About to sell my yorkie, need help! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

BindTK · 07-22-2009, 07:14 PM

i first want to start off by saying that some of methods ive used in raising my yorkie you might not agree with. ive relized ive done something wrong in my upbringing and im looking for advice to change. please dont just tell me how much of a bad person you think i am. i honestly just want some answers to help my situation.

first i want to start off by giving you a small version of my dog history, to give insight on how i view things. i was raised (around 13 at the time) with a yellow lab mix. i played very rough with this dog and he loved every second of it. also when he would do something wrong, i would yell at him and spank him once. he then would learn from his mistake and often come up to me and lay down next to me as if saying "sorry" he was a great dog.

what got me to like yorkies was a few years later living with a friend of mine. he had one and i loved their cute personalities. i saw how attatched he was to the owner and tried to get companionship with the dog but to no avail. if he was ever laying on me and the original owner would walk in hed jump off me and lay with him. it was frustrating but i knew one day id have my own to get attatched with.

jump a few more years later again and now i live in my own place by myself. after being here a year i decided to get a dog, my first choice was a golden lab, but after finding out i could only own small dogs where i lived my next obvious choice would be a yorkie.

around here there pretty expensive but after talking with a neighbor i found out that one of there friends was selling there 6 month old yorkie. i met with the owner and found out that she was selling it because she wanted to give him a better life. after she had her baby she couldnt give him as much attention and her husband said it was a sissy dog and often picked on him, and so did his friends when they came over.

i ended up getting the yorkie at a very low price and hes seriously the cutest yorkie ive ever seen. he wasnt at all potty trained and everytime he chewed on something like a carpet, or if he went to the bathroom in my house i would yell "NO!" at him, stick his nose in it, and spank him once. then i would put him in his cage for around 15 minutes. this is how i raised my lab and it worked fine. but i got a differnt reaction from the yorkie. instead of comming up to me and laying down next to me as if saying "sorry" like my old dog did, he would avoid me and lay in some corner of my place, and sometimes afterward id call him and he wouldnt come to me which is unheard of with labs. when you call your dog and he doesnt listen its really frustrating and sad.

eventually he learned certain words and phrases and knew how to let me know he needed to go outside. this made things much easier. but once every 3 days or so hed sit right in front of me and start going to the bathroom, KNOWING hed get punished for it, to me it was like his way of saying "screw you" but im not really sure.

my girlfriend lives in a differnt country than me and came out here to live with me for a month, i took of work too. so the dog is around us alot. when usually im at work half the day and hes in the cage. after about the 3rd day he was completely attatched to her hip. i thought this was because hed met someone new that was staying in my house for more than a few hours. but no, its differnt. because now its been 3 weeks and its gotten progressively worse.

he follows her everywhere and is extreamly happy with her, a happiness ive never seen in him before. he wont listen to me or come to me anymore. when i call him he just hides under and i have to walk across the room to pick him up. if i hold him for a while and pet him he starts whimpering because he wants down so badly. but with my girlfriend he constantly cuddles up with her.

whats made things worse is that when hes doing something bad, my girlfriend tells me to yell at him, she never actually punishes him herself. so its like our only relationship now is me being the bad guy to him.

another weird thing is that he goes to bathroom outside everytime now, seriously not in 3 weeks since my GF has been here has he gone inside once.

now that i see my dogs true colors i almost resent him. here i am trying so hard to have a connection with him and my GF gets here and in 3 days she accomplished what i couldnt in 3 months! now that i see his true colors im pretty much convinced i have to sell him after she leaves.

it was like he was just "dealing" with me until he thought maybe his real owner would come back one day. that he never actually liked me at all.
is it because his previous owner was a girl? and the only "guys" in his life treated him bad so now he can only trust women?

i just need to know from you guys if its at ALL possible to get a relationship with this dog like my girlfriend has? or if at this point its just impossible b/c in his eyes im now the "bad guy" ? is my only option now to sell him? my girlfriend leaves in a week and a half so i got to make choices soon, please help!

