My dog is MEAN!!!
 

I'm so upset. First off, when I adopted my baby Einstein from his previous owner, I was told that I would be adopting a yorkie. The owner explained the Einstein intimidated the family dog, a toy poodle hence they had to rehome Einstein.

Well, as Einstein continues to grow, he looks more and more like a silky (he's 8 pounds now and is long with fully erect ears). Yes, I did ask for paperwork, but the previous owners kept on dodging the issue and ultimately ignored all of my requests. That doesn't make me love my silky less, but imagine my embarrassment after I brought him to all of these yorkie meetups and he didn't quite look like any of them.

Anyhow, sorry I had to vent.

My Einstein is now 7 months, and I adopted him when he was 4 months old. He did live with 2 children prior to becoming my baby. However, over the past month, I've noticed that he would snap at anyone who approached him, especially children.

I've taken him to the dog park and walk around outdoor malls to better socialize him. Yet, I'm surprised by his sudden aggression. When I first had him, he loved all strangers and did fairly well with children until a particular 2 year old girl tortured him (she yanked on his ears and slapped him pretty hard...she's just very mean towards dogs). I did not learn about this until after the incident already occurred. However, he has since been around other children who are much more gentle towards him.

But I don't understand why he suddenly developed this aggression. It used to that when I walked him around the neighborhood, he would ignore other pedestrians or even wags his tail at them. But now, he wants to attack them as they walk past by. He nips at kids when they walk past him. He grows at pedestrians and bikers as I drive past them.

It's really embarrassing to take him out in public since he's so mean. My biggest fear is that he will eventually bite someone. I don't know how to break this habit.

I've emailed the previous owners multiple times for the paperwork as I was concerned that Einstein's aggression is the result of generations of inbreeding. Not that it really matters as I will still keep him (he really does love me and treats me differently). But just for peace of mind to figure out why he's so mean sometimes.

I've taken him to puppy training class at Petsmart, and it did nothing! Well, I wasn't impressed by the trainers either.

Someone told me that this is normal terrier behavior and someone else mentioned that he's difficult since he's going through his adolescent years.

I've never had a terrier before. I've always had shih tzu, but I wanted something different and smaller. Thus I chose to adopt a yorkie, but ended with a silky.

Also, he still hasn't stopped eating his poop despite me trying forbid, deter, pineapple, and switching his diet to Wellness. Eww...I just don't like knowing that he eats poop when he licks me.:eek:

If anyone can help me with this behavior issue, then that would be much appreciated.

I am confused? How do you know he is a Silkie and not a Yorkie? Is it because he is 8 lbs? My Pebbles is 11 lbs of purebred Yorkie. As for the aggression issues before I would hire a trainer I would suggest this book
Let the Dog Decide
Amazon.com: Let the Dog Decide: The Revolutionary...
I used this on Pebbles after we hired a trainer and spent a small fortune. This book really helped me to understand and worked great.

I would really like to see pictures of your little guy. Don't worry about the papers from his previous owners. You need to concentrate on getting this little guy under control so that you can enjoy your time together on walks and outing. :)

Have you ruled out any health problems? A sudden change in personality might indicate illness. Wouldn't hurt to check it out. Best of luck!

thanks for your help!

i will try to upload pictures of him tomorrow. i need to resize them first.

i know there are some members with big yorkies (20 pounds plus), but i'm convinced mine's a silky. his ears shoot straight up and are parallel to each other instead of hanging from the head in v-shape. when i first adopted him, his ears were hanging down. his body is long compared to his height (almost dachshund like). and he has a silver patch on his head, and this area is slowly expanding. it was only a small spot on his head previously but now the top of his head is completely white...i love him anyhow.

he's had multiple trips to the vet the past month. twice for tapeworms (he received 2 praziquental injections...ouch) and twice for neutering and follow up stitch removal. he's been checked and hasn't had any health problems outside of the tapeworms.

i will definitely try to get that book soon and read up on it. i've really tried to socialize him, but i don't want the people around me to fear my little boy. it's funny. when he goes to the dog park, he is much nicer around strangers than outside of the dogpark.

look forward to seeing some pictures. Molly weighs in at 14lbs and doesnt have the typical square body that yorkies shoud have. I do have her papers that say she is all yorkie,but it doesnt change the fact that she is quite long in the body....and also very very cute!! ;)

This might be a crazy question but have you discussed this behavior with the Vet? Also does he know simple commands like sit and stay? A good excersise is while you are on your walks as soon as you see another person approaching put the dog in a sit stay with a treat and as soon as they pass give the dog the treat. You can also have people approach the dog with a treat in a supervised area with a treat and have them tell him to sit and give him the treat. This will help him associate people, kids, bikes with good things like treats. Make sure you use a specific treat only for this training purpose so it is special.

