Yorkie thinks she is a big, bad , dog !
 

Whenever someone approaches our apt. complex, even when they are just getting out of their car, Suzi goes crazy. She hears them coming before they are even at our door. Her bark is very loud, and mean sounding. To make matters worse she runs after them off our balcony, she falls short from ever going down the stairs .
She is so loud nobody can talk , or hear over her barking. It is a little funny, because of her size , she thinks she is one tough little thing ! It happens more often when someone in uniform stops by. I have a screen door , that people have to slip through packages , so she can't get out the door. She use to know the mail lady too, but now , she is extremely protective . It is amazing how she hears people before she can even see them or know they are coming upstairs.
Anyone else have this problem? A lot of times I just pick her up, but, she can sometimes wiggle out of my arms. Are their any teaching tech. that I can help her with?

Kikopup on YouTube has some good videos on barking :)


Here's another channel that is good...

Door dashing;

I don't have any advice because both of mine do the same thing! They are ferocious at the door and I need to figure out a way to get them to get out of the way and stop barking when I have guests coming over.

Yorkies ARE big, bad dogs. Just ask any of them!

Tallulah takes this duty very seriously. When she starts barking I thank her very seriously for alerting me and tell her I'll take it from there. Then as soon as she's quiet, even for a second, I give her lots of praise and love. She's beginning to get the idea.

I think the trick is training them they will be rewarded for being quiet when told.

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My 2 goes nuts when the door bell rings or they hear knocking. We don't help as we do both in hopes of trying to get them used to it. But they have gotten good about quieting down when I tell them to.

I was shocked, Hot Rod can hear when someone pulls into our driveway and starts the low grow-ley thing. I was shocked, he's done it several times. They both are on my desk whenever I'm on the computer so they stare out the windows which face the front of the house. Hot Rod will bark at anything that moves, lol. He sees people walking by and will woof. He does settle down after I shush him.

Still training Tibbe on the trying to get out the door when a delivery person comes so until he is completely trustworthy, I open a very large umbrella and lay it on its side behind me B4 I open the door. That is working for the present as Tibbe is currently stymied by it. It is hard to train a dog all by yourself not to get superexcited by the person at the door and dash out to them while you are opening the door to take in or give items, as you are distracted at this time and the dog knows it. When no one is at the door, Tibbe is perfectly obeyed, lying down in his appointed spot and not approaching it until he is released, etc. He waits at the open storm door for me to tell him okay to come out onto the porch, etc., but when a person is at the door, he is too excited to retain his training for long. He's done it but not if the person stays there in the open door for long. We are working on that.

Give the command for quite: a shush , no barking etc...twice...then doggy time out-a minute or two away from sight of ppl like in another room..then repeat.

Can someone come over and be the "intruder? Helping you "set her up for failure" to practice practice practice...then when that works move on to recall commad thesame way...
Still working on both here I got lazy...they got naughty...was working great I do "no barking in the house" command mine are allowed to growl to alert me after two barks of warning...2 out of three obey...we moved on to "neighbors" command for the yard where they get two barks and are suppose to settle 1 out of 3 on that one...

Minnie only barks at people she does not know. She soon then gets comfortable with them and will go up to them and play.

I don't suppress this type activity.
(but there's a lot of things I do differently from other Owners)

In fact, I encourage our new (puppy) Becca, to join my Male
Sneakers, in his "alarm" activities...she's learning very well !

I can't afford to differentiate between a Policeman with a Gun
and a Burglar with a Gun, or
A UPS guy with a Package, from someone who us using a
Package to mask his approach to break in.

I want mine "hot on it" immediately, and keep it up.
It's possible I may not be in a position to "settle" them,
and if I am, I'll just move them into another room, and
close the door.

Their (eyes/ears/noses) alertness, gives me a great comfort
zone. HA, many people are surprised at how loud Yorkie's are :D

I've always told people my Yorkie is the greatest guard dog you can have...well except for size...suppose they could be deemed strictly "allerters", but wow for their size they sure stand up to defend their people!

LOL!