IHeartSnS · 07-22-2009, 07:41 PM

First off you need to remember that he is only a dog, not a human. Also Labs are considered to be the smartest dogs in the dog world, a yorkies brain is much smaller keep that in mind. This dog also probably weighs about 5lbs and hitting him may be hurting him alot more than you think. It could be bringing back memories from when the prior owners husband picked on him or it could just be the tone of your voice that scares him. I'm not trying to sound mean but you should have done some research on yorkies before you bought one, they are very intellegent dogs but have very small bladders and are EXTREMELY hard to potty train. Yorkies are very, very loyal to their owners but you need to give them the respect and love that they give you, yelling constantly, hitting them and not being understanding to the breed is going to scare them (remember you are WAY bigger than he is). I do yell at my yorkies and put them in their cages when they are bad but once I let them out they are so excited and act like they haven't seen me all day, so maybe it is a possibility that he was abused before you got him, is he skidish about other things? Your dog is also the type of dog that should not be in a crate for long periods of time, like i said before they are very loyal to their owners and want to be around them constantly, think if you were locked in your bathroom for 8 hours a day you'd be pretty mad at whoever locked you in there wouldn't you? The situation with you girlfriend is just like if your dog was a child, she's a breath of fresh air, she doesn't yell at him and gives him all the attention in the world of course he's going to favor her he see's her as only good. And not being locked in his cage all day means he isn't bored and fiesty when he is out and has no need to rebel. You can't resent him for being a dog his personality is just what a yorkie is, you should have done your research before you took him in and you would have seen that yorkies are very high maintence dogs that require A LOT of attention. Now all that being said there are some things you can try. Sign him up for a training class, they have them at pet smart, this will teach him to listen to you better, but you also need to learn how to correct him, remember he is not a lab he is a yorkie and they are two totaly differnt breeds. Don't hit him for going potty inside say "NO!" and take him out, even if he's already finished, and if you didn't see him do it don't yell at him for it, he isn't going to remember that he pooped there an hour ago. If he eat's something that he shouldn't be eating just say no and give him something he should be eating, acting like the world is ending everytime he messes up is only going to make him scared to do anything. Take him to a doggy day care during the day if you can, that way he isn't stuck in a cage all day and he can burn off some energy i promise he will be more mellow at home, if you can't do that at least take him for a walk every night. Again if you were locked in your bathroom all day you would want to go outside and stretch your legs too. And again don't be so judgemental on him he probably had a rough beginning and it takes a long time to forget something like that, reward him for the good even if it's something little and don't scare him when he's bad. Do some research on the yorkie breed and hopefully that will help you understand what's going on in his little head. I'm sorry if this sounds mean but it would be a shame for him to have to go through a 3rd family because he isn't a yellow lab. And if things really wont work out between you two please find him a good home, don't just drop him off at the pound.

jasminr · 07-22-2009, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IHeartSnS

First off you need to remember that he is only a dog, not a human. Also Labs are considered to be the smartest dogs in the dog world, a yorkies brain is much smaller keep that in mind. This dog also probably weighs about 5lbs and hitting him may be hurting him alot more than you think. It could be bringing back memories from when the prior owners husband picked on him or it could just be the tone of your voice that scares him. I'm not trying to sound mean but you should have done some research on yorkies before you bought one, they are very intellegent dogs but have very small bladders and are EXTREMELY hard to potty train. Yorkies are very, very loyal to their owners but you need to give them the respect and love that they give you, yelling constantly, hitting them and not being understanding to the breed is going to scare them (remember you are WAY bigger than he is). I do yell at my yorkies and put them in their cages when they are bad but once I let them out they are so excited and act like they haven't seen me all day, so maybe it is a possibility that he was abused before you got him, is he skidish about other things? Your dog is also the type of dog that should not be in a crate for long periods of time, like i said before they are very loyal to their owners and want to be around them constantly, think if you were locked in your bathroom for 8 hours a day you'd be pretty mad at whoever locked you in there wouldn't you? The situation with you girlfriend is just like if your dog was a child, she's a breath of fresh air, she doesn't yell at him and gives him all the attention in the world of course he's going to favor her he see's her as only good. And not being locked in his cage all day means he isn't bored and fiesty when he is out and has no need to rebel. You can't resent him for being a dog his personality is just what a yorkie is, you should have done your research before you took him in and you would have seen that yorkies are very high maintence dogs that require A LOT of attention. Now all that being said there are some things you can try. Sign him up for a training class, they have them at pet smart, this will teach him to listen to you better, but you also need to learn how to correct him, remember he is not a lab he is a yorkie and they are two totaly differnt breeds. Don't hit him for going potty inside say "NO!" and take him out, even if he's already finished, and if you didn't see him do it don't yell at him for it, he isn't going to remember that he pooped there an hour ago. If he eat's something that he shouldn't be eating just say no and give him something he should be eating, acting like the world is ending everytime he messes up is only going to make him scared to do anything. Take him to a doggy day care during the day if you can, that way he isn't stuck in a cage all day and he can burn off some energy i promise he will be more mellow at home, if you can't do that at least take him for a walk every night. Again if you were locked in your bathroom all day you would want to go outside and stretch your legs too. And again don't be so judgemental on him he probably had a rough beginning and it takes a long time to forget something like that, reward him for the good even if it's something little and don't scare him when he's bad. Do some research on the yorkie breed and hopefully that will help you understand what's going on in his little head. I'm sorry if this sounds mean but it would be a shame for him to have to go through a 3rd family because he isn't a yellow lab. And if things really wont work out between you two please find him a good home, don't just drop him off at the pound.

