Little Dog Syndrome

[Belle Noir]

Pixie's not allowed to have little dog syndrome. For me, it's as simple as that. When she sees another dog and gets over excited, she's corrected, because other dogs are known to try to correct bad behavior themselves, and especially when it's a big dog smacking down a little dog, you have an issue.
When she barks without being told to, she is corrected. She's not ALLOWED to bark, unless it's on command. She is learning if she barks and she's not told speak, she gets corrected, but when she barks when she's told speak she gets praised and a treat. So barking unless she is told to is not profitable, and no fun.
Same with growling. It's not allowed. If she is growling playing with her toys, that's fine, growling at something she's heard? No. I'm going to correct her.

Sure she is spoiled when it comes to things like food, toys, clothes, accessories (because what girl doesn't need accessories?), but 2 lbs or 200 lbs, a dog is a dog, and they're going to be treated and trained like a dog. I won't have a dog acting like a nutcase on the end of the leash, and I'm not going to worry about my dog challenging the wrong dog and ending up in ER.

Some people are finding these stories of little dogs acting tough and bad to be adorable. I am cringing inside, because to me, this is horrible bad behavior and if it wasn't a small dog, it wouldn't be cute, it would be dangerous.
And it still is dangerous. A member's relative had their yorkie mauled because he attacked a pit bull. It seems to me this wouldn't have happened if the yorkie had been properly socialized and trained.
I was watching a court TV show, and someone's little dog got out and ran down two or three doors to attack a big dog, and the judge blamed the big dog, even though that dog was mind his own business, and on leash.
How many nasty little yappy dogs have we all known? Why is it "cute" when a little dog is nasty? Why aren't there more people appalled about the bad behavior of their dogs and the bad light it puts not just this breed in, but all little dogs?

I don't know. I guess it goes back to what I said in my first post here, I'm a dog owner, Pixie is my dog, not my furkid, not my baby, even if I might call her that on occasion. And because I look at her as a dog not a little 4 legged hairy person, it's not an issue for me to correct bad behavior. Which leads to my last thought.
No one would allow their "skin kid" to behave that badly, why is it OK for your "fur kid" to behave so badly?
Again, I don't know. And while Pixie is far from an angel, I know I won't have a spoiled little terror on my hands when she is an adult, because I will have trained her better.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Belle Noir

Sure she is spoiled when it comes to things like food, toys, clothes, accessories (because what girl doesn't need accessories?), but 2 lbs or 200 lbs, a dog is a dog, and they're going to be treated and trained like a dog. I won't have a dog acting like a nutcase on the end of the leash, and I'm not going to worry about my dog challenging the wrong dog and ending up in ER.

Some people are finding these stories of little dogs acting tough and bad to be adorable. I am cringing inside, because to me, this is horrible bad behavior and if it wasn't a small dog, it wouldn't be cute, it would be dangerous.
And it still is dangerous. A member's relative had their yorkie mauled because he attacked a pit bull. It seems to me this wouldn't have happened if the yorkie had been properly socialized and trained.

No one would allow their "skin kid" to behave that badly, why is it OK for your "fur kid" to behave so badly?
Again, I don't know. And while Pixie is far from an angel, I know I won't have a spoiled little terror on my hands when she is an adult, because I will have trained her better.

[Teresa Ford]

Hi Bell Noir. Haven't seen you in awhile. Hope all is well with you and yours. I absolutly aggree that we must train our dogs to be balanced, and well mannored. Their very life may depend on obedience, why that offends people I don't know. Every day I read on here about dogs that were given too much attention and very little training. My dogs are not allowed to bark on walks either. Barking can spark aggression and I know that the small Yorkie will pay a much higher price in a conflict with a large dog. My little Ginny Joy is still learning. Today she actualy went 9 blocks with out needing correction. My earlier story was about the wise saying, 'Pride goes before the fall'

[Teresa Ford]

Please excuse the typing mistakes above.

[hugz4all4]

I have a toy poodle (4ish pounds) and Tucker, Tucker picked up on my poodle's little dog syndrome. He was fine untill she would start going into attack mode. Lexee (poodle) has gotten herself in some trouble by being so aggressive towards bigger dogs had has been bitten twice, thank god they were just minor bites but it hasnt slowed her down any. Everyone at my inlaws house has big dogs so I have to keep my dogs at home when we go there to visit. She has no problem with little dogs though..

[Maximo]

Belle Noir, I believe most of the people who posted on this thread work hard at training their little dogs and do not allow them to do whatever they please.

It is often said that Yorkies have 100 pound dog attitudes wrapped in a small package. Yorkies often end up being top dog in homes where different size dogs are present. Yorkies typically have attitude; they are known for being feisty (which is what made them good ratters ). I think that is the spirit that this thread was intended. Not all Yorkies fit the profile, and it is not just a matter of training.

