Such thing as TOO attached?
 

Is there such thing as a Yorkie becoming TOO attached to their owner? Pippin just clings to me wherever I go in the house. She will only go to my husband when I am not in the room. Many times she crawls around my neck (even when I am sleeping.) What have I done to cause this behavior? She is alone a good part of the day while I am away but I have a cat she plays and sleeps with while I am gone and I leave lights and the radio on. Can someone tell me? I love her but this is just a bit too much! ... oh, and she is TERRIBLY jealous if I give just a little attention to the cat. Thanks for any and all insights you can give me!

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After this weekend's playdate, I have to say our little guy might be too attached. We have babied him for 2 years and this weekend he didn't really want to play with the others. He just wanted to be held. At home, he never leaves our side. We don't mind, but we want to do what is best for him. He is my little cuddle bug, but I wished he would be a little more independent sometimes. I just love him to pieces and love having him around, but I want him to be happy and enjoy other things too, like playing with others.

There are Yorkie's who are a "one person" dog. One of my breeding dogs recently went home with a widow who lost her Yorkie suddenly in August. She was grieving for her lost baby. Maria (the widow) and Bonnie have bonded unbelievably, and Maria's adult children are jealous because Bonnie won't leave their mother's side. Whenever someone other than Maria is holding Bonnie, Bonnie is looking around for her "mom." Her children were comparing Bonnie to Maria's other Yorkie who went to any body. Long story short, Bonnie has always been a one person dog and no doubt will always be. It's just the nature of some Yorkies.

Hi pippins Mom. I don't know about being too attached. Mac is very attached to me while Mellie is more attached to my oldest son. I think it just depends on who they see as their Alpha. Are you the one who predominately takes care of pippin? Both of my dogs go in spurts on how attached they are going to be. Mac tends to follow me around the house. He has to sleep in bed with me, while Mellie will be just as content being in her bed at the foot of my bed. I think as pippin gets older he may not be so clingy.

Thanks Zeus' mom for the reply. But I need to know what I have done to make Pippin this way and what to do to correct it. I love her to death but she is driving me nuts!

It sounds like he is a little baby. I dont think you can expect a change in his personality. All yorkies have their own personalities. As far as the cat it sounds like he plays with it while you are gone and that is good. The only thing my dogs do is bark and corner up my cat. I dont know how you could make him less jealous of the cat except maybe giving them both attention at the same time.

The only thing you've done to make her act this way is show her love! She see's you as her mom & just wants to be w/ you all the time! Lucky does the same thing w/ me. If he hurts himself or the cat swats (no claws) at him, then he comes running to me for comfort. Pippen just sees you as her momma & just wants all your attention. Maybe you could get her/him (sorry don't know!) a brother or sister. Then they will play together & Pippen might not be so attached to you. Just a thought. Good luck! :)

Sorry I kept spelling Pippin wrong! Didn't mean it!! :p

Trust me there is never a thing called to attached. The more you love her the moer that she wdill love you. All taht she can do is show more love. you can never get too attached.

I can't even pee alone w/out Schatzie by my side. :D She is my shadow wherever I go. From room to room, inside or out...There she is!

I used to kinda worry about it? But...not anymore. She doesn't seem stressed when I'm away or when she's being babysat by a friend, so I found no reason to be concerned. She just really shows how much she prefers to be w/ me.

I don't think you have done anything wrong. Some Yorkies are just born to be one person dogs while others love anything that moves. I remember reading that when I was researching different breeds. Sometimes (not saying always) when you look at a litter the quiet one might be a dog that is more attached.

What you can do that might make life easier for yourself and your dog is get her more socialized. Have her around people, let people give her treats, let Daddy be the one to feed, let her be around other dogs even if you still keep her in a safe bundle in your lap. Exposure might help and it won't hurt :D

Good luck!

That is my Nikko to a tee!! Mommy has to use the bathroom, and Nikko has to be right there!! :D It doesn't bother me in the least. I am away from him at least 10 hours a day and I miss him like crazy. When I get home he is so happy to see me and he follows me everywhere. I think its pretty sweet.

I think it just depends on their presonality. Biddy is SUPER clingy, whereas Tucker is pretty independant - and I've raised them both the same way for the most part. On Saturday, Biddy would not let me put her down - she just wanted to be held. I tried to pass her off to my fiance, but she only wanted me. Just like a baby! Sometimes it gets annoying, but it's worth it. There could be worse things than being loved so unbelievebly unconditionally!

I understand where you're coming from. Sometimes a situation arises to where the dog can't be with you, even when you're home. One lady had a man working in her house and he requested her to put the dogs in a seperate room. Other times it can be dangerous you're doing home improvements, etc.

It is also important to have some one on one time with other pets. What I recommend is to crate train your dog. You can also put him in an xpen. This will also show the dog that he has his own area in the home. Sometimes (like when I am studying) it is too distracting for me to have Brandy even on my lap. I'm always like, "Okay logrithams are... oh... Brandy is so cute, I love her so much.) lol. I also don't know what I would do without our pug, who keeps Brandy entertained when I can't. If he's not in there, she climbs out of the xpen.

