Yorkie wont bond to me

[Nicox]

Hello. I have a female yorkshire terrier who is six months old. I have had her since she was two months old and she still does not show any attachment to me. She treats me the same way she treats strangers; she is friendly and bubbly, but like I said, she is no different with me than she would be with anyone else. My boyfriend and I live in separate homes and she spends some days there and some days at my house. But no matter which home she stays at, I am usually with her. I spend every single day with her and take her mostly everywhere I go. I have owned two yorkies in the past and their sense of loyalty was beyond words. The bond they and I had was immense and we bonded quickly. When I bend down to pick her up she pulls back. I feel like she doesn't trust me. It's very upsetting to me because I love her so much but I don't feel like she is my "best friend" sort to speak. What is going on? And how can I shift all of this to make us have a strong bond? Please, help, I am heartbroken.

[mscat]

I am sorry that your little yorkie has not bonded with you yet. I remember when I first brought home Suzi she was a little skiddish. What helped her was for me to sit on the floor and let her come to me. I would have a toy for her or a little treat, then give her lot's of petting and reassurance. Talk to her in a high pitched voice, dogs are more responsive to that. Tell her what a woderful; dog she is. and how much you love her , using positive reinforcement. Maybe she will take a little more time warming up to you, but when it happens you will be on top of the world.
How is she with your boyfriend? Has she taken a liken to him ?

[Sammy Mommy]

Sammy was like that as a baby. I felt bad, like maybe he didn't like me. Then all of a sudden he turned into the biggest Mamma's boy!! I don't know what changed but I'm glad it did. Just hang in there and give your baby lots of love and things will get better!!

[Nicox]

Ok thank you so much I will try that. She isn't bonded to him either. She's not bonded to anyone...she's just equally friendly with everyone.

[Nicox]

Thanks Sammys mommy.... That's exactly how I feel. Like she doesn't like me I hope it turns out as well as it did for you.

[Lizzie07]

I think she is just maturing a little more slowly than your other yorkies. You really are lucky to have what sounds like a very, very, well socialized little puppy and that is something you can pat yourself on the back for. I think you will see her become more and more your dog and a more apparent bond form as she gets older. Her focus skills are probably still in the works and to help it along, you might consider a puppy obedience class. I've found training to be very bonding for a dog and myself.

Sitting on the floor playing with her and letting her have more fun with you than with anyone else is a good idea. Also try not to pick her up too much when she is feeling super playful. Practice having her come to you with little bits of a yummy snack and give her back rubs or scratches when she does, and then play with her with a tug toy.

Overall, I really think she is probably bonded to you, but is easily distracted and still very active and curious about everything. Give it more time.

[dawn27]

I think Kristen gave you some realy good advise. Lots of play time, (tiny) treats and one on one time at her level should do the job but most of all time. Try giving her treats as soon as you arrive home. Keep them in you purse if you have to.

[yorkieusa]

I don't know, but I'm wondering if moving her from home to home has her confused?

[brendarash]

I have 4 little babies that are all Mommies girls. (big Time) As babies they were more playful, and interested in bigger and better things. Julie was a rescue and was not all in to me or anything else at first. It took her about a month or so. She came from a house with many children that were not very nice to her. I had a friend that had a small dog. She was telling me the same thing. Every time she would bend over to pick her up she would try to get away. Until one day I happened to be at her house. She said watch, I will show you what I am talking about. She bent over, grabbed that poor baby by her front legs, and picked her up. No wonder she ran. I said that is the problem I bet. She was clueless. I then said I will pick her up let me see. I picked her up by her belly and bottom and she did not have that look of pain on her face. After a few days she said she was much better. I am not saying that is what you are doing, I just thought of it when I read this thread. So do not worry, when she gets a little older and has finished exploring everything she will be your little shadow. It is great. At least she is a happy little girl. Hang in there. Good luck.