I have always found it amazing of dogs we bark stuff at them they can't possibly understand and expect them to obey...and yet eventually they do...but they bark at us and we don't even try to understand we just shush them...:rolleyes:

I've always allowed Jackson to bark at the door. When he hears someone walking up onto our porch, he shoots up and gives a few high pitched alert barks. I don't mind him doing that at all... if it WERE an intruder of some kind, I think most dogs scare them away, no matter how big or little, because dogs are LOUD and will wake up people in the house, so most burglars or whatever wouldn't risk it. Once my mom or someone he knows walks in, he shuts up right away. If it's a stranger to him, he will bark until I tell him hush. I won't put up with nonstop barking at a stranger- he has learned to shut it up after about 20 seconds.

But there's certain things I'd def. not allow- door dashing! That's a big one. That could save their life teaching them not to door dash. I can have a door wide open and Jackson won't go out of it if I tell him not to... of course I am always supervising him and wouldn't leave him unattended in a room with a door open. Barking at people outdoors, like if we're on a walk or something, barking at others (people/dogs) walking by has always been a no-no in my book, attacking vacuums, brooms, etc, I wouldn't put up with and would train out of. But alert barking doesn't bother me so much as long as he's not obsessive about it...

My dogs have scared away someone who was not supposed to be on our property. A few weeks ago my neighbor's house got broken in to in the middle of the night. 3 nights later all of the dogs started barking in unison & we could hear foot steps running across our porch and down the steps. By the time we made it to the front door, we could see someone ducking out in to the woods behind my other neighbors house.

Unfortunately, now they have learned to bark at everyone who walks up on the porch, even my youngest daughter's friends. I need to work on a way to get them to hush when I tell them.

CGurl,

Your comment on Yorkies ability to Guard is very interesting, though I have a different viewpoint on that as well (of course :rolleyes: )

Think of it this way...
Just how big and bad of a Dog, would you have to have where it couldn't be overcome by a Human ?

We can throw things at them, hit them with sticks, shoot them with Guns, throw covers over them...
there's just NO WAY that we can't come up with some method, where the Dog looses. Unfortunate, but, true !

So, why even try, don't put them in that position, when the Dog comes in contact with a Human.
If the Human is prepared to deal with an aggressive animal, the Dog is going to loose BIG TIME! so...

Why not teach/train the Dog NOT to do that..
to keep back, and use it's agility and tenacity, to make the biggest ruckus it can, and evade being captured. THEN, it's on and on and on, until the Bad Guy will just gives up and goes away !

That's what I do with mine...
If anyone (including me) tries to reach down and grab one, it dodges and retreats, and will not allow anyone to pick it up.

HA, sound crazy...I can just hear this...
"WHAT, you mean you can't pick up your own Dog !!! :eek:"

I can, BUT, I have to give it a "recall" command first.
And, it's not anything that is normally used by the average Dog owner, or that another person would use, to get a Dog to come to them.

So, mine are free, staying well back, barking like hell, and will hang in there till the "threat" retreats.

This approach make Yorkie, Chihuahua, and other small Dogs, a bit more attractive when it comes to "Guarding" ?.

So, the a, b, c of this is...
a) Don't put them in a position to make complicated decisions.
b) Take advantage of what they're good at, Barking and Running.
c) Use their tenacity to continue till the threat is gone (territorial).

Just IMHO

Have a good Day ! :)
S.W.

They are terriers. Be glad they do not weigh 135 pounds

[QUOTE=mscat;3458156]Whenever someone approaches our apt. complex, even when they are just getting out of their car, Suzi goes crazy. She hears them coming before they are even at our door. Her bark is very loud, and mean sounding. To make matters worse she runs after them off our balcony, she falls short from ever going down the stairs .
She is so loud nobody can talk , or hear over her barking. It is a little funny, because of her size , she thinks she is one tough little thing ! It happens more often when someone in uniform stops by. I have a screen door , that people have to slip through packages , so she can't get out the door. She use to know the mail lady too, but now , she is extremely protective . It is amazing how she hears people before she can even see them or know they are coming upstairs.
Anyone else have this problem? A lot of times I just pick her up, but, she can sometimes wiggle out of my arms. Are their any teaching tech. that I can help her with?[/QUOTE

Suzi and Pnut should be friends. Pnut is the same way! It is amazing how they hear people before they see them.. isn't it!! Peanut will go stand by the front door 10 seconds before someone comes and knocks! I don't mind the barking, to me he is protecting me from things I can't hear, I know I shouldn't allow him to bark, but I let him.. Sometimes I am alone at the house and he is my ears...

