In this world everyone has an opinion and that is their god given right.

I posted to request advice and I am getting plenty of it for which I thank all who have taken the time to do so.
Along with advice always comes opinions and as long as we can differentiate between the two we can make a decision based on knowledge gained. Opinions are often based on experience and can be valuable but only the recipient can decide that.

All suggestions or opinions or advice or remarks or any other form of passing information aimed at helping me with my little boy are so very welcome but once received I have to decide what action I will follow based on education gained from this thread.

No one person is deemed to be more knowledgeable than another and I am not too old to learn so I ask all who feel they would like to comment to please do so it can only help not just me but other people as well.

Thank you all.

:D:);)

I say give him time he will come around. He probably just needs to do this on his terms.. A year from now he may be a lot different. Once he gets really comfortable with everything Just like people some take longer to trust and feel comfortable around others. Oh and that will be $$$$$$ for my advice Lol :D:p. Have a great day

LOL...Thank you so much for your advice/opinion this is appreciated and of value to me.

We are in fact making painfully slow progress with this little man who is a happy chappie at the best of times.

We now understand we have to be patient with him and will encourage him as much as we can.

In order for me to pay your bill ($$$$$) would you be so kind as to let me have your bank account details along with your security sign in information to enable to to do a bank transfer. (from your bank to mine of course...lol) :);):D:rolleyes::cool::p

LOL! Someone is taking the pi$$!!!:D

I would have to agree with someone else who suggested getting down on the floor with him. He may not have been socialized very well as a young puppy and now with all the other dogs in your home he is just becoming part of your pack. Food is always a good way to work with a dog. Maybe give him small tasty treats from your hand while you are down on his level. He will identify you as part of his pack as you do this. As he becomes more comfortable with you try picking him up more. Hold him for a minute or two and then put him down. Maybe walk around a little with him as you talk to him. The more interaction you have with him the more the wall will come down. Patience and persistence will do the job.

Hey there! You haven't been wasting anytime I see... 4 already! Congratulations on all the new babies!

I didn't read all the replies. My eyes are acting up tonight. I do want to add something though. Here it is:

Okay: Story first: I just had a breakthrough with my female Sapphire. I got her when she was 2 years old from a breeder... she'll be 5 Years old at the end of the month. She would get in my lap, but only for about 30-60 seconds at a time, since I first got her. She comes up and digs on my leg until I pick her up. I set her on my lap, she looks at me but then looks away quickly, I pet her a few times, then she starts leaning to get down. Two and a half years of this 2-3 times a day or more, lol.

Well, two days ago, she fell asleep on my lap for hours! And had another nap in my lap yesterday too! WooHoo!

I think her problem was/is fear. She wants companionship, but may be afraid of heights, or me dropping her. She will wiggle to get down if I force her to stay longer than she wanted, but now she just goes limp and gets really heavy. I always try to go a few seconds longer, saying okay, okay, wait a minute and I'll put you down!

I wonder if at some point your puppy may have been dropped, or fallen from a lap, or held too tightly. This could be more an issue of building trust than anything. It's great that he takes treats and tosses them around (very Yorkie thing to do). I would do alot of floor work with him, maybe using a pillow on the floor too.

His dislike of touch may be from fear of getting picked up. Try using treats and just pet him and reward him to disassociate touch with being handled. When he learns that, then pick him up but don't lift him far off the floor, maybe an inch or two, and move him 2-3 feet to a new spot. Then work at putting him on your lap while you're on the floor, reward him, and allow him to leave if he wants. Give him treats when he's in your lap. Then progress onto a couch to get him used to heights.

You can do this type of work with all the puppies together, he will see them on you and learn from them that it's okay. Also do individual work with him. Maybe use a leash on him to stop him from running away and hiding at first.

And remember... he is a puppy and has been with other puppies all his life. It's natural for him to seek their companionship... he knows he is one of them. You, sir, are like an alien to him. An alien with treats, lol. Practice using a high, squeaky voice with him. Mine love it and I get their full attention when I use it.

