Sickening feeling
 

Hi everyone -- Had a bad morning with Bentley. Three times in as many days he has bolted out the door and tried to run wild. He does not come when I call his name out there which I have been working on. He does well in the house but not with any distractions as of yet. So today he makes it all the way to the road, across the street and onto a neighbors front porch before I get to him since he is now trapped in a corner. Needless to say I was fuming mad because I am so worried he is going to get hit by a car or a stray dog will come along.

So for the first time I really yelled at him. He hunched down and I could tell he was scared because I am the crazy woman who always speaks in a squeaky voice and kisses. Even my no's are not really very stern I admit. I picked him up and hauled him home all while lecturing him how tomorrow (Saturday) we were going to spend the entire day training at the front door training. He would have to learn to sit and stay and only come through the door when he is given the ok.

OK, so then I am going my work day (I work at home) and he is trying and trying and trying to get my attention which is not really normal. When I am on business calls he usually just sits at my feet. Even my co-worker (who I had mentioned to her what had happened) said he is probably just trying to make up. Well, then it hit... he was going to throw up. I literally "dumped" the call and went to help him and we made it through the episode.

We sat for a bit and he is now quietly sleeping at my feet but I am feeling so guilty. I shouldn't have held on to my grudge when he asked me to pick him up. He was probably trying to tell me he wasn't feeling well. Maybe it was just b/c he was worried that I was acting strange to him and that is what made him ill.

Thanks for listening. I feel just a bit better getting it out.

Why not a harness and leash?:confused:

Wouldn't a harness and leash be much easier and 100% guaranteed that they won't run? Even with the best trained Yorkies, when they see something that interests them, they will go for it.

Mothers touch love....:thumbup:

Reading fast..Has he been neutered yet? How old is he?

It sounds to be, by reading this... that he SNUCK out.

Yes, to clarify... he is running out the door if it is opened by someone coming in or going out of our home. Whenever we have a planned outing he is always on a harness prior to exiting our home. Also our home is not really designed where he can see much from the front door so it would have to be the smells or just the excitement that is getting him. Anyway,

With so much thought on this today that my head is hurting :), I think I need to extend our training sessions to include the dumb humans which Bentley owns and he will now need to be invited prior to entering / exiting whenever any closed door is opened. Since we have been allowing him to go in and out the back as he sees fit since we are always in and out, perhaps he is simply just not realizing the difference between the two doors (one being a safe back yard and the other being the unknown place where danger could show its ugly head at any moment).

To answer the other question... he is 7-1/2 mos old and has not yet been neutered but that question also brought me a pint of hope thinking that perhaps his wandering efforts will also subside a bit when we finally has his "brain surgery". My vet is wanting him just a little bit older before performing that operation. So I really appreciate that thought.

Until we have this under control, I have also decided to put a baby gate on the outside of our home across the front door. That way, when the door is opened he will have no where to go.

Thanks everyone! I am feeling much better now.

Hang in there. We all know that yorkies can be very stubborn at times. Like when Jack goes out and chases our neighbors cows. We call and yell his name for him to come back but he just keeps on doing it. I don't use a leash on him b/c we live in the country. However, I'm going to try and ignore him the next time he chases the cows b/c I think he thinks we're telling him to go ahead and chase the cows. Either that or he's trying to protect us. I don't know. Any way, good luck! Let us know how the weekend goes.:animal36

What about a baby gate at the door? open the door but leave the baby gate in place...don't open the baby gate until you have Bentley in hand.

I have a baby gate at my kitchen door to keep my little ones from running in and out. Works like a charm!

That was my thought. If the door opens in put the gate on the outside.
Buddy is going on 5 and he will still bolt out the door. I live on the second
floor in a condo and he in a harness and on a leash when I open the door.
He knows to sit when the door is open but most times he will bolt down
the steps. The outside door is closed so he's safe but I want to choke him he just won't listen. If I yell at him he too will throw up from stress and he's 16.6lbs. He act's like a 5lb
Yorkie. I wish you good luck. They are or can be a tough nut to crack
at times. They are also soooooooooooooooo fast! I feel your frustration.
I also have it daily:(

The way our house was designed, we were able to put up permanent gates at several spots. One separated the living room from the front hall, so I would close it before opening the front door.

I had another gate on my in-home office door, and since Hailey was always with me whatever room I was in, I'd simply close the gate if someone came to the door.

These were good looking gates that were installed in the wall. They were metal with a glossy white finish. I knew if I had the type that left a bar across the floor that sooner or later I'd trip and hurt myself.

If you want me to try and find the type of gate we used, let me know.

Why should they listen... skin kids don't. :D My babies do the same thing. They just have to be at the door going nuts whenever someone comes in. They don't listen either. I have more baby gates now than I did when my kids were little and I have 4. Gotta love 'em

I think it's awesome that you finally used your "stern voice" at a time when it was completely necessary. Because you always talk so sweetly to him, he probably really clued in that this was SERIOUS and that you aren't messing around when it comes to him running out the door. Don't be so hard on yourself! :)