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01-09-2012, 07:30 PM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Nicholasville,KY,United States
Posts: 4
| Lil Lady thinks she rules the roost Hi everyone, I am a new mommy to a 7 yr old Yorkie. I got her from a family who had her from a pup but no longer had time for her. It is becoming increasingly apparent to me that she was the "pack leader" of their home because she is trying to be here. We have only had her for 2 days now and I have never before had an issue with pack order. This little lady is growling at me and barking when she wants attention. I am ignoring her. Any other suggestions other than keep ignoring the behavior? I have another dog, about 15lbs bigger than her and taller and she picked a fight with him when he attempted to play with her. He quickly put her in her place and again when she was growling attempting to jump on the bed with me, my other dog came over to regulate and she tried to fight him again...again with no success. Is this something that is just going to take time for her to realize her order in the pack? I don't for one minute want to accidently waver on my authority. Also, she was free fed in her other home ( a contributing factor to her being overweight) and I don't free feed. I feed 2 times a day and always after I eat, no table scraps. She begs something terrible..again I ignore her. Any suggestions??? |
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01-09-2012, 08:01 PM | #2 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: FL, USA
Posts: 2,767
| Hi...and welcome. Congratulations on the arrival of your new baby! I'd put myself in the place of the dog and try to see this change from her possible perspectives. Since you have only had her for 2 days, she may still be unnerved by the change. A new home at 7 years old is quite a change, and she may be more than a little a bit confused about why things have changed so much. She may just need time to settle in and learn how much you love her, and how things work in her new forever home. Your consistency and kindness, staying calm and patient and giving her the understanding she needs until she adjusts fully, should help her relax and learn to fit into the family. It is wonderful that you are giving her a new home and family to love and care for her. I think she will appreciate the time you take and the attention you give to her. She may surprise you. Good luck!
__________________ - Cat Brody Mia BriaStormy |
01-09-2012, 08:09 PM | #3 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: montclair,nj
Posts: 925
| Kindness will get you and your new family member much further and closer together than authority.
__________________ Rest in peace my sweet angel dog, Lavinia Hyacynth, Vivi. I love you forever. Bear healed my broken heart! |
01-09-2012, 08:46 PM | #4 |
YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY
Posts: 6,582
| Is this the first terrier that you have ever had? The terrier personality is quite a bit different than other dogs. My little one is what you may consider a "pack leader." She barks when she wants something and she is quite bossy with the cats sometimes. This dog has been re-homed at 7 years of age and I'm sure is quite confused and upset. You may want to try to comfort her and work at getting the two dogs to get along. I know you are feeling loyal to your dog but if she is going to live there she is your dog also. I would not expect a dog her age to adjust in a short period of time. You may want to research the Yorke breed as they are quite a bit different. I had dogs all my life but never one like Gracie. I had to learn how to train her differently than my other dogs. Yorkies don't respond well to many typical dog training techniques. |
01-09-2012, 10:07 PM | #5 |
YT 1000 Club Member | I agree with gracielove completely, except that it wasn't put as forcefully as should be. There is no Breed, or age of any of the K-9, which has the desire to be the Pack Alpha more than a Female Yorkshire Terrier. The only thing that can completely control a Female Yorkie, is another Female Yorkie ! Her persistence and tenacity will eventually overcome your other Dog's objections to her authority, and she will "allow" it to "step forward" only under certain circumstances, probably when the Pack needs defense (because of it's size). I'm not sure that I would so quickly blame her previous owners, given that they may have understood her "nature". Probably she was the only female in her Liter, and its just a guess, but, I'm thinking she was not allowed to stay with her Mother very long. These two conditions have a tendency to produce a rather "strong" instinct for Leadership. You may need to re-think the "Order" of things around your house, and yield to you being the Pack Leader, and allowing her to be the Pack Alpha. Not all appreciate the difference. And, establishing that "Pecking Order" depends on her evaluation of your ability to lead her. There's going to be one Leader, and one Second in Command, and she's gong to be one of them.