Best of luck... I'm sure you'll have him turned around in no time! :D

There are a lot of good people on this forum which is the reason for me being here.
All the advice given has been taken on board. After all, I asked so it would be stupid of me to ignore all the good sound advice offered.

I agree with all of you it is going to be a long haul with this little chap but we have the stamina to go the distance as we love him so much.

To bring interested members up to speed here is the current situation.

Robby (the shy boy) will run to us when we return home and he will put his front paws up on our leg bouncing with excitement.

He will allow a hand "body scrub" from Joan but not from me.

He will ask to get up on the settee (sofa) and after some coaxing will allow us to lift him up on the settee where he will play for some time with the other pups.

Just occasionally he has fallen to sleep on Joan's knee for about 15 minutes.

I can see he is now starting to bond with Joan which I am delighted about but he still will not take a treat from the hand of either of us we have to throw it to him.

He will go off on his own for hours on end and sleep in his crate alone.

He has developed a "food possessive" problem and will fight off the other three if they approach his food.
He has even kicked the butt of the eldest one (female) who now plays with him so much.

All in all, he is still one happy little man who likes doing his own thing and will play for hours on his own with his soft toys or play his favourite wrestling game with the others.

Try picking him up and you get a wriggling mass of skin and bone which is impossible to hold.

You are all correct in saying it is going to be a long haul job but we will stay with him all the way.,

Thank you to all who have/are showing interest and trying to help me sort this little renegade out.

Ya know it's not entirely a negative that he is confident & self entertaining.

As long as you curb the food/treat aggression time will change all for the better.

We took our little man to the vet today as we were not happy with his progress or should I say lack of progress.

Since November 2011 he has only put on 454 grams and the vet was shocked.

He does eat everything we offer him and he eats alone in his crate to stop the other three interfering with him.

The vet gave him a thorough going over along with an eye check.

The news was not good at all.

The vet believes that although his eyes are functioning they are not seeing.
He explained that the pupil can react to light but in certain illnesses the eye does not send the message to the brain.

He says this can be caused by a problem with the liver and this has to be investigated thoroughly.

He has warned us to expect the worst possible situation which I have to admit shook me in a big way.

The vet said that if the problem is what he suspects then he will have to recommend the little man is put to rest.

He explained that whilst he is not violent right now if the problem is proven then he will be more than violent in the near future and will be nothing less than downright dangerous.

I know all yorkie owners will understand how Joan and I feel right now this little man is just a baby of 8 months and we have to face the most terrible decision any pet owner can face.

The vet says he thinks the brain damage has been caused by a liver problem or a birth problem but it may well be a different thing. The little man goes in to hospital tomorrow we hope just for the day to have tests done but we have been warned it may be longer.

I will post any further information as soon as we know anything.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

i am so sorry to hear this news as i could not imagine going through that...I will keep him in my prayers. I wish you and your little man the best tomorrow.

I just reread a few posts here to refresh my memory and was going to suggest having your vet take a look at him. That is such sad news.... I will pray that he gets good results on the tests tomorrow. Heartbreaking when these little ones have health problems. Wishing you both the best, it will be a long day tomorrow... Hugs from a friend...

So sorry to hear the news. I will say prayers for the little one and hope that whatever may be wrong can be corrected. Please keep us updated.

i am new to the land of yorkies and haven't had my little girl very long, but she sounds a lot like your little boy. she is much more interested in playing and being active than cuddling. however, when she gets tired i can get a cuddle or two out of her. puppies are just full of curiosity and energy and don't like to be too tied down. i am hopeful though that she'll be more keen on a cuddle when she's older.

Oh my goodness - I'm so, so sorry.

Just came on this thread to see what your update was on your little man - and couldn't believe what I was reading.

