradually she would just stand still and wait for me to pick her up. Her next step was to stand very still for a few seconds, staring straight ahead and then walking sideways to me, never looking at me. I have to always bend at the knees to approach her. She still flinches and gets stiff when I pick her up. Just in this last year she comes and begs to be held. I have had her for 10 yrs. It is a long difficult road to travel, but at least you KNOW that Chelsea is at the best place she can be. It just takes lots, and lots of patience. PM me if you need some encouragement in the future.

Have you been working with her and doing the exercises I suggested? If she is that feaful and timid it can take months or longer for her to gain confidence and be able to live a "normal" life.

I really suggest that you keep working with her on meeting new people, going new places, etc.

I also suggest that you have her on leash attached to your belt while your home, so you control where she is and what she does at all times. This will help her relax, as she will know you are in charge.

If she does show fear,timidedneess, to you or someone else, it's crucial that you do NOT try to soothe her with your voice, petting, or picking her up. This only enforces the fearful behavior, as she gets "rewarded" for it.

I really suggest getting family and friends involved in her socialization. Have them come over and ignore her, and while still "ignorin her," have them toss cooked bits of chicken in her area.

The important thing is that you don't give up. She will sense this from you and feel defeated herself. Handle the obstacles that she faces with confidence, and don't double think yourself.

With Liberty, she didn't even know what the outdoors were...I had to walk like I was on a mission (which I was, to raise her confidence and gain her trust.)

What advice did the behaviorist you spoke to on the phone tell you?

Actually, I have wondered if having Chipper and Snowboy added to our family hasn't forced Rosie to want attention. She is much more likely to sit with us in my dh's office in the evening than what she ever was before. She gets furious at the boys when they tussle but she sticks around. Pleases me when I think about it.

We have been in your shoes.
 

I know just what you are going though.. My Pixie was just like this. She is now almost 1 1/2 and is doing 90% better. so please just give her lots of love and she come around.:)

Chelsea is 1 yr and 3 months. What did you do to help her get over that?

Thank you! Those are some great suggestions & I will give them a try. I have been exercising what you suggested earlier. She is not fearful all the time and at home she is usually great. It worried me yesterday when she was acting up at home. Perhaps she felt that I wasn't feeling well yesterday.
The behaviorist was very discouraging. She basically said that there wasn't much we could do to change her. That she could do a home visit and show me ways to address it differently and not enable Chelsea.
She is great and love every bit of her. I just don't want her to be fearful at all b/c i love her way too :D

I think she would be great with another dog. Sometimes I think it would really help her. She loves other dogs

It makes me sad that the behaviorist sounded so discouraging. I really believe that for "most" shy scared dogs there is hope. Like I said, don't give up.

If I would have given up on my Liberty, she wouldn't be where she is today!

Looking at my clients' dogs who started out shy/fearful and seeing how well they are doing now makes me feel so proud of them!

Keep working...be consistent...you will see improvement!

Those are wonderful suggestions you received. It is also good to remember that they are like people, too, and they all have different personalities. The socialization is so very, very important. I wish you luck. She sounds like a sweetie and I know she is loved.:)

I'm just curious, how long have you had Chelsea?

I wish you all the luck in the world and hope to hear a great report from you soon :)

It was covered a bit above, but I wanted to add that when she shows fear of anything to just pat her on the head and tell her it is all right. If you do this consistently, she will very soon realize what you mean and she will understand that her fear is unfounded.

This site is great, I always get the best advice here!! Everyone is so helpful! I will start trying these new suggestions.
Chelsea is such a sweetie and I love her to pieces! Most of the time she is such a little cuddly baby. She makes my day everyday & I just feel guilty that I might have missed something that she needs.

Thanks! I got her at 10 wks old and she's almost 1 1/2.

I can't believe that a dog trainer would say she is that way because of where she came from or even suggest that?!?!?! That doesn't sound like a trainer I would go to anyway. Look at Ceasar's dogs....all of his dogs are rescues and they are perfectly behaved. One does not have to do with the other!! Good luck with your training!