__________________ Dogs know that you love them, weather you own them or not Mbrs of YT Teapot Club: SNEAKERS since Apr 2011, Ichabod SOON ! RIP my darling Becca. |
01-09-2012, 11:39 PM | #6 | |
No Longer a Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Pasadena, CA US
Posts: 193
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01-10-2012, 07:46 AM | #7 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Nicholasville,KY,United States
Posts: 4
| Thanks everyone! I know that there are going to be scuffles between dogs because of the potential shift of the order and I expected nothing less honestly. My responsibility is to make sure that those scuffles don't result in serious injury. Tiffany (the baby) for the most part is doing really well. I have myself two dogs with a strong desire to be the pack leader amongst the dog pack. I myself am a strong alpha leader so while she may be searching for security, it won't be long before she realizes I am her security. In the home she came from she was in fact in charge of the people. The reason they rehomed her is because Tiffany spent at minimum 12 hours a day closed up in the laundry room with food, a potty pad and a bed. When they were at home they allowed her to do as she pleased and beckoned to her every desire out of the guilt of her being alone so much. My other dog and I had a serious battle of the wills when he was a pup and it took me 6 mos to establish I was the leader to him...my husband has not received that respect as of yet and the dog is almost 5 now. My husband wavers and Tiffany has already picked up on that and goes to him when she doesn't get her way with me or the other dog. I know the triggers to my other dog and have been successful in preventing any problems over feeding. I feed them in separate rooms as to avoid an all out war and have no bones laying around the house anymore. I allow Tiffany on the couch but my other dog will not allow her on the bed. My other dog sleeps at the foot of the bed and that seems to be a bone of contention between them but at the same time I am thinking there won't be too many more arguments about the bed. Pretty sure last night sealed the deal and Tiffany slept on the couch. It is going to be interesting to see how this pack of dogs adjust because Papi has maintained his pack authority with everything from a 6lb shih tzu to a 100lb lab and seemingly everything in between both male and female. I am quite taken back by Tiffanys lack of cues. Generally speaking, unless there is an aggression issue most dogs will give a low growl, stand stiff, bear teeth then attack...Tiffany just growls and attacks often times out of the blue. For example, Papi can be curled up asleep on the floor, no toys out, no food, nothing around to be possessive over and she will just growl and try to attack. I know she is going through a stressful adjustment period and it can't be easy for her. I am giving both dogs an equal amount of attention and making sure that one doesn't get anything the other doesn't get. Luckily I am at home all day so Tiffany is out and about but I am thinking she may be in shock that she isn't being closed in a room by herself. I am thinking about purchasing a small kennel that she can associate as a den of her very own. Not to close her in but to allow her free access in case she is feeling overwhelmed. We have only had 3 small scuffles between the two and the last one resulted in Tiffany retreating to the other room so I hope that peace is on the horizon. For the most part they co exist with no problem and really don't pay each other much attention other than the occasional sniff. Tiffany won't play yet and I hope that changes as she gets more comfortable because right now she is acting like she has no interest in toys or doesn't know what to do with them. Thanks everyone for your input, I will try to keep everyone up to date as to any progress we make. |
01-10-2012, 09:02 AM | #8 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: USA
Posts: 119
| It's actually normal for a female yorkie to ask this way... My oldest is 11 months old and is a male, my youngest is 4 months old and as a female she has already taken over. She is the leader of our family, but it works for us and she is the happiest this way. In fact the biggest way we bonded was that I did not stop her from taking control of the house. She is now happy loving obedient and amazing with most of her training. Roscoe our male knows she is the leader... She is sersiouly so obedient that I do not even have to put her on a leash to walk her because she knows to stay by my feet at all times. Roscoe is 11 months and still working on this...(we live in the country no crazy roads so it's made good for training)
__________________ Nicole~ Roscoe Sukie & Sophie No one will love you like your Dog, be worthy of it.... |
01-10-2012, 09:35 AM | #9 |
Donating YT Addict Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: TX
Posts: 402
| Have researched this before. I was told by a dog behaviorist to limited the amount of space she is allowed in when she first moves in. This is teaching her boundaries and resetting her order in the pack. When she sees one dog being allowed to wonder throughout the house and she has to stay put, say inside the kitchen or bedroom or xpen area, she will quickly learn. This is not for a long duration, but for the beginning time until she is used to the new family. Also he says to introduce a new dog to the pack outdoors before letting them meet inside. But I'm sure it can still be corrected after that, the choice is always yours. Also feeding your other dog first, treating him first, leasing him first ect. What others said is true though, the yorkie female is one of the most domineering of any breed. However, with persistence it can be done. Yes you should be kind and gentle, but if she is displaying behaviors that you don't want use a sharp "no!" or another sound that you would like to make that means no.