capt_noonie · 07-22-2009, 08:16 PM

IHeartSnS has given you some good info, but even still what a sad situation. Please don't give up on this pup. He is still young, and many yorkies aren't fully potty trained until even past one year old. Also I'm sure he doesn't understand that you are his owner now. Perhaps you can try to bond with him in the meantime while your gf is still in town. Do things together with all three of you. Make it fun stuff so he'll like being with you. Get him to like you first, then focus more on training a little later. If he doesn't like or respect you, training will be almost impossible. The best way to train yorkies are through positive training methods, not through fear and punishment. Please no spanking. All you need, if you really want to physically tell him no, a firm but small tap with one or two fingers on the hind quarters is more than enough for him to get the message.

It would really be a shame if he had to go through another rehome. It doesn't sound like the original owners really spoiled him like a yorkie should be spoiled, esp since the husband didn't respect him, that's just so sad.

If you have more questions please ask us. I think rehome should be the absolute last resort. Good luck.

Mom to Hot Rod · 07-22-2009, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IHeartSnS

First off you need to remember that he is only a dog, not a human. Also Labs are considered to be the smartest dogs in the dog world, a yorkies brain is much smaller keep that in mind. This dog also probably weighs about 5lbs and hitting him may be hurting him alot more than you think. It could be bringing back memories from when the prior owners husband picked on him or it could just be the tone of your voice that scares him. I'm not trying to sound mean but you should have done some research on yorkies before you bought one, they are very intellegent dogs but have very small bladders and are EXTREMELY hard to potty train. Yorkies are very, very loyal to their owners but you need to give them the respect and love that they give you, yelling constantly, hitting them and not being understanding to the breed is going to scare them (remember you are WAY bigger than he is). I do yell at my yorkies and put them in their cages when they are bad but once I let them out they are so excited and act like they haven't seen me all day, so maybe it is a possibility that he was abused before you got him, is he skidish about other things? Your dog is also the type of dog that should not be in a crate for long periods of time, like i said before they are very loyal to their owners and want to be around them constantly, think if you were locked in your bathroom for 8 hours a day you'd be pretty mad at whoever locked you in there wouldn't you? The situation with you girlfriend is just like if your dog was a child, she's a breath of fresh air, she doesn't yell at him and gives him all the attention in the world of course he's going to favor her he see's her as only good. And not being locked in his cage all day means he isn't bored and fiesty when he is out and has no need to rebel. You can't resent him for being a dog his personality is just what a yorkie is, you should have done your research before you took him in and you would have seen that yorkies are very high maintence dogs that require A LOT of attention. Now all that being said there are some things you can try. Sign him up for a training class, they have them at pet smart, this will teach him to listen to you better, but you also need to learn how to correct him, remember he is not a lab he is a yorkie and they are two totaly differnt breeds. Don't hit him for going potty inside say "NO!" and take him out, even if he's already finished, and if you didn't see him do it don't yell at him for it, he isn't going to remember that he pooped there an hour ago. If he eat's something that he shouldn't be eating just say no and give him something he should be eating, acting like the world is ending everytime he messes up is only going to make him scared to do anything. Take him to a doggy day care during the day if you can, that way he isn't stuck in a cage all day and he can burn off some energy i promise he will be more mellow at home, if you can't do that at least take him for a walk every night. Again if you were locked in your bathroom all day you would want to go outside and stretch your legs too. And again don't be so judgemental on him he probably had a rough beginning and it takes a long time to forget something like that, reward him for the good even if it's something little and don't scare him when he's bad. Do some research on the yorkie breed and hopefully that will help you understand what's going on in his little head. I'm sorry if this sounds mean but it would be a shame for him to have to go through a 3rd family because he isn't a yellow lab. And if things really wont work out between you two please find him a good home, don't just drop him off at the pound.

