What if my yorkie doesnt like me?

[spiritwings1202]

Originally Posted by Chloes dad

I don't want to sound crazy, But I'm in need of some advise. Chloe is 6 months old now, And I have had her now for 3 months, But had reg visits with her once a week at the breeders since she was a week old.The minute I was told to pick my girl I knew it was her. Now Chloe is very rebelious and is always getting into something, And is very destructive as well as not even close to being fully potty trained. latley I swear she is pushing the limits more and more to test me. Now I know that those are training issues, And we have her enrolled in the next available obediance classes that start the end of Feb. But my main and real concern is that she doesnt want to come to me if i call her, And unless shes sleepy/or tuckerd out she doesnt want anything to do with being held & generally seems to not really have any interest in me unless i'm leaving the house, feeding her or playing fetch. I bought my mom the boy from the same litter and he's so lovey dovey, and so calm that I just cant help but wonder..I picked her but maybe she didn't pick me? I hate to think this and it makes me sad and a little teary eyed to even write this, But I thought maybe someone out there has gone through this and could help.

I don't think that you should compare dogs for the same way you don't compare children. They all have different personalities.
You just need to bond with your dog more and find things about her that you do love and stop looking at the things you don't. She is a puppy and they do naughty things sometimes. That is why we are here to train them.
I know it would be nice to have a cuddle bug but all dogs are not and she will calm down once she gets older.
Have play time with her so that it helps with the bonding. We also have a time where we practice tricks every day and both dogs look forward to it.
Having a schedule makes them feel more secure and doing these things helps with the bonding. It would be nice if they always did what we wanted them to do, but then again how much fun is that? I like the surprises of laughter once in a while!!

My Pixie is a live wire she is always looking for things to get into but I find myself laughing at some of it. The size of her, she drags my grandsons couch across the living room. She gets into toilet paper. She tries to jump in the trash can, I caught her trying to drink my husbands glass of wine. She steals socks and hides them, etc puppy behavior!!
Love your puppy for who she is and she will love you back

[carissa_]

this sounds like my rex! he is the same age too and when i call him he will come ( sometimes) but never will come close enough for me to pick him up. and if i try to pick him up he bolts in the opposite direction. i need to enroll him in an obedience class ! i love him to death but nothing i do it working. your not alone!

[HarleyHOO]

Aww...I can only imagine what that must make you feel like. But like other's have said, don't give up. She's definitely testing you to see how far she can go. And I know its probably hard given her current behaviour, but try to have calm and positive energy around her. She can pick up on it when you're annoyed and that just makes it worse because dogs don't trust or respect someone who is uneasy or unsure. From what I understand, they actually view it as a sign of weakness, therefore think they NEED to assume the "alpha" role. Good news is, you can totally break this behaviour. First, like other's suggested, definitely exercise her and wear her out. Then, maybe set aside a few minutes a day in a quiet room, just the two of you and simply love on her, massage her, tell her how special she is to you. She'll pick up on your loving vibes. I think this will help with the bonding stage.
Also, to reclaim your "alpha" status, try some of these things and be consistent :

1. When ready to feed, always make her sit and stay calm before dropping the food in the bowl. And tap your fingers in the food several times while she's eating so she know that its OK to have someone close while eating. This shoud prevent her from becoming territorial over her food later on. Or at least it worked for mine

2. Never ever let her enter through a door before you. I taught mine to "wait" and until both of my feet were inside, she waited. Still to this day, she will wait until I ask her to come in...she nevers rushes ahead of me.

3. If you're not crate training yet, start. It makes the potty training MUCH easier. Harley was fully trained within 4 months. But I was tough In fact several family members called me "the warden"...haha. But it paid off and now she's such a joy. When I would come home from work, I'd open her crate and pick her up to take her outside. Literally, her feet never hit the ground until we were in the grass. Then I'd say "go potty" and she would...then lots of praise immediately after. Every now and then she would be stubborn and after waiting 10 minutes and not potty, I'd pick her back up and back in the crate she went. I'd wait another 10 minutes and try again. Before long she realized that she didn't get any play time or interaction from mama until she went potty outside.

4. Put her on a strict feeding schedule. This will help you determine when she needs to be taken out.

5. Don't let her have free roam of the house until she respects you and abides by your rules. Limit her space and make sure you keep a close eye on her at all times.

6. Do not allow her to get away with anything that a big dog wouldn't be allowed to do...for instance, jumping on the furniture, jumping in your face, nipping, etc. This isn't to say that you should never allow her on the furniture, but not until she's older. I didn't let Harley jump on the couch unless I invited her too. Now, she's always on it with me, but she knows that a privilege. If she nips your nose or hand, say "OUCH" loudly and get up and go to another room. Cut off all attention for a few minutes.