__________________ Mommy to Sir Strudel McFierce |
01-10-2012, 10:42 AM | #10 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Nicholasville,KY,United States
Posts: 4
| Thanks so much! That is what I did...introduced them outside, and when I did bring them in I sent Tiffany into the gated kitchen. I have been making sure that Papi eats first, leashed first etc as well. I have been trying to make her see that she has to earn a her place in the pack. If roles switch with her and Papi over time then that is just the way it is meant to be but I don't want to make Papi insecure in his invironment as he was here first. I certainly don't need to create any issues in the house. She is actually walking behind me when I take her on her walks. I have yet to take them both at the same time and probably won't introduce that until next week but when I put them out on the tie out to potty I always make sure Papi gets leashed up first, then Tiffany and I head out and call them to follow. As of now, Papi comes out and goes in ahead of Tiffany. So far today she isn't attempting much of the growling at me so that is a good thing. I am putting her on a diet though because when I weighed her today she weighs a whoping 13.7 pounds!!! Its obvious she is overweight, she is rather round and I don't want her to develop health issues....she already wheezes at times :/ Thank you all so much |
01-10-2012, 11:15 AM | #11 |
YT 1000 Club Member | givemecouture, You're giving some very good advice there, but... I tend to disagree with one issue. Petting, greeting, feeding the other dog first, just may not work all that well when it comes to a Female Yorkie. I think that will exacerbate things, and cause her to increase her intent on dominance. She will not quit ! Now, Dazzlingdoodles has brought up a good point as well... Just because she's obsessive/compulsive right now, does not mean that she won't settle down as stated, and be the best Dog you ever had. She just must achieve this goal. Beyond that, I can't be more proud to say one of my animals is a Female, and she's the sweetest little thing you'd ever want to hold and kiss. BUT, she's got a dark side to her, and she'll have my Male (almost twice her size) running full speed away, if he ticks her off. He's very lucky he can run faster than she can ! One other thing... I do not intervene in their "position" issues ever. She has given My Male a good strong nip on a couple occasions to put him in place, but, fortunately nothing more than that. I don't think you have to worry about a serious fight. They understand they have to live together. Now, down the road... Once she has established things like she likes, it will settle down completely. My two get along SO well, share the same Food Bowl, and one will take a bite and move back to chew, while the other moves up and gets a bite. They sleep together on the Bed and under the Coffee Table by my Recliner, and will share the foot of the recliner, when I'm taking a nap (one on each side of my legs). I sincerely believe, that my approach in not intervening in "their" relationship, has been the key to their compatibility. I readily admit.. .I can not compete with Mother Nature !
__________________ Dogs know that you love them, weather you own them or not Mbrs of YT Teapot Club: SNEAKERS since Apr 2011, Ichabod SOON ! RIP my darling Becca. |
01-10-2012, 11:53 AM | #12 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Nicholasville,KY,United States
Posts: 4
| I will say this, as of now I am in the bedroom doing my schoolwork and there is peace and harmony. Papi is on the bed asleep and Tiffany came in and laid down on the floor now asleep. There was no attempt by her whatsoever to get up onto the bed. Now, just as I finished typing that, the cat lost her footing from the desk and fell making a slight racquet and Tiffany starting growling barking and chasing the cat. Good news is that when I said NO!, she came back in the room and laid back down. At least she is listening |
01-10-2012, 01:41 PM | #13 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: FL, USA
Posts: 2,767
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__________________ - Cat Brody Mia BriaStormy |
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