I think if you teach them not to bark, how do they know WHEN to bark when its important..? I don't know I just let him do his thing :D

LOL my "guard dogs"...

It's based on my view of breed traits and such I get a genuine raised hair or two when ppl use certain breeds like Pits, American Staffs etc to be "guard dogs" they naturally are not prone to such...Yorkie on the other hand...we treat them like little stuffed teddy bears and yet they are like "No I'm barney bad bottom, watch me guard my yard and defend it with my life"

My friends 110lb American Staff give the idealistic appearance (to the hm I like to say unaware stereotypical viewing persona) of a guard dog...yet she'd readily invite anyone into her home and just want to snuggle with them...only danger from her is her size and her ant to be a lap dog...

My 10lb Yorkie...would make an intruder bleed (lol he doesn't attack people but I think if he sensed the emotional concern of a family/pack member or the aggression of another-he really might), alert everyone to their presence and go down fighting LOL!

Seriously though Elvis isn't a trained guard dog...it was semi sarcasm and semi not so much....more people need to educate themselves on what a "guard dog" truly means...

Elvis is more so an "allerter", but if he feels his people are in danger I'd not want to tangle with that lil fur ball :D...my miniature schnauzer is a "patroller"...she walks the fence line and 'checks out' the whole area before she's content to play outside...

My schnorkie-he's funny loves everyone...except that one time at the dog park when that guy was rude...I told him to please leash his dog that was running up and jumping on people, he got very loud and mouthy...I didn't understand why he stopped his comments until I looked down and Scoobers had his bottom against my legs pushing me back and was bearing all his teeth at the guy hair raised...none of mine are trained as such I just work with their traits...well with the schnauzers I had to discourage the herding of the children...their guard dog sense of circling and getting a bit nippy to keep the kids all in an area...

I pick up all my dogs...carry 'em like babies sometimes to the sig. other's dismay:eek:

shodanusmc,
HA HA, yea... but they don't know they don't weight that much ! :D

CGurl,
You're SO right about the misconception...
There's a VAST difference in "Guard", and "Attack". So many people mix these up, and try to put a "weight factor" as the most important feature.
Regardless of the Dog's weight, training is what makes the difference !
And, when it comes to one of mine, biting someone, gives me pause.

First, he would have to get close enough to get hurt himself...I don't like that !
Second, IF he was wrong about it, UOO...Law Suits, big problems maybe.

So for me, it's "alarm" each and every time, give me notice, then...
I'll handle it from there.
His bark is worse than mine, but
My bite is a LOT worse than his !!!

lovespandip,
Wait a minute... why do you say that allowing it to bark is wrong ??
Your other two points are very well taken !
Think of this (when there's a stranger involved)
The more noise that is being made the better ! Doesn't matter if you have the "situation" under control or not. Someone thinking that "that dam dog is NOT going to shut up", would be a very effective deterrent to an invasion.
I have on occasion, allowed both mine to bark all they wanted to, AND that's with me telling them to SHUT UP / BE QUIET and other normal terms. But they won't, UNTIL I give them their "recall".
Sure makes someone else, think there is NO WAY they are going to be able to control those guys, if their owner can't.....see ! ;)

One of the most important things we forget is...
These animals are TOOLS, as well as being our best friends.
And nothing could please them, or us more...
than being applied properly.

And there's no reason in the world, that you can't be as sneaky as you want, to get those tools to be effective.

Tibbe is an excellent watch dog. He barks and barks until he perceives the "threat" is gone or I shush him. I for one am very glad to have a dog who will alert me when something unusual is going on and I want anyone standing outside my home to hear that I have a watchful dog. Anything making that much noise would have to have alerted its owner and I want all to know it. Nobody can sneak into this house!

Short of police dogs...I think that attack dogs should be non-existant in our society...yes, many people confuse them with guard dogs...the fact of the matter is do we want a dangerous dog, to risk our dog in that way...

Furthermore even my Schnorkie who was fearful of people was ready to take on this guy for getting lippy with me...by 21 pound Schnorkie terrified a pretty decent sized guy into leashing his dog and walking off in a huff...it's all about our bond with them IMO.