I disagree that the Yorkie mauled by pit bull(S) would have stood a better chance if it had been properly socialized. You are making a lot of assumptions there and placing blame on the Yorkie. I think that case was human failure, allowing the Yorkie in the back yard with the 2 pit bulls.

[hugz4all4]

Originally Posted by Belle Noir

Pixie's not allowed to have little dog syndrome. For me, it's as simple as that. When she sees another dog and gets over excited, she's corrected, because other dogs are known to try to correct bad behavior themselves, and especially when it's a big dog smacking down a little dog, you have an issue.
When she barks without being told to, she is corrected. She's not ALLOWED to bark, unless it's on command. She is learning if she barks and she's not told speak, she gets corrected, but when she barks when she's told speak she gets praised and a treat. So barking unless she is told to is not profitable, and no fun.
Same with growling. It's not allowed. If she is growling playing with her toys, that's fine, growling at something she's heard? No. I'm going to correct her.

Sure she is spoiled when it comes to things like food, toys, clothes, accessories (because what girl doesn't need accessories?), but 2 lbs or 200 lbs, a dog is a dog, and they're going to be treated and trained like a dog. I won't have a dog acting like a nutcase on the end of the leash, and I'm not going to worry about my dog challenging the wrong dog and ending up in ER.

Some people are finding these stories of little dogs acting tough and bad to be adorable. I am cringing inside, because to me, this is horrible bad behavior and if it wasn't a small dog, it wouldn't be cute, it would be dangerous.
And it still is dangerous. A member's relative had their yorkie mauled because he attacked a pit bull. It seems to me this wouldn't have happened if the yorkie had been properly socialized and trained.
I was watching a court TV show, and someone's little dog got out and ran down two or three doors to attack a big dog, and the judge blamed the big dog, even though that dog was mind his own business, and on leash.
How many nasty little yappy dogs have we all known? Why is it "cute" when a little dog is nasty? Why aren't there more people appalled about the bad behavior of their dogs and the bad light it puts not just this breed in, but all little dogs?

I don't know. I guess it goes back to what I said in my first post here, I'm a dog owner, Pixie is my dog, not my furkid, not my baby, even if I might call her that on occasion. And because I look at her as a dog not a little 4 legged hairy person, it's not an issue for me to correct bad behavior. Which leads to my last thought.
No one would allow their "skin kid" to behave that badly, why is it OK for your "fur kid" to behave so badly?
Again, I don't know. And while Pixie is far from an angel, I know I won't have a spoiled little terror on my hands when she is an adult, because I will have trained her better.

I dont find it funny at all that my 4 pound poodle dislikes bigger dogs. She NEVER had any issues untill we were out at a apple picking place a few years ago and while I was holding her she was almost attacked by a 85 pound plus chocolate lab, the lab came out of nowhere and jumped on me to get Lexee growling and showing his teeth, the owner of the dog had to pull him off me while I was trying to hold Lexee up in the air so she wouldnt get hurt and trying not to fall over. It was scary for her and my entire family. .She was socialized as a puppy with all size dogs, but all it took was one instance and now she is afraid of them, therefor she gets aggressive.

[1Ieisha]

I know i made this thread, but let me first say i do believe in a well trained dog... for Max is only allowed to have little dog syndrome when he's playing with his older sister (my bichon). He is allowed to have just a some fun... But i do agree with you guys training them can save their lives, and its never a good thing for your dog to end up in the ER because of this "syndrome"... but this post was just for fun, people were just sharing stories.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by hugz4all4

I dont find it funny at all that my 4 pound poodle dislikes bigger dogs. She NEVER had any issues untill we were out at a apple picking place a few years ago and while I was holding her she was almost attacked by a 85 pound plus chocolate lab, the lab came out of nowhere and jumped on me to get Lexee growling and showing his teeth, the owner of the dog had to pull him off me while I was trying to hold Lexee up in the air so she wouldnt get hurt and trying not to fall over. It was scary for her and my entire family. .She was socialized as a puppy with all size dogs, but all it took was one instance and now she is afraid of them, therefor she gets aggressive.

Max and I were charged and jumped on by numerous off-leash large dogs let out to roam our neighborhood, and I believe this is the source of his problem. I had to pick him up for his safety and I could not hide my fear.

I don't care what people say about my dog because I know he is well-trained in every other regard and I get to enjoy him safe and sound the 95% of the day that we aren't walking in the neighborhood looking over our shoulders for the next off-leash dog.

No amount of training of my little dog is going to make it safe to run into a loose, angry, untrained 200-pound mastiff.

[1Ieisha]

Originally Posted by Maximo

I don't care what people say about my dog because I know he is well-trained in every other regard and I get to enjoy him safe and sound the 95% of the day that we aren't walking in the neighborhood looking over our shoulders for the next off-leash dog.

No amount of training of my little dog is going to make it safe to run into a loose, angry, untrained 200-pound mastiff.

:thum bup: I love it!!!