Please if you should decide to rehome our little one, please let us know. I am sure that we can do so much better than the pound. I hope that what ever you decide you put your little one first and foremost. It sounds as though you are by coming on and talking about it. I commend you for that, please follow through and do what is best for him/her. Good luck. If you don't mind my asking, where abouts in MD are you?

AbbysMom08 · 07-22-2009, 08:43 PM

Please take to heart and pay close attention to what people on this site are saying. Please don't take offense to what is said. No one is trying to be mean. That being said, I am so sorry the 2 of you are going through this. I feel awful for your little guy and what he may have gone through in his little life so far. Please try to be patient with him. I know it can be frustrating but it will be VERY rewarding in the end.
When he goes potty outside make sure you give him lots of praises and a little treat. When he does something that pleases you, reward him. Give lots of praises too!! They really do want to please their owners.
Once again, please listen, learn and absorb all of the suggestions that people give you here. There are a lot of very caring and supportive people on this site. I know you aren't a bad person. Just need redirecting in disciplining your little guy. I know you do really care as you came here for help.
Please keep us posted on your progress.
Oh by the way.............welcome to Yorkie Talk!

Lucia · 07-22-2009, 10:32 PM

Welcome to YT

You've been given some great advice already...but I just wanted to add that I know it can be very frustrating trying to house-train a yorkie, but the key is to stay calm and re-inforce the positive behaviour (ie: when your yorkie pees/poops where you want him to), rather than punishing the negative. It is very similar to potty-training a toddler - it takes time and mistakes will be made that won't be solved by a tap on the butt. Yorkies (all dogs in fact) thrive on positive attention, and it sounds like your little guy got lots of this from your girlfriend and perhaps that's why a strong bond was formed.

Obedience classes are definitely a good idea....it's a very rewarding experience and will help form a bond between the two of you.

We are not born knowing how to raise dogs (or children for that matter), it's a learning process...one that's most easily achieved with a calm and positive attitude....so take a deep breath and start again....there is support here if you need it

Good luck! xxx

LilMissy · 07-22-2009, 10:32 PM

I'm not trying to be rude at all, so please don't take it that way. If this situation is getting to the point where you are starting to resent your Yorkie...why don't you give him to your girlfriend? It sounds like they get along great!

Honestly, if you're the second man to be spanking or swatting at this poor little guy, I think that it will be hard for you to win him over. If you do decide to keep him, I hope that you find alot more patience. Yorkies can be the BEST little dogs ever, if you treat them right.

P.S. It's great that you care enough about this to come here and ask for advice.

QuickSilver · 07-22-2009, 11:05 PM

I think if you are willing to work on your relationship with this dog, you and he can become best buddies. Really!

Everyone makes mistakes, and you've come here looking for something to change. Good for you. I don't think your dog was "biding his time". It's in a dog's makeup to love his owner. It does sound like he is scared of you. He might have been pre-disposed to fear men because of his previous experience. This was also probably driving his bad potty behavior. He was probably scared, and those little brains can't focus on too much at one time.

I'm going to be repeating some stuff, but:

* Yorkies can be **extremely** hard to potty train. If he is going in front of you, he is confused, not spiteful. My dog went through this phase even though he went crazy for the treats I gave him when he got it right. I knew he was trying his best, but even the best of us get frustrated with how long it takes to click. It is worth it to stay patient and work through it.

* You need to switch to POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT ONLY. Many modern trainers believe this is the best method anyway, and it's especially important because you got off on the wrong foot with your yorkie. Get a clicker, and read up on the basics of clicker training. This will give you and he somewhere positive to start with.

* Make sure you are in charge of his feeding and walks to re-build your bond.

* Do not make any threatening gestures. Get him to play with you by lying on the floor and throwing treats to him until he is more comfortable with you.

* It would be better if your gf interrupts him when he goes inside. He might be scared by you clapping your hands. There are a ton of potty training threads available. If you are finding accidents after the fact, you need to take the dog out more frequently, or **confine him to a smaller area**. Do you have a crate or an xpen?