I do brag about having a miniature schnauzer...saying she is a mini police dog LOL...Giant Schnauzers being police dogs in pre-Nazi Germany...when they were deemed something and German Shepard became the predominantly used breed. Giant Schnauzers, GS and a few others definitely do have some serious attack dog ability both in breed inherent traits and when encouraged with training...pretty sure Princess Monster like to express that sometimes...:D


Between you me and everyone on YT lol I have worked with Scoobers on the arm hold...he will NOT bite skin...he will grab your clothing and pull you back though...not recommended for people to do this though unless you have worked with a trainer (like someone who trains police dogs here or similar).

We tried to take a chicken bone from Elvis once...he broke (bit) the ball joint off the thigh and swallowed it one swift motion...we don't take chicken from him anymore...

ytJilly,
Exactly !, I'm not sure if it's just mine, but, I think that Yorkies have a lot better Noses than they are given credit for. Most think something other than a Hound (scent) don't have abilities. That's WRONG, my guys can smell the Postman a block away, and are constantly alerting me... barking with their noses up in the air, sniffing of what's coming. And, all I have to do is hide and watch, and sure enough, someone, a Cat, Dog or whatever comes along ! Again, I use the simple decision of OK or NOT OK, no gray areas. Anything beyond the Pack/Family is NOT ok !

That in and of it's self is actually "Socialization", and as usual, I have my own approach to it, and it's not very "friendly". I don't want my animals to accept just anyone who comes along. Now, that doesn't mean that when I take them to the Vet or Groomer, that I can't control them. They understand there's a difference there, but, only there.

HA, look at it this way...
I've put up with their peeing, pooping and puppyness...
I've given them Medical Care, good Diet and Healthy Environment...
I pet, talk and hold them close, from the time they arrive tilll...

I have EARNED the right to control them, and WILL NOT relinquish that control over to anyone else, for any reason. But, I do understand that, that Pack Mentality/Focus, is not right/appropriate for everyone.

As avid as I am about what works for me, I respect that there are other ways to do things. Just because one doesn't do it my way, doesn't mean that they're wrong.

The only time we have witnessed aggression with our Chachi was one time when we tried to take a chicken bone from him.

Chicken is like hmmmmm a drug for Yorkies and a bone with a dog, oh ye...:D

Elvis was never "aggressive" he has never growled at us or bit at us...I take it back he did get my son on the nose once when he was running a loud car (lights music) across the living room...Elvis could have easily drawn blood but he didn't he just gave a take your car the heck out of my area warning...and we've since worked on it with him but...he snuggles and plays with son all the time now but in general doesn't like kids so I don't' push it.

Elvis just held onto that chicken bone in silence biting down as hard as he could like his life depended on it and then in a flash snapped the bone in half and ate his half...the BF was holding the other end (I was holding Elvis) and quickly dropped it and snatched his hand back...then just starred...we were all pretty shocked.

Elvis also got a chicken nugget and the box! Literally he snatched the box with the nugget inside I peeled (very carefully) the paper around his teeth away and tried to take it...but ye as soon as I peeled the paper from around his mouth he downed the whole nugget and the little bit of paper from the box.

We are careful with him around chicken now in any form but we all still have 10 fingers each...just want to keep it that way too. :eek:

These are very interesting answers.. The funny thing about Suzi is that she is not aggessive towards people whe knows, loves children too. But, at home. When the screen door is opened , and locked from the inside, she goes nuts. Completely out of her mind. I am on the computor right now, and she is just barking her head off. someone knocking on the door downstairs. LOL . I like how she is so in tuned at what goes around here. The maintence man came by yesterday , a new one, So I picked Suzi up, she did not bark . however had a very threatning growl . I tell her to Stop that , and she did calm down, but then put her in the bedroom so she would leave the poor man alone. :p Sometimes she has that alert bark, and we go and check , their is nothing out there... But then their is her I am pissed off bark , don't u dare come over ...
I ought to be happy she is such a great little watch dog. I am home all the time , disabled , too so having Suzi is a blessing . She has never tried to bite anyone , she just gets very protective of our apt . It is a good thing, I am lucky the neighbors hav put up with her too.

I live in a condo, so I do not want my dog to annoy other neighbors by his barking, IF he did bark 24/7 then I would work with him, but he doesn't he only barks when he hears someone outside, or when someone is at the door, so I don't mind his barking.

chester barks if their is a knock at the door and as soon as I open the door he stops, so that is good, and if he hears something I go check it out and tell them its okay and he stops. He has never been a big barked just the right amount