Need Help with Attack Yorkie
 

Hello, my name is Bonnie, I am a new member, and I need some help/advice fast. I have 3 Yorkies, Bindi (1 1/2), Sophie (1), and Malibu (6 mos.). Sophie is the alpha female and she has attacked (like to kill) Bindi on several occasions recently. Tonight she attacked her and Bindi is hurt and limping with a puncture wound on her leg and is hiding under my cabinet. What should I do, rehome Sophie? My finger was bit in 4 places while I was trying to get them apart. I don't know what to do. Any advice would be appreciated!

There was quite a long thread on this topic not so long ago. You can see it at:
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...er-yorkie.html

I can't give you any advice except do not allow the alpha yorkie to be alone/unsupervised with your other two-yorkies can and have killed each other.

Good luck. I hope you get lots of help from this group.

Have they all been spayed? Intact females will fight.

Malibu is the only one not spayed yet but due to go in to have it done.

Hi and welcome to YT. Well first - if there is an actual puncture wound, you need to get to an emergency vet bc a puncture wound needs to be attended by a vet, unlike a surface wound. Puncture wounds can be extremely dangerous - both in their proximity to the blood supply in terms of bleeding profusely AND in terms of infection. I think I'd recommend addressing that ASAP. I can't really address the behavioral issues right at this moment bc I'm worried about your injured dog.

The wound is not bleeding, there's a spot of blood where the bite was. What's the best way to rehome a Yorkie? I'm so upset, I love them all. Sophie is not aggressive with my kids or Malibu, just Bindi and Bindi is the most laid back.

Need more Details?
 

I need to know more details? What makes Sopie attack Bindi? When? Where are You? What do you do when it is Happening? Why are you letting Sopie attack her? Are Food, Treats and Toys around? How many Children to you have? It sounds your Household is fighting for the Alpha position? How often does this Happen?:confused:

It started about 3 weeks ago and has escalated. No food or toys are involved, in fact, Sophie and Bindi ate right next to each other up until Sunday. It first started when the youngest, Malibu, would start trying to play with Bindi and Bindi wasn't in the mood to play so she would growl to try and get her to stop. That's when Sophie came over and tried to go for Bindi's neck. Then if something happened to Bindi and she let a little yelp out, Sophie would go to attack. We were successful in catching most of the attacks before Bindi was hurt. But on Saturday night, all 3 were outside waiting to come in at the door and our doorknob squeaked and I believe Sophie thought it was Bindi making the noise and latched onto her front leg. Both my husband and I were there and it took several minutes to pry Sophie's mouth off of Bindi. We separated them and on Sunday morning Bindi was so afraid she hid under my cabinet and when we let Sophie in the room, she went straight for the cabinet and pulled Bindi out and punctured her back leg. I have 3 kids (13, 11 and 4). The dogs love all of them and are not afraid and the kids do not bother the dogs.

Sorry I cant help but good luck.

The trouble is you are not the leader in the house...she is.
You need to establish yourself as the leader and put her back into her follower position.

1. Revoke furniture priveleges.
2. Feed on a schedule and make her sit/wait until you tell her she can eat.
3. If she wants something from you (walks, get petted, etc) make her do a command first.
4. Make sure all dogs are spayed/neuterd to eliminate aggression due to fluctuating hormones.
5. Walk them together EVERY day, which will help them bond.
6. If you see her go for the other dog, immediately intervene. I suggest getting an empty soda can and fill it with a few pebbles (no pennies or change!), close off the top and shake this a couple of times when she starts to go for the other dog.

What is triggering the aggression?? Food? Toys? Your attention? Nothing that you can tell?

So sorry you are going through this.

I agree with ScootieBootie 100%. I rescued my 3rd baby 6 months ago and she was already 2 yrs old. She had her issues at the begining with my other two. She was obsessed with toys and if my other two would come and try to take the toy away she would fight with them.....basically she wanted to do what she wanted to do. I had to put my foot down so she'd know that her behavior was not acceptable and also know that I was the boss. My other two are laid back and never was exposed to this type of behavior so they were a little taken back by her attitude and I wasn't going to allow her to do that. So everytime she would act up I would put her in her crate and tell her no. After several times of correcting her and patience she now knows who's the boss and no longer is obsessed with toys and she's also not mean to my other two. She is a different dog.

Who is really the Pack Leader?
 

Apparently your "Pack" breaks down as Sopie - Alpha and the rest of you in no specific order b/c there is only 1 first place position!
It shouldn't be Sopie's position it should be yours (assuming they are your Dogs not your Husbands?) It should'nt matter what the rest of the Dogs are doing? Whether or not Bindi & Malibu want to play with each other! Some how you have given Sophie the impression that what she thinks and wants is more important than what everyone else wants? All dogs want to be told what to do or what is expected of them by your rules. Sopie only has as much power as your giving her!
I have 3 Yorkie's of my own but they are a "Family" unit, Father,Mother & their daughter so the dynamics of my "Pack" are different. Any time you have more than 1 Dog it becomes a "Pack". I have had as many as 5 at one time.
Dogs do not recognize age, size or color just "Energy". Sounds like you Love all 3? I would'nt re-home any of them if I were you. A Yorkie is a Luxury item whether you have 1 or 3, there are people begging for a Yorkie left and right.
Along with the Luxury of having 3 you have to invest the time and effort to "Train" them. Training does'nt just mean sit & stay or go potty!
You need to control the situation and re-train Sopie to accept you as "Pack
Leader". By just breaking the fight up you are allowing it without facing the problem. In actuality you are the source of the Fighting since you are not
controlling the situation from the beginning. They obviously have a problem with each other and will get worse the older they get. Does this help at all?