* A lot of dogs don't come when called. Train him to come to you with treats, and NEVER call him to punish him or scold him, even if he does not come promptly.

Good luck. I believe you can do it. If however, you find that you don't have the patience, please re-home him. Perhaps you can give him to a rescue so they can ensure that he gets a good home, since he has already been moved once. If you want to keep coming here and learning about yorkies, I will support you.

QuickSilver · 07-22-2009, 11:13 PM

Also, I want to encourage you to look at the experience with your gf as a good thing, not a bad one. Now you see the relationship you CAN have with this dog if you work at it.

chachi · 07-22-2009, 11:47 PM

Be the bearer of all good things for a while. Take your yorkie on lots of walks, take him in the car with you places, give him treats, teach him tricks, you will win him over. Use positive reinforcement when he goes to the bathroom in the right place give him a treat. If you do needd to discipline him like someone said just use a couple of fingers on the rump. Try not to yell at him but when needed use an authoritive voice. Dogs know the difference in our tones. I would only rehome him after you have tried hard to rebuild the trust and relationship and it doesnt work out. Good luck

Jemma · 07-23-2009, 03:04 AM

Can I ask how old your Yorkie is now?

Sugar's Mom · 07-23-2009, 03:25 AM

he is afraid of you and with good reason. I am so sorry that you didn't know how to take care of this little guy. Now that you realize what you have done, it's too little, too late. Hopefully, you will place him in a good home where he is the center of attention. I'm afraid he will never come to care for you or not fear you. As far as the girlfriend, he sees her as his protector. this post made me so sad when I read it but at least you do realize what you did wrong.

spr377 · 07-23-2009, 03:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sugar's Mom

he is afraid of you and with good reason. I am so sorry that you didn't know how to take care of this little guy. Now that you realize what you have done, it's too little, too late. Hopefully, you will place him in a good home where he is the center of attention. I'm afraid he will never come to care for you or not fear you. As far as the girlfriend, he sees her as his protector. this post made me so sad when I read it but at least you do realize what you did wrong.

Well put!

sugarmamma · 07-23-2009, 05:48 AM

Yorkies are usually pretty forgiving if they can tell you really want a close relationship with them. Can you give it your all for 6 months to a year and really WORK at winning him back?

If that isn't an option for you I'm sure there is someone here with experience with bringing out the best in your little one

