My Yorkie has an anger management problem

[dands]

Our little Yorkie is adorable, but seems to be struggling with an anger management problem. So, here's some background. He's the smallest of his litter of 3 yorkie males. Yet, he was the most energetic and smartest. We thought he was the bravest cause he was the first of his littermates to greet us by smelling our feet. However, he seems to have a lot of fear. Whenever we take him on a walk, he's totally tense and stiff. And he growls often, and sometimes barks. He seems to be really scared outside on walks.

Anyway, back to his anger management problem. He seems to take out his anger on his toys and bed. He has this little teddy bear that he sometimes licks like it's a friend. But then, at times he'll growl and bite into it over and over like it's his prey. Then, his bullystick is another story. Sometimes he'll chew it like it's so delicious. Then, at other times he'll go on a rampage and start to growl and throw it around like a madman. Then, there's his bed. It's his precious bed where he sleeps. But then when he gets angry, he growls and bites and throws it around.

Now, some people might say he's playing. And we thought like that as well until we started to sense maybe he really does have an anger problem. It seems like he goes on these anger fits... or shall we call them "yorkie fits of rage."

When we tell him "no" or "leave it", and take away the object of his wrath, he acts like he's scared of us and runs away.

Do any of your Yorkies have any anger management problems like this, or are we all alone? Any suggestions for us?

A few more notes:
- after we bathe him, he runs around the house like a madman... lightning speed bouncing off walls.
- is he getting back at us for leaving him in the kitchen all day while we're at work?
- is he mad at us for making him sleep in kitchen and not in our bedroom?
- should we get another dog for him to be friends with?
- should we play some NPR radio during the day to soothe him?
- how do we make him less scared outside on his walks
- and not to mention all the potty training challenges...

but, he is an adorable dog. very cute. knows lots of tricks now (sit, down, stay, leave it, bang, roll over, shake, high 5, etc).

Thanks for reading.

[loveyorks]

He does all of the things mine do, yes he is playing and having fun. As far as walks are concerned, he needs to be socialized to his surroundings and yes somethings are just scary for them. Whenever he does that outside, you need to reassure him that all is OK and just keep going. He'll the hang of it. So for now, don't worry too much, he's just being a playfull yound pup. Good luck

[Pup-e-Love]

He sounds like a normal puppy to me. How old is he?? I am a homeschooling mom, so we are here all day long with our little guy. I've noticed that the couple of times we have had to leave him by himself for long periods of time, that when we got home he was like a mad man, going crazy, growling and carrying on with his toys and sometimes us. He is playing and has all this energy pent up from being by himself all day. It's good to get him out and run him until he's worn out. It's like how kids are... they have to get the wiggles out somehow.

As for being afraid when you go on walks, I'm not sure. I think continuing to walk him is good. He needs to get used to the sights and sound around him so he will be more comfortable with his surroundings.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

[TeresaM]

You don't say how old he is, so just let me say that if he hasn't had all of his shots yet, he shouldn't be going for walks. That said, assuming he's had all his shots I would start with just going outside, on leash, sitting and letting him look around and get comfortable with 'the big scary world'. Take treats with you and reward him when he's calm or takes an interest in something, but not scared. Let him walk away a few steps call him back to you, even give a gentle tug on the leash and then reward him. Once he seems to not be nervous about that walk on a little ways, stop while he's calm and reward him. Just work up the distance until he starts to see nothing is going to happen. Be very aware of all that's going on around you. Watch for anything that may come at him fast or loud, turn him so he can see it, reward him if he stays calm. It would also help if you have a friend or family member that has a 'been there, done that' dog that can sit with you and show him there's nothing to be afraid of.

The anger issues sound like pure puppy play to me. Gracie Ruth & Yogi both do things like this to their toys, to Boo (poor sweet Boo ) to each other. Seriously, they sound like a pack of wolves tearing the flesh off of a fresh kill some times. If he seems scared when you tell him no, it could be because he knows that No means he's done something wrong and he's confused because all he was doing was playing. Try joining in on his play instead of telling him no. Look at how puppies play all rough and tumble, snarling and growling. It's part of their make up as a dog. I will play with G & Yogi like this and they love it! I always end with calming them down with some quiet hugs, tummy scratches & kisses. They may run off and continue playing rough with each other, but "our" play session ends with loving not 'fighting'.