[SamanthaKim]

When I first got Biggie he didn't seem to be attached to me whatsoever! He was just like your little girl... equally friendly to everyone..sometimes it seemed like he liked them more than he liked me! Then I brought my mom's puppy over to my house and Biggie became the biggest mama's boy ever..he's been that way ever since..but he's still not like some doggies you see who stick right by their owners all the time

[babbsiam44]

Originally Posted by yorkieusa

I don't know, but I'm wondering if moving her from home to home has her confused?

It could be.

What I am thinking is that someone is a little jealous because her baby treats everyone the same way she treats her. Nicox doesn't feel special to her. It will get better, trust me. My Elsa is the very same way, She loves on everyone but when the night comes and things have settled down and all of us are sitting around watching TV guess who she is laying right beside.....yep...my DH. Just kidding. Really, it's either him or I. Nobody else matters to her at this time. I take it as our quality time together. She loves us both but I guess it's in her own way.

[Baha Angel]

Holly didn't bond to me for months. It scared me alot in the beginning because I loved her (and still love her) to pieces. Eventually she warmed up to me & now she knows I'm her mama! Although she's still an independent little dog, likes to do her own thing. All dogs just have different personalities. My cousin's yorkie bonded to me so fast. Like the second I would walk in the door she'd jump in my arms and play with me and cuddle for hours. Holly is the same way, but once she knows I'm home she just goes back to doing her own thing. Some doggies just like to be independent. Who knows!

[MyTrixie143]

My Lillie was like that as well when she was younger. I raised her from birth. I would always try cuddling up with her and she didn't want any of it. She didn't even want me picking her up. We use to laugh about it because I would pick her up and try to give her a kiss and she would completely snub me turning her head as far away as possible. It was almost like she couldn't stand me, lol.

As she got older though things changed, probably when she was close to a year old. She is now my biggest cuddle bug and sleeps under the covers with me every night and loves giving kisses and now even lets me give her kisses as well. It is a remarkable change from how she was when she was a baby. I almost gave up on her ever becoming a cuddle bug but I kept trying and loving on her and it all paid off in the end.

I'm not sure what made the change but they do seem to get more affectionate as they get a little older. Most of my girls have been very independent and didn't want much to do with me when they were puppies but they are all mamma's girls now.

Just keep loving on her and praising her and she will come around and before you know it she won't want to leave your side.

[Britster]

I'm a total believer in that training increases the bond with your dog by a LOT. You build a mutual respect and trust. Training (we use clicker training) is something that Jackson and I do together, just one-on-one, and he has learned to trust me alot because of it. For example, one of his tricks he does is go underneath my legs, and hop up on my feet (each paw of his is on each of my feet) and then I walk and he stays there (kind of hard to explain... it's on my youtube) lol. Anyways my point is, he was always nervous when it came to being near my feet and was quick to move. I used clicker training to teach him it was okay and he quickly learned to trust me enough to do that. He also hops on my back and I halfway stand up and he stays there... those kinds of things take a lot of trust from the dogs perspective. So anyways, my point I guess is that training can do that! Take 10-15 minutes of every night to just work with her, use her favorite treat, you'll be amazed how much she enjoys learning. Also obedience classes are great! I did agility classes with Jackson and it helped build his confidence and he had to take direction from me, he loved it!

[katy-yorkie]

Maggie has not bonded with me like Buster has. She is 2.5 years old. The trainer called her "aloof". She is very independent, she likes to sleep on a chair in the office where she can see the street rather than with me. She will also let me know if there is something on the street that does not belong there (trash cans, bags of lawn clippings, etc.). When I am at home, I make sure she is involved with us and not given the chance to go off by herself. She doesn't like to be held that much, she is very picky about when she will let you hold her. She would rather sit on the top of the couch instead of being held. However, Buster will follow me wherever I go. If I'm busy, he will sit where he can see me and not take his eyes off of me. He will let me hold him 24 hours a day. They have both had training and I work with them a lot but they each have their own personality. It bothers me but I try not to worry about it too much. When I'm home I make sure Maggie is with us and not left to go off by herself. She is very loving, but on her terms.