07-22-2009, 07:14 PM	#1
BindTK YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: maryland Posts: 1	About to sell my yorkie, need help! i first want to start off by saying that some of methods ive used in raising my yorkie you might not agree with. ive relized ive done something wrong in my upbringing and im looking for advice to change. please dont just tell me how much of a bad person you think i am. i honestly just want some answers to help my situation. first i want to start off by giving you a small version of my dog history, to give insight on how i view things. i was raised (around 13 at the time) with a yellow lab mix. i played very rough with this dog and he loved every second of it. also when he would do something wrong, i would yell at him and spank him once. he then would learn from his mistake and often come up to me and lay down next to me as if saying "sorry" he was a great dog. what got me to like yorkies was a few years later living with a friend of mine. he had one and i loved their cute personalities. i saw how attatched he was to the owner and tried to get companionship with the dog but to no avail. if he was ever laying on me and the original owner would walk in hed jump off me and lay with him. it was frustrating but i knew one day id have my own to get attatched with. jump a few more years later again and now i live in my own place by myself. after being here a year i decided to get a dog, my first choice was a golden lab, but after finding out i could only own small dogs where i lived my next obvious choice would be a yorkie. around here there pretty expensive but after talking with a neighbor i found out that one of there friends was selling there 6 month old yorkie. i met with the owner and found out that she was selling it because she wanted to give him a better life. after she had her baby she couldnt give him as much attention and her husband said it was a sissy dog and often picked on him, and so did his friends when they came over. i ended up getting the yorkie at a very low price and hes seriously the cutest yorkie ive ever seen. he wasnt at all potty trained and everytime he chewed on something like a carpet, or if he went to the bathroom in my house i would yell "NO!" at him, stick his nose in it, and spank him once. then i would put him in his cage for around 15 minutes. this is how i raised my lab and it worked fine. but i got a differnt reaction from the yorkie. instead of comming up to me and laying down next to me as if saying "sorry" like my old dog did, he would avoid me and lay in some corner of my place, and sometimes afterward id call him and he wouldnt come to me which is unheard of with labs. when you call your dog and he doesnt listen its really frustrating and sad. eventually he learned certain words and phrases and knew how to let me know he needed to go outside. this made things much easier. but once every 3 days or so hed sit right in front of me and start going to the bathroom, KNOWING hed get punished for it, to me it was like his way of saying "screw you" but im not really sure. my girlfriend lives in a differnt country than me and came out here to live with me for a month, i took of work too. so the dog is around us alot. when usually im at work half the day and hes in the cage. after about the 3rd day he was completely attatched to her hip. i thought this was because hed met someone new that was staying in my house for more than a few hours. but no, its differnt. because now its been 3 weeks and its gotten progressively worse. he follows her everywhere and is extreamly happy with her, a happiness ive never seen in him before. he wont listen to me or come to me anymore. when i call him he just hides under and i have to walk across the room to pick him up. if i hold him for a while and pet him he starts whimpering because he wants down so badly. but with my girlfriend he constantly cuddles up with her. whats made things worse is that when hes doing something bad, my girlfriend tells me to yell at him, she never actually punishes him herself. so its like our only relationship now is me being the bad guy to him. another weird thing is that he goes to bathroom outside everytime now, seriously not in 3 weeks since my GF has been here has he gone inside once. now that i see my dogs true colors i almost resent him. here i am trying so hard to have a connection with him and my GF gets here and in 3 days she accomplished what i couldnt in 3 months! now that i see his true colors im pretty much convinced i have to sell him after she leaves. it was like he was just "dealing" with me until he thought maybe his real owner would come back one day. that he never actually liked me at all. is it because his previous owner was a girl? and the only "guys" in his life treated him bad so now he can only trust women? i just need to know from you guys if its at ALL possible to get a relationship with this dog like my girlfriend has? or if at this point its just impossible b/c in his eyes im now the "bad guy" ? is my only option now to sell him? my girlfriend leaves in a week and a half so i got to make choices soon, please help!

07-22-2009, 07:41 PM	#2
IHeartSnS Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Laurel, MD, USA Posts: 161	First off you need to remember that he is only a dog, not a human. Also Labs are considered to be the smartest dogs in the dog world, a yorkies brain is much smaller keep that in mind. This dog also probably weighs about 5lbs and hitting him may be hurting him alot more than you think. It could be bringing back memories from when the prior owners husband picked on him or it could just be the tone of your voice that scares him. I'm not trying to sound mean but you should have done some research on yorkies before you bought one, they are very intellegent dogs but have very small bladders and are EXTREMELY hard to potty train. Yorkies are very, very loyal to their owners but you need to give them the respect and love that they give you, yelling constantly, hitting them and not being understanding to the breed is going to scare them (remember you are WAY bigger than he is). I do yell at my yorkies and put them in their cages when they are bad but once I let them out they are so excited and act like they haven't seen me all day, so maybe it is a possibility that he was abused before you got him, is he skidish about other things? Your dog is also the type of dog that should not be in a crate for long periods of time, like i said before they are very loyal to their owners and want to be around them constantly, think if you were locked in your bathroom for 8 hours a day you'd be pretty mad at whoever locked you in there wouldn't you? The situation with you girlfriend is just like if your dog was a child, she's a breath of fresh air, she doesn't yell at him and gives him all the attention in the world of course he's going to favor her he see's her as only good. And not being locked in his cage all day means he isn't bored and fiesty when he is out and has no need to rebel. You can't resent him for being a dog his personality is just what a yorkie is, you should have done your research before you took him in and you would have seen that yorkies are very high maintence dogs that require A LOT of attention. Now all that being said there are some things you can try. Sign him up for a training class, they have them at pet smart, this will teach him to listen to you better, but you also need to learn how to correct him, remember he is not a lab he is a yorkie and they are two totaly differnt breeds. Don't hit him for going potty inside say "NO!" and take him out, even if he's already finished, and if you didn't see him do it don't yell at him for it, he isn't going to remember that he pooped there an hour ago. If he eat's something that he shouldn't be eating just say no and give him something he should be eating, acting like the world is ending everytime he messes up is only going to make him scared to do anything. Take him to a doggy day care during the day if you can, that way he isn't stuck in a cage all day and he can burn off some energy i promise he will be more mellow at home, if you can't do that at least take him for a walk every night. Again if you were locked in your bathroom all day you would want to go outside and stretch your legs too. And again don't be so judgemental on him he probably had a rough beginning and it takes a long time to forget something like that, reward him for the good even if it's something little and don't scare him when he's bad. Do some research on the yorkie breed and hopefully that will help you understand what's going on in his little head. I'm sorry if this sounds mean but it would be a shame for him to have to go through a 3rd family because he isn't a yellow lab. And if things really wont work out between you two please find him a good home, don't just drop him off at the pound. __________________ Amy, Shilo and Spike