I know my breeder said she had seen females fight worse than males. BLess your heart, I know how awful it can be. I have Kayla (lyr.) that lays Tina (11yr.old toy schnauzer) over on her back and holds her down. No blood yet, but, boy do I crawl her good when she does it. You just have to stay on top of it and punish her and I would never leave them alone together when you are gone. Good luck. P.S. Mine bites us too. We are working on it.

:aimeeyork I hope you will work with your agressive dog, and train her:aimeeyork If your still going to rehome her, You are going to need to let them know about your dog's agressive nature, AND do not allow anyone with other animals/dogs to have her. If a new owner is not able to deal with your dog she will end up in a shelter:aimeeyork You might need to consider a Yorkie rescue group.
I believe, with effort, and training You will be able to work with your agressive dog.:aimeeyork

Hey Bonnie, I hope this is helping....the people on here really do know what they are talking about and I hope you take their advice....after reading all the replies I agree with a lot of what they say, and I don't think you should re-home unless you cannot get control over it after trying these things that have been suggested. I really hope they all can get along.

Does anyone think that a pet trainer could help her?? Like a training class?? That may help let her see who is supposed to be boss....don't take my word for it as I'm far from an expert but I don't see how it could hurt trying at this point.

Keep us updated as you try things so we can see if there is any progress and see if something else needs to be done....everyone on here really just wants to help and they will give honest opinions. Good luck!!

I agree that from now on when those 2 are together, you will have to be right there, and that Sophie must think she is in charge and needs to control everyone who disobeys or seems like a threat. The alpha females will usually target the most passive. I do know someone who actually bit her dog's ear when she decided to fight. She did it just once and the problem dog has never gone past the line again. I think you have to catch the dog right when she attacks, roll her say "no" firmly, and hang onto her ear with your mouth while growling, and while pinching it with your teeth just enough for her to realize what you are doing. I have never done this myself, and I know it sounds really odd, but it DID work for her with her chi.

I think in home training with a behaviorist is the best bet, so that the person can observe the way things are. Although, from experience, it seems that as soon as I come in, the dogs act like angels...it's the stranger factor!

Another option is to video the interactions. If you could do this, I'd have you send it to me and we could go from there...

Thank you for all the replies. I cannot even let the two of them near each other. I purchased a muzzle from the store yesterday and the second they were in the room together Bindi was trying to keep her distance because she's afraid and Sophie went full force and cornered her and went in for the kill. I immediately lifted her by the neck and put her in her crate. Thank goodness she had the muzzle on. I watch every episode of the Dog Whisperer and have growled, bit, made her submit to me, but she is zeroed in on getting Bindi. I do have a couple that are interested in her and they do not have any other pets. They are willing to pay the adoption fee. I am waiting to check out their references.

Have you looked into getting a D.A.P. Collar? I would highly recommend this ASAP.

I dont know how to help as i only have the one yorkie but good luck in what ever you do xx

I've never heard of the D.A.P. collar. Would all 3 of them need one or just Sophie?

I agree with ScootieBootie I think you need to be more strict and pretty much what scootibootie said I mean i knowi am not the samrtest here but that is what i would go with and some of the other suggestions!!! Good Luck! Do you think you are going to rehome Sophie? I hope you dont have to:(

Wow thats a great idea...useful tips for all of us...lll the leader of my pack is 3 yrs old and then I have a female 6months old and they fight but only becuase the 6mth wants to play and the 3 yr doesnt understand but its nothing like this.....As soon as I say No the 3 yr old wanders off...

I'm having similar problems!
 

I really hope some of these techniques in here will help with your yorkie. I would hate to see you have to give one up. I'll be thinking about you! We've been having some similar problems, too. (Although not as bad IN the house.)

Cheyenne is now 7 months and has been a total alpha female since she entered our house at 12 weeks. Cody is my sweet 3 year old male. They are both fixed. They play constantly and there haven't been many biting issues. Cheyenne is extremely protective of the food and toys though and it is bothersome. Although she has been a great playmate of Cody's and he adores her, he seems a bit fearful of her. She intimidates him. There have been times when she has attacked Cody and bit him after baths. she does not recognize his smell and sees him as a different dog entirely. CRAZY!!! If I use the same dog shampoo I normally do, she is okay. If I use something different, she has outright attack and bit him on a few occasions. He has been shaking in a corner after those attacks.

The major problem that we have with Cheyenne is OTHER DOGS!! She is a major attack dog and while she is on the leash walking through the neighborhood, she has gone after HUGE dogs in a very aggressive manor. I'm afraid she is getting a bad reputation. I don't think I'll be able to hide behind the "she is just a scared puppy" excuse much longer. I know she seems very afraid of these dogs and I think that is why she is acting out this way. She seems afraid of people, too, and won't go near them. (If they come into the house, she loves them) Any help for this puppy? I've been trying to work on the alpha dog thing and she does think she is boss. the hints in this thread will help, too.


Thanks,

dawn
Cody :aimeeyork and Cheyenne :animal36