[Peggysmum]

Originally Posted by My Sophia

LOL. In our house we call it TFTB syndrome. Ten feet tall and bulletproof.

LOL. As a new yorkie owner I didn't realise that this was 'normal' behaviour, I now know that Peggy is normal lol, she will bark at any other dogs that come near me and would have a go at them if I let her.

She also tries to round up the horses and loves it if they are bombing around in the field - my other dog runs for cover - Peggy runs after the horses!! going conveniently deaf to my shouts/screams. I now have to keep her away from them, she is so tiny it is a serious 'non contest'!

[Teresa Ford]

Originally Posted by Maximo

Max and I were charged and jumped on by numerous off-leash large dogs let out to roam our neighborhood, and I believe this is the source of his problem. I had to pick him up for his safety and I could not hide my fear.

I don't care what people say about my dog because I know he is well-trained in every other regard and I get to enjoy him safe and sound the 95% of the day that we aren't walking in the neighborhood looking over our shoulders for the next off-leash dog.

No amount of training of my little dog is going to make it safe to run into a loose, angry, untrained 200-pound mastiff.

You are so right ! We all have seen the horror of dog attacks.

This is a 'fun thread', everything doesn't have to be serious. I was poking fun at myself, when I told the story about Ginny Joy.( Most of you know I work very hard at keeping my doggies safe.) I never suggested it was OK for Ginny Joy to act crazy. But one of the most endearing things about Yorkies, is their Terrier heart. I think most of us were treating this like a fun thread. All done preaching.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Maximo

Max and I were charged and jumped on by numerous off-leash large dogs let out to roam our neighborhood, and I believe this is the source of his problem. I had to pick him up for his safety and I could not hide my fear.

I don't care what people say about my dog because I know he is well-trained in every other regard and I get to enjoy him safe and sound the 95% of the day that we aren't walking in the neighborhood looking over our shoulders for the next off-leash dog.

No amount of training of my little dog is going to make it safe to run into a loose, angry, untrained 200-pound mastiff.

Oh, totally! If a dog wants to attack/kill another dog, it doesn't matter if the dog on the other end is being an angel or whatnot.

But I do think it helps to have a dog who knows and understands doggy manners. A dog who politely greets a big dog, who approaches non-threatening, sniffing, calmly, etc, has a much better chance of being accepted by a maybe-grumpy dog than one who goes charging up in the face of a big dog and BITES them multiple times. A lot of dogs simply won't put up with that and clearly the Pit in the case of that one thread did not have the patience for it.

Clearly, the humans were at fault here. Because I am assuming they knew of their little dogs attitude to begin with and things should have been done differently. Not to mention that Pits are known to be dog aggressive.

A lot of terriers have this bigger-than-tho attitude, like you said... it's what made them such good ratters! But I think it's just a matter of someone trying to control it over just laughing about it all the time. Don't get me wrong... I can laugh about it too and find it funny, I am not the type to be like "WOW you need to work on that!" like a snob... but at the same time, it's really a dangerous situation. My dads JRT wants to eat every dog that walks by our campsite when we are in the RV and it's a super annoying habit but she's never been trained otherwise... I really wish my dad and stepmom would work on it more. After an hour of barking, clawing at the glass, and eating the blankets she lays on out of anger, it's NOT very funny. I have met a lot of and read about a lot of truly dog aggressive dogs who are perfectly capable of walking by dogs, etc, and you'd never know they are DA... because their owners worked on it.

I also don't see what's so amusing about dogs attacking vacuums and brooms, etc... at first, I can see how it'd be funny, for sure... I mean, you can't help but laugh... but I see it all the time posted on here about people thinking it's just hysterical and don't seem to want to fix it or change it?? I dunno, I just personally would not ever live with a dog like that w/o attempting to work on it. I also don't find constant leash pulling very funny... yeah so what if a 5lb dog can't pull very hard, it's still annoying to me if I wanna take my dog for a walk, I don't want it pulling me the whole time, unless I tell it it's okay. I guess it's just every owners preference. I suppose some may find it rude how Jackson just jumps on every piece of furniture he wants in our house but it's something I don't mind, so every house tolerates different things and stuff.

I guess it just boils down to HUMANS, lol. We are the stupid fools.

[1Ieisha]

Originally Posted by Teresa Ford

You are so right ! We all have seen the horror of dog attacks.

This is a 'fun thread', everything doesn't have to be serious. I was poking fun at myself, when I told the story about Ginny Joy.( Most of you know I work very hard at keeping my doggies safe.) I never suggested it was OK for Ginny Joy to act crazy. But one of the most endearing things about Yorkies, is their Terrier heart. I think most of us were treating this like a fun thread. All done preaching.

Thank-you for understanding that this was just for fun, and that we do care about the safety and well being of our babies. I just love to read you guys' stories because they are actually really funny and cute!!!

[snoopymom]

When Snoopy was in therapy dog class, his best friend was a great dane. I so wished I'd had my camera when they greeted each other nose to nose.