WELCOME to YT!!!
 

He sounds like a yorkie to me! My Mika is 8 lbs, has fully erect ears (this is standard for yorkies), they also are supposed to change colour from black and tan to blue and gold and this starts when the head starts to turn silver (I have pix in my albums of Mika at this stage). Yorkies do vary in shape and size and although they are supposed to be square (as long as they are tall-at the whithers) thats not always the case-Mika is a good 3/4 inches longer than she is tall and looks "dachshund" like too! I'm 100% positive Mika is full yorkie!!! Can't wait to see pix of your "little boy" YORKIE!!!

I have been reading Ceaser Millan's books and I have found them to be really helpfull. I think that he is taking over in the leader of the pack role. You need to be more firm with him. I would really suggest reading his books. They can really help you. I had some of the same problems with my lab and I have been applying what he said in the book and I have been some major changes. I hope that helps.

Your Einstein sounds like my Fletcher in looks and almost my Dexter in personality.
My Fletcher is 9lbs, LONG and thin, his head turned whitish color and his body is steel blue. He is 100% yorkie. His brother Dexter is from the same litter, same parents and he is only 5-5.5lbs, hes compact with short legs. Fletcher's ears are VERY erect and Dexter's ears flop at the tips.

Fletcher is very friendly and will come up to anyone for petting. He is a little wired and nervous though at times... Dexter on the other hand is a shy mommas boy. He really just likes his mom to hold him and if other people are around (esp children) he wants nothing to do with anyone but me. He is also aggressive towards other dogs, whereas Fletcher LOVES other dogs. I usually just hold him and most people might try to pet him or just leave him alone when Ive got him in my arms. I don't try to force dogs on him or kids just in case he does try to bite. I don't think he would. I have trained them hard to not do that.

Here are some pics of my babies... the first ones are Fletcher, and second ones are Dexter. :)

Nothing you've said about him would put him outside of the breed standard (except for his weight, but there are porky yorkies).

As for the agression, he might still be clearing some of the hormones out of his system. At 7 months, a lot is happening to him in his development, and he might just be in a stage.

There are ways to help him to trust strangers. Take him to a place like Petsmart where they're understanding of bad behavior, and ask some strangers to help you train him. Bring some ridiculously tasty treats with you--make these your special "stranger treats." Ask strangers if you can give them one to then give to Einstein. Never give him those treats in other circumstances. Einstein should start to associate strangers with good things (i.e., the treats) and look forward to seeing them.

As for the poop eating, you can put tabasco sauce on it right after he goes. That'll teach him real quickly not to eat it.

The ears are supposed to stand and the hair changes color. His head should eventually "gold" out and his body should turned steele blue. Not all are these exact colors. I'd say the weight and length are confirmation issues. Lots of yorkies are out of standard.

Personally I don't think he's mean...I think he's a terrier. Inside the dog park he's not defending his terriority ...outside he feels it's his "job".

I feel for you with his anger issues. Woody was barely over a year old when taking a summer vacation at the lake. A friend drove up for the day with her little boy who had a set of plastic golf clubs (he was 3yrs old). They are neighbors so they knew Woody well and have played together many times. Well, that day, Izack must have had a mean streak in him as well after the car ride, and was trying to hit Woody with one of his clubs. I just about had a heart attack when I saw him!! :eek: To this day, Woody is VERY uneasy around children especially when the kids are hyper. I am here to tell you that there is hope. He is very young and can relearn that children are fun to play with. Woody has been socializing with my 2yr old grand daughter for the last year and they have become good friends. Ava can come up to him now and pet him and kiss the top of his head without worring about being nipped at. :D THERE IS HOPE!!!

All it takes is one incident like this. It's so important to NEVER leave puppies unattended. You may need some advice from a behaviorist since he's snapping at children.

Eating poop is caused by different things, what works depends on what causing the behavior. Some dogs eat their poop to "hide the evidence", and think they have done a good thing when they eat it. That's why so many trainers say never to raise your voice when housebreaking, they might think you are mad for them pooping, and will then try to hide it from you. Pineapple works with some dogs because it contains a Bromelain that tenderizes the protein in meat, making the meat easier to digest. The dog will no longer smell nutrients in the poop, and will be less likely to eat it. You have to do it every meal, and add about two chunks to each meal. Don't start and stop, continue this for at least a month. Some foods contain easier to digest protein, and that why switching foods can help. Some people say that dogs eat poop because they need potassium, although I haven't read any real evidence of this. Some people say canned pumpkin works, and suggest you use one teaspoon of unsweetened pumpkin with each meal. I'm not sure what scientific evidence this is based upon, but people have reported success.

chester is 9 lbs and he is all yorkie

;)I will try to post for you a picture of my daughters silky and one of our yorkie so you can see the difference and its really not all that drastic. The first one is daughters registered silky second of course our registered yorkie. the main difference to me is in the nose and length of body. of course hair texture also.