Sorry this has been so long..haha. I could go on and on about what worked for me, but I know that every dog is different. I'm not an expert but these are some of the things that helped me through the puppy phase. And now, I could not imagine my life without her. And she's spolied, but also knows who's boss. Rarely do I have trouble.

Good luck and hang in there! You can do this!!

[Chloes dad]

Thank you everyone!! And a special thank you to HarleyHoo, You all have given me some very sound advise, And I appreciate it all!..I just wanted to ensure that you know although I was venting and sad I would never give up on Chloe, I think after reading all of your advise, that I am definitely the one to blame not Chloe. I do spend alot of time with her, I don't work I'm a homemaker and really only leave her to go to lunch or shopping, But I think I spoiled her rotten, And gave her free reign of most the house right away.We do play allot to but maybe i need to find more challenging play then fetch, And we will definitely be checking out the dog park. So I am going to start all over, And take the time to follow all the rules. I will also look into those books YorkieSchmalz!

[Her Name Is Rio]

Originally Posted by Poohpie

Yep, Sounds like you have a Sassy bossy pants on your hands..LOL You need to show her you are the boss. She will still get into things because she is a puppy and will grow out of that soon enough but def. you to let her know that you are the leader of the "pack"

LOL - Sassy bossy pants totally describes my Rio! I agree with everyone - I think your furbaby is acting like many female Yorkies. Rio is 11 months old, has gone through her puppy class and knows sit, stay, come, down etc. But she remains very independent and will pretty much do all her commands if she's in the mood. Otherwise she can be aloof like a cat. She is moody too (even though she is spayed) - sometimes she is a lovebug (usuallyl in the morning) and other times she is a loner and wants to do her own thing.

[DvlshAngel985]

I have yet to see a yorkie that isn't a total love bug, but you have to remember they all have different personalities. Some dogs can be more independent and don't like to snuggle or be held for longer than 5 mins. Just thought I'd throw that out there if after all the training she still doesn't allow you to cuddle her for too long. You're baby girl is still so young and curious that I bet she feels she has more important things to do than be held. I bet she'll grow out of it and be your cuddle bug!
The lunging thing you mention does sound like something you should nip in the bud. My boy lunges at me too. He shows his teeth and looks semi-vicious. But when I don't move I actually get a tiny lick! Weird huh???
Do you have a correcting method yet? If you don't, pick one now! You might have to try a few but once you find one that works for little Chloe stick to it and she'll quickly learn what it means.

[AprilLove]

Hang in there mommy, it does get easier . One piece of advice, I know you have her enrolled in training classes down the road, but right now is a prime time to spend on training. 5 minutes a day commit to training, you will see results.

Have you heard of clicker training? I would highly recommend it, especially with the "come" command. Training one on one with your furbaby every day is a great time for bonding, and teaching.


http://www.clickertraining.com/

[LilMissy]

I agree with the posters above that are saying yorkies can all have such different personalities. I have Missy (16 months) and Dora (4 months). They have the same Mom and Dad but were from different litters of puppies. Both have been raised at the breeders and my place in exactly the same way, but somehow they are TOTAL OPPOSITES personality-wise. Missy is an independant little Diva. She never comes when called and doesn't at all crave any kind of attention or affection. She's kind of a snob Dora however, ALWAYS comes when called and LOVES attention, cuddles, and is extremely social. Dora is far more outgoing and Missy has always been pretty reserved.

My point being, you may never get the cuddles and affection that you want from Chloe as it may just not be a part of her personality, but you should address the training issues. I wouldn't get too uptight about the potty training aspect. Yorkies can sometimes take a year or longer before they are fully trained.

[friscomom]

Originally Posted by JeanieK

They never want to come to you when you want them to, at that age. Even if they want to come to you, they won't come...they do outgrow that eventually.

rofl

...[sigh]...

[friscomom]

Originally Posted by HarleyHOO

If she nips your nose or hand, say "OUCH" loudly and get up and go to another room.

What does that mean? Frisco has done this to my partner, who happened to meet another yorkie today and apparently that yorkie did the same thing to him.

???