The 'zoomies' after bath time is pretty universal for dogs. Nearly every dog I know does this. Not sure why, I have my ideas, but just know that it is very normal and enjoy it. Because is sure is fun to watch them do it.

All and all it sounds like you have a very normal, very smart, very Yorkie boy.

[dands]

Thanks for your feedback/suggestions. I feel much better but my husband still thinks our Yorkie has anger issues.

By the way, he's 8 months old and has all of his shots.

We have a few more questions:
1. When you say he's being a puppy, does this play/anger/whatever it is, calm down or go away? We're thinking of getting pregnant. Is this something we need to get under control before having a baby?

2. Our Yorkie seems to get dominant when he's excited or angry. We've heard this is not ok from Cesar Milan's shows. Do your dogs seem dominant when they get excited?

3. When you play back with your dogs, don't they get super excited? Is this ok? Or is it encouraging excited dominant behavior?

[dands]

Also, we didn't know any better and took him from his mom/littermates when he was 8 weeks old. Is this creating these problems we're having with him? My husband is having some guilt over it.

[Lou]

1. When you say he's being a puppy, does this play/anger/whatever it is, calm down or go away? We're thinking of getting pregnant. Is this something we need to get under control before having a baby?
Skeeter has a stuffed wolf that he has grown up with. At first it was his comforter ad he liked to snuggle with it. Then it became his girlfriend and he would hump it. After that it became his prey. He will growl and shake it. He loves to chase it if we throw it for him. He will lay on the floor with his little mouth clamped over the wolf's snout just like a wild animal would to suffocate its prey. All of this is normal. Skeeter is the sweetest most even tempered little guy you could hope for! He is now about 1.8 years old ad it has calmed down quite a bit. As an adult he isn't quite as rowdy.

2. ?

3. When you play back with your dogs, don't they get super excited? Is this ok? Or is it encouraging excited dominant behavior?
He's a puppy sweetie. Think about how little kids squeal and scream when you get down to their level and play. That's all he is doing. I think every puppy PRETENDS to be dominant when they are playing.

Eight weeks huh. Well Adie was 7 weeks and she is quite a card. You will probably have a dog that thinks he is part human. Adie thinks she is some hot chick but not the alpha by any means. That is reserved for our shih tzu.

I think you all would benefit from signing up for a class at PetSmart or Petco. He probably just needs some training.

There are ways to introduce a new dog to the family pet so check back with us when the time comes.

[Lou]

And I forgot about the after bath thing. It, as you have already been told, is called the zoomies on this board and we all LOVE it! In fact my husband gets mad at me if I bath one of the dogs when he isn't around to see them afterwards. It is sooo entertaining!

[livingdustmops]

Originally Posted by dands

I feel much better but my husband still thinks our Yorkie has anger issues.

Has your husband had a Yorkie before? How much does he know about terriers? I grew up with hunting dogs and mainly black labs and if a lab did what a yorkie does I am sure my father would have put them down.

These little dudes/dudettes are entirely different than most dogs with their terrier qualities (some yorkies more than others)...they are stubborn, quick to attack and have no fear in regards to their size. They are very very loyal to their owner(s) and will ignore most other people (not like most dogs who wants everyone to love them). Now this is not all Yorkies but from my experience with Yorkie rescue it really is the majority of them. This is not an issue about anger but their personalities and how fear driven (fear aggression) they are.

I adore all of their qualities but I have had to learn so much about them and how positive training is so very important in their lives. I do not believe in the dominant theory as it has been dis-proven but I do believe you have to get intside their heads and figure out how to handle them.