You and Joan must be in absolute bits. I shall be thinking of you all day today - and wish you all well, with all my heart :hands: Sally x

OMGosh! I am soooo sorry ! Ditto that ^ to the nth power! Our very best thought and wishes go to you today. No one or their baby should ever have to go through anything like this. :hands: {{{{Hugs}}}}

I'm so sorry!
Neurological damage is very difficult. I hope the liver isn't the cause I understand the difficult decision you are facing.

I hope there is a way to either avoid this decisions all together or postpone it, however in the adverse everyone here is here to support you and your wife.

Wishing for better news and for you to have the strength to get through any bad news.

oh my god, i just reread the posts on this page (i missed it in my sleep stupor last night) and i am so sorry to hear that! i'll be praying for the little guy and your family

We now have my Little Man home with us and his family.
He is running around with them doing his usual thing of anoying the hell out of the other three.

His head and body are shaking all the time and he bumps into walls and furniture but he is just so active I could cry.

When we collected him the vet was a little subdued as he handed him over.
We didn't ask anything we just left with him in his crate.

It will now be a day or so before we have any results but as soon as I have them I will let you all know.

Thank you all for you support it is really comforting to know you all understand.

So sorry to hear this and keeping your family in my prayers...

Oh....Dear Brian and Joan and little Robby....every single part of me is crossed....please, please, please....:hands: :hug: Sally x

Everything I'm thinking of is treatable, in most cases. Did your vet recommend a neurologist? I'm really sorry this has happened. Did the vet say to take him to an Emergency Clinic if his behavior worsens? Did he prescribe any meds while you're waiting for answers?

Checking for any updates... sending prayers too...

Thank you for your concern and all who are out there praying for my little man.

The vet has now told us there is nothing wrong with his liver all is functioning well.

We have been told to send for an insurance claim form as Robby has to go for an MRI scan as they now suspect cerebellar cortical abiotrophy.

We have been called to a meeting tomorrow to discuss all options open to us. At this meeting the vet is going to explain exactly what the disease is and what it does to the animal.
I have read up a little on Google but the more I read the more upset I get so no more research until I see the vet.We are advised that our little man is in no way out of danger they can not say he is until they know exactly what the problem is and this will only be known after the MRI scan.

The situation is now getting to both of us as we spend more and more time trying to get him to play with us. He just does not want to know to the point where today he bit Joan and drew blood she had to pull the poor guy off her hand.

We are just out of our minds right now all we can do is wait for the meeting tomorrow and listen to what we are being told or advised.
Whatever the situation is we will always do whatever is best for him, he is loved so much he has taken our hearts completely just as much as the other three have.

A strange situation has developed with the other three now as they just ignore poor Robby and refuse to play with him, this is upsetting us as well.
If Robby goes to them to play he is warned off with a growl so he goes back to his bed and sleeps.
It is breaking our hearts !

This is totally normal behavior in animals when they know something is wrong with one. I would not push him in any kind of socialization, I would just let him be and do whatever he wants (within reason) until his medical situation is controlled. You may even need to protect him from the others at some point, as sometimes healthy dogs may attach or pick on a weaker dog. This too is totally natural, instinctive behavior. Don't let it change the way you feel about them.

Just to let you know... I can't seem to find the words I would like to say, and I sat here and cried and prayed for you all, yesterday and now again today. Seems like all I can do is cry, pray and send out some Hugs....

Thank you so much you are a comfort to us all and this is appreciated.
I am now so upset I am going off line I will be back after the meeting tomorrow.

Wait if you can...

Seems UC Davis in California is researching this... it is genetic so I would advise notifying the breeder. Occurs more commonly in horses... they have a DNA test ( don't know if it works for dogs?) UC Davis is collecting samples for their research... From what I've read it is mostly loss of balance and coordination, and dogs will need assistance with stairs and such... no mention of aggression or putting them down though.

But, yes, best to wait for a definitive diagnosis...

I will be Praying for your little man.:hands:

You know we're all with you, will check back later when you've had the meeting. Love and hugs to the 3 of you....Sally x

Keeping your family in my prayers, my heart aches for your little guy..