I know! She went on to say that if someone said they could help, they were lying! I didn't believe her. I was more disappointed that the breeder might be a byb. I am a true believe that we can always find ways to make it better. Just need to find out how! :D

may not be the breeder
 

I have seen this type of dog a few times now. A little stand-offish, shy, slinks down away from you like they are about to get a beating when you just want to pet them...I own one! I have a friend with a pom who does the same thing, and I know of several other yorkies who also act this way. I refer to them as "autistic dogs", half joking, half truth...you would swear that they were abused or hurt at some point in their lives...two of the ones I know about, and my Melody were "singletons"... the only pup in the litter. That can have a lot to do with their personalities.
Melody was born in my house, the only pup in a very much anticipated litter. I knew I was going to keep her and show her before she was born. From the moment of her birth I loved and adored her, kissing her, playing with her, and loving her. She was not taken from her mamma to soon either, she liveD with her mom for 7 years, lol.
She was always stand-offish, and shy. She will barely let me take her picture. It is just her personality I believe. I even took her to a dog psychic to see if I could get her to trust in me and return the love I have for her. She sits on my feet when I am on the computer. She sleeps right on me at night. I know she loves me, but she does not look me in the eye, and she does not EVER EVER EVER give me a kiss! It breaks my heart. She kisses other people, just not me. She is a stubborn little stinker too! But I love her anyhow, and I understand that she is just different from most other dogs, and I accept her for how she is.Once I heard that other doggies were like her too, it did not hurt my feelings as much as it used to. I know she loves me, but on her own terms.
I just wanted you to know that although you have some doubts about your breeder, and you may be right about that...it does not mean this problem is due to your breeder.
Sue & Cricket (and Melody too)
:aimeeyork

It took Gracie almost 2 months to come near any of us. She would not come when called she would come near us if we were sitting down. It took her a couple of months before she would come to us when called and she has just started (maybe 1-2 months) actually wagging her tail. We've had her for almost a year. Now she wants to be in your lap 24/7

I am so sorry about the discouraging comment the behaviorist made.

My Kimchee is also a shy boy. He loves people, and he loves my friends coming home and visiting, but when he is outside, he is a bit shy. Since we added Mochi (yorkie girl) into our family, I patiently 'taught' him playing with Mochi was a good thing, after one month, he changed from looking at Mochi from a distance to chasing and playing with her. We are happy to see that change. We are still working on some other aspects, too.

I hope your baby will turn around, just be patient and be consistent in the training. I wish you all the luck.

Thanks for all your encouraging suggestions! It's nice to know that others have been in the same situation. I will be very consistent and continue working on it. It's funny that Chelsea was so much better this evening. She proved her mom wrong! LOL

You said you got off the "phone" with this trainer. Did they actually even "see" your baby?

If you're fitting the pieces together, maybe your baby is a puppy mill puppy with some genetic pre-dispositions to behavioral problems (I had one with some serious problems.) HOWEVER, in no way should she be dismissed or written off for that!! :thumbdown

IF that's even the problem (and only time and more information will tell), she may need a bit more patience and work on your end.

And true as someone referred to Cesar's had cases - a good trainer can still work wonders with poorly bred dogs.

Big hugs and good luck. I'm glad she's better tonight. I think you'll work it out with her and find the perfect balance.

I know this thread is really old, but I still want to reach out to the original poster.

Back in Dec. '06 I bought a yorkie from the very same breeder that you did (specialyorkies in OK). I'm not sure when you bought yours, but anyway... I haven't had one issue with my girl. She is an amazing dog, as my girlfirend and I always say "she's the bestest".

I was totally comfortable with the breeder too, even though we needed our girl shipped to us since we are over 1,000 miles away. I talked to the lady (Misti) on the phone a few times prior to the purchase and totally agree that she was helpful and seemed legit. We love our pup so much that I would totally buy another from the same breeder, but the breeder seems to have fallen off the face of the planet. Perhaps we were sold a dog that was raised in "less than desirable" conditions, but she turned out great. I really don't know. It would kind of hurt a bit deep inside if that was the case, but I like to think it's not.

If anyone has any idea, I'd love to get an answer. I'd also love to hear an update on the original poster's fur baby.

I am so sorry that I don't have the answer for you, all I can say is there are some GREAT suggestions from other members and I wanted to praise all of them for those, and to wish you all the very best and to let you know, that I really hope it works out for you, I am sure it will in time.

Have you tried hand feeding her? This helps the dog realize you are the bringer of all goodness in life and then you can transition that over to other people as well (have them give her treats/food).

My male Yorkie is almost two years old and he is so shy and timid. When I reach down to pet him or pick him up, he cowers like he has been abused or beat. It is sad. He will come to me and he is very affectionate but I don't understand why he cowers. He has never been abused, we have never raised our voice with him, never needed to. The breeder can't be blamed, I have since purchased another Yorkie from her and she her personality is totally different. :confused: