Any suggestions before I give up?
 

If you've read this twice it's because I copied it to a new thread. I am the mom of 13 weeks old Zoe. I know how you feel about the differences in breeds as I've had toy poodles most of my adult life and they have all been very quiet, docile, obedient dogs (all from different litters and different states) who wanted nothing better than to please me and love me. Most lived to be close to 16 yrs old. Never had an obedience problem and never read a book on the caring of poodles and never had to. Then I got a yorkie. I love her but don't think she feels the same way about me although I've had her 7 weeks now. She gets wild and hyper sometimes but I suppose that is the yorkie breed or else just the puppy temperament although I've seen and heard of many puppies who were loving from the start. Mine can only be held when she wants...which is not often at all. I've only held her to cuddle a very small number of hours in 7 weeks time. I go day to day hoping each one would be 'the day' that she will let me hold her, pet her, play with her. I had he trained to play fetch and to bring the ball and place it at my feet. She'd sit on command (most of the time), and come running when I called her. Nothing has changed except now she has decided it's more fun to keep the ball, run from me to keep me from catching her (diving under the bed to avoid it), and barking when I play ball with her and sometimes barking at me for no reason at all. And it's not the playful bark with her butt in the air...but a daring bark. I am the only one who feeds her, cleans her pen, grooms her, etc etc. except at night my husband shares in taking her out to potty. But she hasn't barked at anyone but me. I so wanted a sweet little dog who likes to cuddle and who would love to just spend time with me. I follow just about every bit of advice i've read on yorkies thru books and on Yorkie Talk. When I think I have it conquered she decides to turn the table and I feel like I am starting all over again. Anyone else have this problem? I get at my wits end sometimes. She's a precious little girl....with a very stubborn streak. When she plants her but down no leash or calling will make her budge from that spot. She is one way one day, and the next she changes and she follows that pattern. One good day, one bad day, then one good, one bad... over and over. I supposed i should just be happy there's a good day sandwiched in between the bad ones.

Ok. I have a yorkie - but the story I'm going to tell is about my Westie. I had never had a terrier before him. My previous dog had been a loving little Maltese.

Ringo came in; hyper; digging; stubborn; it was NOT love at first sight. My son wanted a Westie; not me. He spent a lot of nights in the living room - away from us - by his choice. I wasn't sure he even liked us.

We started doing agililty training with him and it helped so much. He loved agility; the physical and mental exercised gave him the stimulation he needed; and most of all - we had to work together as a team. It really brought us closer together - but I think any kind of training would help you.

Now Ringo and I have a real bond. We both love to walk - Lucy not so much. I did have to get used to his 'loner' personality a bit; but I know he loves me and me him.

It was not there automatically like it usually is - we had to work to make our bond.

Am I reading this right, she is 13 weeks and you have had her for 7 weeks, so you got her at 6 weeks?

If so, then she missed out of 6 more weeks of time she should have been with her mom and liter mates. This is a very important time in her life to learn socialization among other things. Getting her before 12 weeks does put a different spin on things, and more responsibility on you to replace what her mom would have taught her.

None the less, she is yours, and in my opinion 13 weeks is way too early to be judging a puppy's personality. She has so many changes ahead of her as she grows up, especially in the first year or two, so you will have to be really patient, loving, and understanding to help her become the perfect pet you desire.

My advice is don't even think of giving up. God's not done with her yet, and don't you be either.

I agree there too; she's just a baby and had a lot of changes to come and maturing to do.

Terriers are different; if this is your first terrier - her personality may not be what you are used to.

Have some fun playing with her! She's probably too young maybe for puppy classes.

I wanted to wait a while because we were on vacation at the time but the breeder called and said they were ready. The puppies were completely on puppy chow for a couple of weeks and the mother was withdrawing her attention. The two sisters loved playing together but the other pup was the favorite at the breeders so she was the socialized one. Zoe probably got used to not being handled much. To be honest I didn't even know what socialization was. My other 5 dogs..none yorkies..immediately bonded with me ...all at 6 weeks of age....all gifts....and i hadn't read anything about raising any of them. It all came naturally. But this situation is entirely different. And as for as stimulation...Zoe has plenty. lol

I couldn't agree more! :thumbup:

If she had stayed with her mom until she was 12 weeks old, she would have learned lots of puppy manners form her mom and littermates. She missed those important lessons.

Expecting a 13 week old puppy to be cuddly is pretty unrealistic.

How well did you research Yorkies before you got one? Being terriers, they have a very different personality than Poodles. Yorkies are know for their energy and stubbornness.

sadie turns a year old tomorrow and i swear she's as playful as the day we brought her home EARLY. she was 7 1/2 weeks, and she is a hyper, biting ball of fury. i love her to pieces, but she's a wacko sometimes. A: it's the breed B: she would have done better being with littermates until 12 weeks (biting issues) C: they all grow out of it eventually.

she's stil a maniac, but she'll lay down next to me and sleep and she's learned the "hug" command where i pat my chest and she'll put her paws up on my shoulders and lay her body against my chest. LOVE IT.

just takes time and age and they'll calm down a lot. 13 weeks is a baby pup. she'll be frisky for quite awhile. give it time and love her anyways.

I can't believe the "breeder" said they were ready to go! :thumbdown:mad:

Anyway, you have her now and you have to work even harder with Zoe since the "breeder" wanted her outta there as soon as possible! It's going to take hard work and dedication, and hate to say it to you, but this is just the beginning. You need to think long and hard if you are in it for the long haul. Yorkies are just not for everyone, and that's totally ok. You have to think of Zoe and put her first, and do what's best for her. Some people don't *really* try and end up resenting their dog, and that's so wrong. (That in turn will lead to even more behavioral problems.) There's a reason why certain types of dogs go with certain types of people. maybe you are just more of a poodle person than a yorkie person.

I'm not saying for you to give up. I'm just saying if you are going to stick with raising her, you really have to do it right and pretty much give up your life for the next few months in training her.

Have you checked out the training forum? There's lots of info in there about trick training, potty training, etc.

Your not alone,I feel the same way sometimes,sometimes I think he barks at me just to antagonize me.He is getting better at peeing on his pad(I know how most people feel about wee wee pads,but all of my dogs learned to go on them or newspaper,and they also went outside)this one goes on them for the most part when me or my wife are in the room to praise him or give him a treat,but if were not in the same room,the chances of him going on the floor increase!He is getting better though and he is family now and we love him!My bond with him grows stronger everday,and I know we made the right choice,he's agood pup despite some of his flaws. Sorry for being long winded,just saying,hang in their she'll get better!

Your not alone,I feel the same way sometimes,sometimes I think he barks at me just to antagonize me.He is getting better at peeing on his pad(I know how most people feel about wee wee pads,but all of my dogs learned to go on them or newspaper,and they also went outside)this one goes on them for the most part when me or my wife are in the room to praise him or give him a treat,but if were not in the same room,the chances of him going on the floor increase!He is getting better though and he is family now and we love him!My bond with him grows stronger everday,and I know we made the right choice,he's agood pup despite some of his flaws. Sorry for being long winded,just saying,hang in their she'll get better!

I didn't really research. I didn't know I had to since I never had before with my other dogs. But this is my first yorkie. All I knew before was that my daughter was given a yorkie for Christmas and her's was so cuddly from day one. She got her at 8 weeks I think and she lived about 90 miles away. They stayed with me for almost a week and her pup was with me all day long. She followed me around and laid down on my lap when I was relaxing and was so sweet that I got attached to her. At the time I thought all yorkies had the same temperament. She'd come when I called her and when they left for their new home I felt the loss. So I told my husband that's what I wanted for Mother's Day. I saw and held Zoe for a few times within the couple of weeks before taking her home but I guess she was too young for her true personality to come thru. I guess...but I'm not sure.. I did read lots and lots about yorkies before I actually picked her up but everything I read suggested they were mild mannered little lap dogs. One even said if you wanted a lapdog to get a yorkie. So I thought that was going to be the case..But my little Zoe dashes about like she's on a mission...I do love her...but lapdog she isn't!! LOL

Sorry for the duplicate post,my computer was acting up, I can't figure out how to delete one!If an administrator can delete one please do,thank you.

Another big factor is the breeder, and the personality of the mother. I can only wonder if the breeder who was so ready to send this pup off, even before it was legal to do so, ever cuddled and played with the pups.

My 4 pups all came so pre-spoiled and cuddled they weren't only used to it, they demanded it. You can imagine that a pup from a puppy mill situation would be very different from one from a good reputable breeder. (Not insinuating that yours is, but for comparison).

But, with patience she can become more of what you want. Even rescues with horrible personality defects can turn around with lots of love and attention. It just takes time. Give her lots of unconditional love and she will give it right back to you and more.

I understand your position, but I am curious. What book did you read that said yorkies are mild mannered little lap dogs? LOL! They are Yorkshire Terriers, highlight on the *TERRIERS*!

BUT, I will say, yorkies do vary a lot in looks, temperament, personality, intelligence, etc mostly in part due to indiscriminant overbreeding. The yorkie nowadays is not the yorkie it *should* be. whether the look is off standard or the attitude. But what a yorkie should be is feisty, intelligent, stubborn (in a good way), plucky!

PS. your baby is just that, still a baby. All puppies are hyperactive and unpredictable. Keep your baby on a schedule everyday and they will come to expect the schedule.

This is the best advice I've heard all day.

I am just concerned that you keep complaining about this. You had a previous thread and I have seen posts on other peoples threads. I would normally never suggest this, and I know it won't be popular, but you might consider rehoming your puppy. She does not seem to be what you want and even your title's about "giving up"; I just feel sad for this puppy.

This is so true - terriers are different. I go back to my Westie; he was my first terror; oops I mean terrier and his personality was so different from anything I was used to. By the time Lucy came along, I was familiar with that terrior temperment and I loved it. Fiesty, playful, stubborn at times, loving to play games . . . .plucky is a great word to describe it. I would not describe terriors as laid back.

It took some time for me to get used to that terrier personality though. I think that your bond can grow; if you make an effort. Another dog board that I frequent had a thread about dogs that people fostered or adopted where there was NOT that immediate bond. People fessed up; there were many. But everyone was willing to give it a chance . . . and their bond grew by playing, walking, training . . . until one day they realized - Yep - we love the dog. I hope that happens for you.

Lucy does like to lay in my lap when she is tired and loves to cuddle when it's time for bed. Other than that - she is running around like she's on crack. Your's is so young; she will settle down some; she may never be a 24 hour cuddle bunny; but she will love you and I'll bet she'll want to cuddle when she's good and tired.

[QUOTE=MauiGirl;3169040]Am I reading this right, she is 13 weeks and you have had her for 7 weeks, so you got her at 6 weeks?

If so, then she missed out of 6 more weeks of time she should have been with her mom and liter mates. This is a very important time in her life to learn socialization among other things. Getting her before 12 weeks does put a different spin on things, and more responsibility on you to replace what her mom would have taught her.

None the less, she is yours, and in my opinion 13 weeks is way too early to be judging a puppy's personality. She has so many changes ahead of her as she grows up, especially in the first year or two, so you will have to be really patient, loving, and understanding to help her become the perfect pet you desire.

My advice is don't even think of giving up. God's not done with her yet, and don't you be either.[/QUOTE]


She is a baby.

If you still have the Breeders number, What I would do if I were you is, I would give the breeder a call and ask her what the personality's are like of the Mother and father. That I think is the only way you are going to be able to get an idea what kind of personality she may end up with. Maybe you will get lucky and she will tell you that one of them is a cuddly adult, It really is waaayyy too early to know this pups true personality at this point. Good luck, But just dont tell the Breeder about your issues with the pup or else she might tell you what you want to hear, thinking you will want to return the pup..so I would just tell her that you are curious.

A strict schedule, lots of exercise and patience worked for us.
Our Ziva is an independent little dog. I had first pick of the litter and really intended on getting her larger laid back sister, but once my son and I went and played with the puppies we fell in love with Ziva's spunky personality.The breeder said it was meant to be, because the sister was taken by a quiet older woman while we have a busy house(5people, 2 dogs). I often thought of that quiet sister when Ziva was at her worst puppy stubborness- but now at a year she has a special place in each of our hearts.
Now we have to decide when another yorky joins us - what personality would get along with our "handful"?

I wouldn't trust the response of any breeder who allowed a pup to leave at 6 weeks.

To the OP: Even under the best of circumstances -- excellent breeding for superior disposition and bringing the dog home at 12 weeks instead of 6 -- Yorkies are a huge commitment and a challenge.

Either commit to the challenge and accept that your little girl is a Yorkie, not a Poodle, or, if your heart isn't into it, find her a good home. If you aren't happy, your little girl won't be happy and that will manifest itself in more undesirable behavior.

6 weeks really is way too early to bring her home, whether she was eating solids or not and I say this from personal experience... but she's here now so I'll give my tidbit of advice. We brought Chip home at 7 weeks (we were lied to) and we had the opposite problem. He was sick when we brought him home so he was extremely quiet and shy. The day we brought him home, he crawled underneath of the computer desk and shook. By that night he was a bit more trusting and cuddled with us on the floor... yes we slept on the floor with him because he was so scared and we didn't want to just throw him in a crate and we were too afraid for him to be on the bed at his size. Anyways, after he started feeling better and trusted us, he was the cutest little puppy. He learned tricks so quickly and he'd play so sweet. He'd nibble on our ears in the middle of the night for us to take him out to potty and he would sleep on my pillow above my head. That only lasted about 3 weeks until the real Chip came out! He was stubborn, independent, and CRAZY! We would give him a bone for "quiet time" in the evenings and he would attack it and shove it on the floor then look down and bark at it and bark at us to get it for him. We'd get it for him and he'd do it again. If we ignored him, he'd go pick up something that he knew he wasn't supposed to have so we would take that from him and get his bone. We'd work with him on tricks and he would pretend like he was clueless so we'd give it a rest for a little while, then out of no where about a week or so later, he'd do what we had been training him to do. Keep away was his favorite game and by keep away, I don't mean that we kept the toy away from him... he kept it away from us. He'd run toward us fast, then when he'd go to grab for the toy to throw it again, he'd bolt in the other direction. Remember me saying he'd nibble on our ears to go potty in the middle of the night? Well, suddenly and out of no where he started just going to the end of the bed and peeing. We had never ignored his urges to go potty and always took him immediately, so we have no idea where that came from. We then started crate training and giving him more exercise. We researched. We did a lot of YT reading. We worked hard on obedience. At 9 months we had him neutered. Between the training, exercise, and neutering, he is a lot more calm. He's now 3 years old and a total cuddle bug. Unless something is unusual in our house, like a new visitor, or he's in a playful mood, he's sleeping on the floor or cuddling on our laps. He demands lap time and he is VERY demanding. The truth is, yorkies really are not typically lap dogs until they get older and sometimes not even then. They are stubborn, they are hard headed, and they are high energy dogs. I met two 8 month old mini schnauzers the other day that were 10 times more calm than my two 3 year old yorkies. I do think at 13 weeks old Zoe is testing you to see what she can and cannot get away with and she is learning a lot. Her personality is starting to shine out a little bit. Now that you have her you do need to start researching and find a training method that works for her and practice consistency with it. Make sure she has plenty of exercise. She is still VERY young and she's still probably adjusting.

I am so sorry you are unhappy with her right now. I do agree that she was WAY to young to be separated from her mom and litter mates. I can say that the first 4 weeks are pretty easy on the breeder if things go well. Mom does all the work - even pottying them and she feeds them and cares for them - as I said as long as things go well. When they get to 5 weeks - they really start getting around and it gets to be work from then on. Lots of poop patrol and constantly disinfecting and feeding, and cleaning poop and pee. It is alot more work for a breeder. So I guess you know what kind of a breeder you bought from. Now that being said, I find the older age very enjoyable. They are developing little personalities and I feel like the luckiest person in the world when I lay on the floor and get smothered with puppy kisses! My Zoe is a very good mother who lets her pups nurse (occassionally) until the are 10 or more weeks old. I watch her work with them on a daily basis. And I see how much they are like little sponges, learning how to interact and what to expect out of life. I hope I do all the right things and raise loving well adjusted puppies. I really really try! I guess my whole point is that puppies learn ALOT from the time they are 6 weeks to 12 weeks and even older. Your baby got really short changed and it's going to take a lot of work on your part and patience. Is there anyway that you could get her into a small dog daycare type situation where she will be able to socialize with other small dogs? They might be able to help you out and make things easier for you at home. As for the running with the ball... that's just fun! Have you ever seen kids play? Or remember when you were little? What was better than a game of tag? Who wants to go fetch the ball and just bring it back when it's so much more fun to get it and have someone chase you and bring it back. Don't look at it as disobeying you, she just wants to have fun. Embrace the joy a new puppy can bring you!

sorry to sound harsh, but I agree with mojo. if your pup is making you this unhappy, its not a great environment for her. my little 3.5 month old is exactly the same, she is frisky and playful and I haven't been able to cuddle or hold her other than when she falls asleep. But, I am not the least bit upset or disappointed by that. if you stay with the breed, find an older yorkie who you can already tell is a cuddle bug or not. i got my 6 yr old a year ago and she is stuck to me like velcro 24/7.

:thumbup: More good sound advice.

I will add that I have a laid back yorkie. They do exist but you can't tell who they'll grow up to be at 13 weeks. I fell in love with his picture so the personality came as a surprise (sorta). He was a year old the day he came home, so he was who he will always be. He does have his terrier moments where he terrorizes his toys (he kills them all!!).

I have 3 yorkies and all of them have different personality, but I love them very much. Praying this will work out for you because Yorkies are wonderful babies.

Never GIVE UP ON A DOG!!! She is only 13 weeks omg she is still a baby.
When you adopt a dog or buy one it should be a lifetime commitment, except for a few minor exceptions to the rule.
meaning for the safety of your children (biting issues)

There is a lot of training to be involved in having a puppy and you have to find out what works with your dog just like you would if you had a child. Every dog is different and the behavior of a dog has to be guided by its master.

You have a RESPONSIBILITY to that puppy. you made a commitment it needs love and affection and guidance, socialization to have a well balanced dog.

13 weeks is way to young to make any decisions like that!! All I can say is that maybe you are playing too rough to make your dog react this way.

Treat this 13 week old the way you would a baby bc it is exactly that!

lots of love and guidence and in return you will have an awesome lifetime friend;)

I got Pippin early, he was just 7 weeks old when I got him and he was a cuddley puppy right from the start. He's got his stubborn/hyper days but he's still such a cuddle bug. The vet had given the okay that the puppies were ready to go. We're looking at getting another Yorkie now and he was 8 weeks yesterday and is ready to go. I get so angry when people assume that my dog has issues because he was taken away from his mom too early.

I'd say you were the exception and not the rule. Ready to go and best for the dog aren't necessarily the same thing.