As for him maybe being a Silky I wanted to add that her little furbaby is around her children all the time and both are very hyper but that is the gentlest dog I have ever seen with children so dont think the breed has anything to do with it even if yours turns out to be Silky instead of Yorkie. Good luck and just give him lots of love;)

:thumbup::thumbup: I don't like the idea of blaming the breed or the terrier being child aggressive. I think any dog or breed can be this way if they had a bad experiences with small children. Or even if they have had no experience with children. My daughter was bit by a rat terrier when she was three, (my daughter wasn't even interacting with the dog at the time, she was standing still with her back turned to the dog) who had no experiences with children younger then 12. Some dogs just don't like children. And they are some mothers here on YT with small children and they get along well with their yorkies. A very important thing to remember, children and dogs should be supervised while together ALWAYS. Children will be children, so if your dog isnt used to screaming, running and playing rough it is best to keep the 2 apart until the dog has had more socialization and positive training associating children as good things. Socialization at a young age for both the child and the dog is the best way for the 2 to coexist together...and with dogs who have snapped or bitten children should still be socializated in the safest way possible to help get pass the "children are scary". ignoring it, will do nothing, but start with older and calmer children playing at a safe distances while praising the dog having good behavior and slowly get closer as long as your dog is comfortable. If the dog starts to react negatively, take the dog away and then bring him back again, continuing the trainning.

But really it depends on what you are comforable with, if you dont have many children in your life its not too big of an issue, but always have him on a leash.

He sounds like Yorkie to me, can't wait to see your pictures! Congratulations on your new furbaby!!:aimeeyork

Pix
 

Thanks to a kind member's help, I finally learned how to properly upload pix without having to resize them. Sorry for the hiatus, I've been sick.

The first picture is Einstein's most recent pix, taken when he was 7 months old at a yorkie/shih tzu meetup. He's clearly bigger and longer than the other already fully grown yorkies.:eek:

In the second two pictures, he was around 5 to 6 months old and you can better see his face (which hasn't really changed much).

Either way, I do love him, but I was told that he really needs a behaviorist. I took him to the humane society as I was hoping to adopt a companion for him. But it appears that I need to correct Einstein's behavior first before I bring another dog home, a dog that may pick up Einstein's bad habit. By the way, would it be better to get a male or female companion for a dominant male dog?

Thanks for all of your help with the behavior and poop eating issues. I will try to implement those advice before seeking a behaviorist.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/pic...ictureid=46469

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/pic...ictureid=46470

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/pic...ictureid=46471

He looks like a yorkie to me:p

I am by no means an expert but he looks like a yorkie to me. He is soooo cute!!!

he looks nothing like a silky. He is definitely a yorkie. Pet quality yorkues can have a variety of sizes and appearances but he looks much more like a yorkie than a silky.

Is he neutered? If not that should help. It sounds like his behavioral issues are due to that two year old hurting him and lack of proper training

I agree that he resembles a yorkie much more than a silky. He is really adorable. :)

thanks for the confirmation (not that it matters by this point)! when i took him to the dog park last weekend, 2 women approached me and insisted that he's a silky. they both own silkies. so that got me thinking...that's all. i guess i truly cannot tell them apart at all. at first (when he was younger), he looked all yorkie to me and now i keep on thinking that i have a silky. so when people ask me what kind of dog he is, i'm totally confused as to what to tell them. they think i'm crazy for being so inconsistent in my answers. =)

he has been neutered. i have tried to socialize him, but i also baby him greatly. so maybe that's why he's so mean towards everyone else (including my boyfriend sometimes)?

either way, i am looking into a behaviorist this weekend. thanks again for all of your help! it is much appreciated.:D

awww he's adorable!!!

Sometimes Owners might be a bit fearful and not realize it...and that transfers to the dog...if he's even slightly dominant he might take responsibility for protecting you....And that could definately make him more aggresive...
Make sure that YOUR the pack leader..taking him on walks is the best way to establish that...just make sure that YOU lead him...and also make him walk right beside you..not ahead of you...or he's leading you.. By regularly doing that...and setting boundries and limitations in your house you will make him see you as pack leader...and then his other issues will work themselves out.

My sister had a dog that did the EXACT thing...we worked on establishing her role as pack leader..now that dog is AMAZING...and balanced and happy.