[Love_Capone]

You have a perfectly fine little puppy! If he has never bit you or another human with mean intentions then you shouldn't be afraid to have a baby. My dog had a monkey that he loved to death then I looked up after a few months and the poor monkey had his heart (the squeaker) in one place, his ears, legs, and arms all in another place. He's just trying to let out some energy. The zoomies are a funny thing to watch. They do calm down with age, but they still like to play and be entertained. Try introducing him to other dogs to help with his barking, that comes from being under socialized, but everything else seems perfectly normal to me. You should enjoy it and play along with him, my dog is growing out of his puppy phase and I kind of miss all the fetch turned tug of war games. Don't you want your puppy to be excited to see you and want to play with you? I don't think dominance really matter when he's just trying to have a fun time, you just have to make sure you can calm him down when it's not appropriate (i.e. when guest come over and they jump on them).

[dands]

Thanks for your replies.

This is our first yorkie. I had a puppy growing up but I was a little kid so did not so any of the training and don't remember much at all.

We went to 2 obedience classes to try to socialize him. Puppy class and also intermediate obedience. He got much better from it but he's still scared.

Our other problem is when people come by, he barks. We don't know how to get him to stop. We just pick him up and put him in the kitchen. This is obviously not ideal.

Thanks again.

[alaskayorkie]

I think you've gotten some good advice here, but you're right to take it seriously. Eddie, my oldest, left the litter too soon also, and he's struggled with knowing how to play. I think bringing him around other dogs and socializing is a good place to start. Obedience classes will help with that. Also, let lots of people pet him and play with him.

Here's what I think is most important:
* Exercise. Dogs who develop bad habits are often bored and under-exercised.
* Barking. Put some pennies in a can and shake it when he barks.
* Outside walks. Distract him with games. Toss a ball. Have him do sits and reward with treats. Get him to focus on you and not all the scary things in the environment. If you pass something that sets him off, ignore it. If he sees that you're not concerned, he'll learn he doesn't have to worry about it either.

Good luck! Sounds like you've got a terrific Yorkie with a great personality.

[York-a-lator]

Originally Posted by Lou

And I forgot about the after bath thing. It, as you have already been told, is called the zoomies on this board and we all LOVE it! In fact my husband gets mad at me if I bath one of the dogs when he isn't around to see them afterwards. It is sooo entertaining!

Interesting! I should visit more often. My Jilly does the zoomie thing after she's bathed. We got even though, after she scrumbles all over the house, we finish brushing her, and I put a braid in her hair. She loves this part, and lays on my lap while I pamper her. Scooter likes this too, but she doesn't do the zoomies.

I have the opposite problem with Scooter. She is much too docile. She rarely comes out of her closet unless it's to eat. Her back legs are weak, but I don't think she's in pain. I try to snuggle her, and she lets me, but then she goes back in the closet again.

There couldn't be two dogs more opposite.

[livingdustmops]

When visitors come into the houes have them give your puppy treats and don't rush anything. YOur little one is a little scared of the visitors and I think you need to work on it now instead of down the road. Pick her up and hold her and then have them give her a treat. Don't shove her into their arms but let her get comfortable with them around.

You might want to watch Victoria Stillwell..she does some very nice things with positive training.

[viviansnickers]

Hello!!! You're questions are so sweet and it's so nice to see how much you care for your pup. Snickers is 1.3 years old and beats the heck out of all his stuffed animals. We love to watch him. He loves to throw them, pounce on them, bite & growl at them, and play tug of war. He also does the whole "prey" thing and shakes them violently to "kill" them. I love it.

Snickers used to bark alot when we left b/c he always wanted to come with us. We set up an empty soup can with some coins in it and shake it when he barks inappropriately. I HATE doing this b/c I know how much he hates it but it gets rid of the barking quick. Now if he barks, all we say is "CAN!" and he stops. He caught on super quick.

After a bath, Snick ZOOMS like crazy!!! So funny!! He growls while he rubs himself all over the carpet too.

We got Snick at 8 weeks old as well, and he is a fantastic doggie. He is our heart!! Good luck, seems like your lil one is PURE yorkie

-Snick & Viv