07-22-2009, 08:16 PM	#4
capt_noonie www.yorkierescue.com Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Las Vegas & Orange County Posts: 17,408	IHeartSnS has given you some good info, but even still what a sad situation. Please don't give up on this pup. He is still young, and many yorkies aren't fully potty trained until even past one year old. Also I'm sure he doesn't understand that you are his owner now. Perhaps you can try to bond with him in the meantime while your gf is still in town. Do things together with all three of you. Make it fun stuff so he'll like being with you. Get him to like you first, then focus more on training a little later. If he doesn't like or respect you, training will be almost impossible. The best way to train yorkies are through positive training methods, not through fear and punishment. Please no spanking. All you need, if you really want to physically tell him no, a firm but small tap with one or two fingers on the hind quarters is more than enough for him to get the message. It would really be a shame if he had to go through another rehome. It doesn't sound like the original owners really spoiled him like a yorkie should be spoiled, esp since the husband didn't respect him, that's just so sad. If you have more questions please ask us. I think rehome should be the absolute last resort. Good luck. __________________ The T.U.B. Pack! Toto, Uni, & Bindi RIP Lord Scrappington Montgomery McLimpybottom aka El Lenguo the Handicapped Ninja 10-12-12

07-22-2009, 08:43 PM	#6
AbbysMom08 Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 2,268	Please take to heart and pay close attention to what people on this site are saying. Please don't take offense to what is said. No one is trying to be mean. That being said, I am so sorry the 2 of you are going through this. I feel awful for your little guy and what he may have gone through in his little life so far. Please try to be patient with him. I know it can be frustrating but it will be VERY rewarding in the end. When he goes potty outside make sure you give him lots of praises and a little treat. When he does something that pleases you, reward him. Give lots of praises too!! They really do want to please their owners. Once again, please listen, learn and absorb all of the suggestions that people give you here. There are a lot of very caring and supportive people on this site. I know you aren't a bad person. Just need redirecting in disciplining your little guy. I know you do really care as you came here for help. Please keep us posted on your progress. Oh by the way.............welcome to Yorkie Talk! __________________ Jan, Mommy to Abby

07-22-2009, 10:32 PM	#7
Lucia Twinkle & Wicket's Mum Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Kent, England Posts: 2,197	Welcome to YT You've been given some great advice already...but I just wanted to add that I know it can be very frustrating trying to house-train a yorkie, but the key is to stay calm and re-inforce the positive behaviour (ie: when your yorkie pees/poops where you want him to), rather than punishing the negative. It is very similar to potty-training a toddler - it takes time and mistakes will be made that won't be solved by a tap on the butt. Yorkies (all dogs in fact) thrive on positive attention, and it sounds like your little guy got lots of this from your girlfriend and perhaps that's why a strong bond was formed. Obedience classes are definitely a good idea....it's a very rewarding experience and will help form a bond between the two of you. We are not born knowing how to raise dogs (or children for that matter), it's a learning process...one that's most easily achieved with a calm and positive attitude....so take a deep breath and start again....there is support here if you need it Good luck! xxx __________________ Love from Claire (Me!) mummy to skindaughters Mia and Lucia, furdaughter Twinkleand fursons Wicket and Ozzy 'Treat stressful situations like a dog; pee on them then walk away.' Last edited by Lucia; 07-22-2009 at 10:33 PM. Reason: my terrible spelling!

07-22-2009, 10:32 PM	#8
LilMissy Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 3,421	I'm not trying to be rude at all, so please don't take it that way. If this situation is getting to the point where you are starting to resent your Yorkie...why don't you give him to your girlfriend? It sounds like they get along great! Honestly, if you're the second man to be spanking or swatting at this poor little guy, I think that it will be hard for you to win him over. If you do decide to keep him, I hope that you find alot more patience. Yorkies can be the BEST little dogs ever, if you treat them right. P.S. It's great that you care enough about this to come here and ask for advice. __________________ Shaunna with Missy (my princess) & Dora (my tomboy) Last edited by LilMissy; 07-22-2009 at 10:34 PM.