[Nico29]

Originally Posted by HarleyHOO

Aww...I can only imagine what that must make you feel like. But like other's have said, don't give up. She's definitely testing you to see how far she can go. And I know its probably hard given her current behaviour, but try to have calm and positive energy around her. She can pick up on it when you're annoyed and that just makes it worse because dogs don't trust or respect someone who is uneasy or unsure. From what I understand, they actually view it as a sign of weakness, therefore think they NEED to assume the "alpha" role. Good news is, you can totally break this behaviour. First, like other's suggested, definitely exercise her and wear her out. Then, maybe set aside a few minutes a day in a quiet room, just the two of you and simply love on her, massage her, tell her how special she is to you. She'll pick up on your loving vibes. I think this will help with the bonding stage.
Also, to reclaim your "alpha" status, try some of these things and be consistent :

1. When ready to feed, always make her sit and stay calm before dropping the food in the bowl. And tap your fingers in the food several times while she's eating so she know that its OK to have someone close while eating. This shoud prevent her from becoming territorial over her food later on. Or at least it worked for mine

2. Never ever let her enter through a door before you. I taught mine to "wait" and until both of my feet were inside, she waited. Still to this day, she will wait until I ask her to come in...she nevers rushes ahead of me.

3. If you're not crate training yet, start. It makes the potty training MUCH easier. Harley was fully trained within 4 months. But I was tough In fact several family members called me "the warden"...haha. But it paid off and now she's such a joy. When I would come home from work, I'd open her crate and pick her up to take her outside. Literally, her feet never hit the ground until we were in the grass. Then I'd say "go potty" and she would...then lots of praise immediately after. Every now and then she would be stubborn and after waiting 10 minutes and not potty, I'd pick her back up and back in the crate she went. I'd wait another 10 minutes and try again. Before long she realized that she didn't get any play time or interaction from mama until she went potty outside.

4. Put her on a strict feeding schedule. This will help you determine when she needs to be taken out.

5. Don't let her have free roam of the house until she respects you and abides by your rules. Limit her space and make sure you keep a close eye on her at all times.

6. Do not allow her to get away with anything that a big dog wouldn't be allowed to do...for instance, jumping on the furniture, jumping in your face, nipping, etc. This isn't to say that you should never allow her on the furniture, but not until she's older. I didn't let Harley jump on the couch unless I invited her too. Now, she's always on it with me, but she knows that a privilege. If she nips your nose or hand, say "OUCH" loudly and get up and go to another room. Cut off all attention for a few minutes.

Sorry this has been so long..haha. I could go on and on about what worked for me, but I know that every dog is different. I'm not an expert but these are some of the things that helped me through the puppy phase. And now, I could not imagine my life without her. And she's spolied, but also knows who's boss. Rarely do I have trouble.

Good luck and hang in there! You can do this!!

Completely agree. Our trainer told us was that after you put the food in her bowl pretend like you are taking food out and pretend to eat it. It definitely commanded respect almost immediately. Another thing I noticed was that they need to be stimulated mentally. We bought interactive games and he would have to figure out how to get his meals. This was completely supervised of course and in the begininng I would help him after a few attempts. I had to laugh when you wrote she won't come to you. He has me very well trained here. He only comes when he knows I have food. Our trainer told us in the very beginning to ration out his food (to prevent from over treating him) and keep some in a bag in your pocket. We were supposed to give him a treat every single time he came to us for about three weeks. We failed to follow through here which could be part of the reason he doesn't always come now. When you call her try to use an extremely peppy and happy tone and give immediate praise and treat. Another tip is that don't ever call her and then do something she doesn't like...such as grooming or giving medicine...a bath...bc she will associate coming to you as a trap. One last thing is that she is definitely picking up on your emotions. You need to try very, very hard to remain calm and cheerful even if you get frustrated or sad. -- These are just my opinions...just things that worked for us. Best advice on this thread is that a tired puppy is a happy puppy--and mommy too! With time and patience you will see that it all falls into place.

[yorkieusa]

Originally Posted by friscomom

What does that mean? Frisco has done this to my partner, who happened to meet another yorkie today and apparently that yorkie did the same thing to him.

???

Well, I've had my laugh for tonight now.

[friscomom]

Originally Posted by yorkieusa

Well, I've had my laugh for tonight now.

Why? What does it mean?

[YorkieMom6]

Originally Posted by yorkieusa

You'll get there. You've gotten some good advice. Don't give up and please don't think you've chosen the wrong puppy. Years from now you're going to say you couldn't live without her and tell people how perfect she is. Yorkies are both independent and stubborn. That's just yorkies for you. Training, training, training. Just don't break the spirit. The other suggestion I have for you is to make sure she receives huge amounts of exercise - walks when you can. Long one's. A tired yorkie is a good yorkie and won't be as destructive. They have energy to burn and if you don't help her burn that energy in a positive way, then she's going to find ways to burn that energy and that is where the destructive behavior comes from.