Take each day one at a time...and hopefully with a trainers help..and you learning how to be pack leader...that might get his issues under control.

thanks for your advice!

i typed a long message, and it just did not go through. so i'll make this one more brief.

i spoke to my vet.

she feels that all of the social places that i've been taking einstein to (dog park and doggie day camp) are the cause of his aggression. it may be that he is extremely fearful in these settings as he is overwhelmed by the presence and sheer number of these other dogs. thus, when i walk him in setting outside of the dogpark/day camp, he is displacing his fear through aggression and lashing out in this setting. i have to say that it is true that he is afraid of other dogs. he wasn't well socialize when i first got him.

she suggested that i stop taking him to all of these social settings and crate him all day until he knows that i'm alpha. i am allowed to walk him around my neighborhood, though.

this seems so counterintuitive. i feel as the he has gotten much better at the dog park when it comes to socializing. when i first took him to the dog park, he would constantly try to climb upon anyone's leg to escape the dogs. now, he's still shy and needs to be near me, but he's willing to venture away from me briefly to interact with other dogs. if he finds a dog he really likes (which is rare but is occuring more often), he's willing to forget that i'm there to play with the dog.

i don't know if her advice is legitimate, but she is the expert. my boyfried wants to try her approach before we get a behaviorist, but this seems too extreme for me. thus, i want to know what you guys think before i consider proceeding with this drastic change in einstein's young life.

thanks, once again.

I have to disagree with the vet. I think dogs NEED that socialization. If he's crated all day for no reason (other than potty training) I think he will become worse. Dogs crave and need that sense of being in a pack and he just needs to re-learn how to act around other dogs. You're doing the right thing by taking him to these places. Maybe you should just do it in a slower way? He seems like he's making progress since he will play with certain dogs now. Maybe first introduce him to another dog by holding him and letting him sniff the other dog. He probably just gets intimidated by the other dogs since he's not used to it.

I just don't see how crating him all day will make him establish you as the pack leader? There's many other things you can do to create that relationship. Little things... always be sure you walk out the door before he does, he's only allowed to jump on the couch or bed if he was invited by you, things like that. You're his leader, he listens to you.

I agree with Britster. The socialization is good. You just need to be the alpha at the dog park. If other dogs are picking on him, you need to step in for him. So he always knows you will be his protector, takes the pressure off him.

“Pack Leader” Myths
Daniel Estep, Ph.D. and Suzanne Hetts, Ph.D.
Animal Behavior Associates, Inc. - Pet Behavior Wellness Experts
Copyright ABA, Inc.
The “pack leader” idea has been misinterpreted and over-used. Objective data relevant to this concept have been obtained by two animal behaviorists in New York City, Drs. Peter Borchelt and Linda Goodloe. They distributed a survey to over 2,000 dog owners which asked detailed questions about the behavior of their dogs, including what kinds of social interactions owners permitted and the frequency of occurrence of various forms of aggressive behavior. It is commonly believed that playing tug-of-war games with dogs and allowing them to sleep on their owners’ beds will cause them to challenge and be aggressive toward their owners. The survey results did not support these beliefs. Instead, there was no correlation between whether or not tug-of-war and other competitive interactions were encouraged and the likelihood of dominance aggression. Allowing a dog to sleep on the bed was not correlated with the occurrence of dominance aggression. These results support the idea that there is nothing inherently wrong with allowing dogs to sleep on the bed and playing tug-of-war with them.
Another common belief is that feeding the dog before the family eats leads to the dog achieving a dominant position because he is allowed to eat first. Not only is there no evidence to support this belief, but careful analysis reveals the faultiness of this logic. The major way that animals express dominance is by competing over scarce resources such as food. Since owners typically are not competing with their dogs to get to the dog’s food first, a competitive interaction does not occur. The important point is not when the dog eats but rather, from the dog’s perspective, whether the person and dog are contesting for the same food.
Dogs can be aggressive over food, toys, a favorite resting place or when people try to move them. When a dog shows threatening behavior such as growling, lunging or snapping or outright aggression in these circumstances, dominance may be one of the potential causes. Fear or defensive behavior is also a common motivation for aggressive behavior. Any time a dog shows threats or aggression professional help should be sought immediately.

Edited version first published in the Rocky Mountain News, Denver, CO.
Any use of this article must cite the authors and the Rocky Mountain News

I agree that playing tug of war or letting your dog sleep on your bed does not mean that the dog is dominating you. I think it's all how you go about playing it and how you react, feel, etc while doing such things. I let Jackson sleep on my bed and have played tug of war with him. But I only try to allow him on my bed when I invite him up. He's not the ruler of the bed. He has to share it with ME, not the other way around.

I fully believe in the pack leader mentality as it really does work with my dog.