07-22-2009, 11:05 PM	#9
QuickSilver Thor's Human Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 5,929 Blog Entries: 31	I think if you are willing to work on your relationship with this dog, you and he can become best buddies. Really! Everyone makes mistakes, and you've come here looking for something to change. Good for you. I don't think your dog was "biding his time". It's in a dog's makeup to love his owner. It does sound like he is scared of you. He might have been pre-disposed to fear men because of his previous experience. This was also probably driving his bad potty behavior. He was probably scared, and those little brains can't focus on too much at one time. I'm going to be repeating some stuff, but: * Yorkies can be extremely hard to potty train. If he is going in front of you, he is confused, not spiteful. My dog went through this phase even though he went crazy for the treats I gave him when he got it right. I knew he was trying his best, but even the best of us get frustrated with how long it takes to click. It is worth it to stay patient and work through it. * You need to switch to POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT ONLY. Many modern trainers believe this is the best method anyway, and it's especially important because you got off on the wrong foot with your yorkie. Get a clicker, and read up on the basics of clicker training. This will give you and he somewhere positive to start with. * Make sure you are in charge of his feeding and walks to re-build your bond. * Do not make any threatening gestures. Get him to play with you by lying on the floor and throwing treats to him until he is more comfortable with you. * It would be better if your gf interrupts him when he goes inside. He might be scared by you clapping your hands. There are a ton of potty training threads available. If you are finding accidents after the fact, you need to take the dog out more frequently, or confine him to a smaller area. Do you have a crate or an xpen? * A lot of dogs don't come when called. Train him to come to you with treats, and NEVER call him to punish him or scold him, even if he does not come promptly. Good luck. I believe you can do it. If however, you find that you don't have the patience, please re-home him. Perhaps you can give him to a rescue so they can ensure that he gets a good home, since he has already been moved once. If you want to keep coming here and learning about yorkies, I will support you. __________________ If you love something, set it free. Unless it's an angry tiger. Last edited by QuickSilver; 07-22-2009 at 11:10 PM.

07-22-2009, 11:13 PM	#10
QuickSilver Thor's Human Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 5,929 Blog Entries: 31	Also, I want to encourage you to look at the experience with your gf as a good thing, not a bad one. Now you see the relationship you CAN have with this dog if you work at it. __________________ If you love something, set it free. Unless it's an angry tiger.

07-22-2009, 11:47 PM	#11
chachi I Love My Yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 37,147	Be the bearer of all good things for a while. Take your yorkie on lots of walks, take him in the car with you places, give him treats, teach him tricks, you will win him over. Use positive reinforcement when he goes to the bathroom in the right place give him a treat. If you do needd to discipline him like someone said just use a couple of fingers on the rump. Try not to yell at him but when needed use an authoritive voice. Dogs know the difference in our tones. I would only rehome him after you have tried hard to rebuild the trust and relationship and it doesnt work out. Good luck __________________ Chachi's & Jewels Mom Jewels http://www.dogster.com/?132431 Chachi http://www.dogster.com/?132427

07-23-2009, 03:04 AM	#12
Jemma Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: NJ Posts: 838	Can I ask how old your Yorkie is now? __________________ Carol And Jemma Be Kinder Than Necessary, For Everyone You Meet Is Fighting Some Kind Of Battle

07-23-2009, 03:25 AM	#13
Sugar's Mom BANNED! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 9,248	he is afraid of you and with good reason. I am so sorry that you didn't know how to take care of this little guy. Now that you realize what you have done, it's too little, too late. Hopefully, you will place him in a good home where he is the center of attention. I'm afraid he will never come to care for you or not fear you. As far as the girlfriend, he sees her as his protector. this post made me so sad when I read it but at least you do realize what you did wrong.

07-23-2009, 05:48 AM	#15
sugarmamma Donating YT 18K Club Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Yorkie Zoo Posts: 34,152	Yorkies are usually pretty forgiving if they can tell you really want a close relationship with them. Can you give it your all for 6 months to a year and really WORK at winning him back? If that isn't an option for you I'm sure there is someone here with experience with bringing out the best in your little one