[QUOTE=schatzie]I can't even pee alone w/out Schatzie by my side. :D She is my shadow wherever I go. From room to room, inside or out...There she is!

That was my Oscar. I used to close the door of the bathroom and he scratched and scratched the door until I opened it. Ohh how much I miss my baby!!!! :(

The only time that I would be concerned about a dog being too attached would be in the case of a dog that won't eat, drink, etc if absent from its owner. That could be dangerous in case of emergency.

Otherwise, I don't think it's a problem UNLESS it's a problem for you. If it is, then try letting your husband control more of the resources. Let him feed, let him give treats, let him introduce new toys, let him play with her, etc.

Naturally, it's also important that you are socializing Pippin (cute name, BTW) to strangers and other dogs...

My friend has a mixed breed that has some Yorkie in her....the Yorkie part is pretty dominant in looks. She was complaining one day that she can't go ANYWHERE without Baby following her......I just smiled and told her that was the Yorkie in her :) . Some are like that more than others. Let me tell you, when there are 4 of them trying to be on you all at once, it can get a little exasperating :D . I LOVE IT though!!!! :p Tiah will jump up on my lap and try to sit on poor little Cowboy (I think her theory is that if she can't see him then he isn't really there ;) ).

I was looking through some things and found this interesting, but I don't know if this applies to your situation or not. :) If your yorkie does fine when you are not at home, then it doesn't seem like a problem to me, but what do I know? I have loved my doggies no end. :p

Anxiety
Many dogs become over attached to one or all of the members of a household and become extremely anxious when they are left alone. This can result in quite extensive damage which is usually found around the door that the person leaves through and any escape route the dog may discover such as cat flaps, open windows and gates. These dogs usually become hysterical on their owner’s return and take several minutes to calm down. The behavior only occurs when the dog is separated from the household members to whom they are attached. In some cases, dogs that can cope when left in the home will become destructive when left alone in a strange environment. Dogs that are destructive because of anxiety tend to follow the people they are attached to around from room to room and try to maintain physical contact or eye contact as often as possible. Often barking, howling, toilet training problems and, in extreme cases, self-mutilation accompany this type of behavior.

There are many different reasons for anxiety in dogs which can result in destructive behavior. This can range from the hormonal swings caused by seasons in female dogs, to insecurity in elderly dogs. The most common type of anxiety is cause by over attachment to owners.

It is very flattering for some owners to have a dog that worships them and adores them. Unfortunately, this sort of dog finds it distressing to be parted from the object of his adoration. To resolve the problems with a dog like this, it is important that the owner is able to cool their relationship with the dog whilst building the dog’s confidence when being left alone.

Things you can do to make your dog more independent and less anxious when left alone

He will need to be left alone for short periods in the house whilst you are out. Until he can happily stay in one room while you are in another part of the house, there is no point in trying to get him used to being left alone while you are away. Get him used to being in one room, or perhaps acclimatise him to an indoor kennel, covering it with a blanket to make it a den type area.

He must be discouraged from following you from room to room and making constant physical contact. You should be aware of this and close doors between yourself and your dog. In addition, you should be firm with him and encourage him to sleep in his bed and not be constantly underfoot.

Other household members and friends should be enlisted to assist by taking him out for walks, playing and feeding him. This will avoid him becoming dependant on one individual or certain people in the household.

When he is left, the light should be turned off, a radio should be playing softly and items of the owners clothing can be left in his bed and on the other side of the door. This will also help create a restful environment which still sounds and smells reassuring to him.

You should ignore him completely for 20 minutes before leaving him and for 20 minutes upon your return. The dog should only be greeted when he has calmed down.

A special chew or toy can be left for him during your absence although this should be removed on your return. Also ensure he is well exercised at least half an hour before leaving him.

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:...ed+puppy&hl=en

Have you spoken to a professional trainer? Loki is stubborn and both needy and independent. We are so lucky to have found our trainer, who offers classes, consults, and most importantly doggie daycare! The socialization is great and because we work with Loki so much we have really bonded and although he wants to be in charge, he knows he is not. Good luck.
Our trainer is a certified pet dog trainer, there might be one in your area too:
http://www.apdt.com/trainers-and-own...ner-search.php

Both my girls are like this - At meet-ups they turn into total mama's girls and HAVE to be held - usually it's only around crowds they are like this - this just shows me they need to get out a bit more -

In the house they are always with me & will play all over the house.... but know exactly where I am at all times.

the weird thing is - take them on a window shopping trip to Petsmart and they skip thru the aisles :D

thank you ALL for your great advice. And Yorkieusa, I was concerned about anxiety, too, but after reading some posts here about that, I have found ways to combat that. I think she is just a normal Yorkie and the past two nights she hasn't been so clingy. I am the Alpha and she looks to me for most of her care. You guys are great and thank you for being patient with me when I wasn't too patient with you. :)

Tooooo Attached!
 

Hi Pippins mom. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!! I thought I was. I have an almost 2yr old yorkie and she is super adorable, sweet, protective, loyal and yes....WAY TOO ATTACHED!! It drives me nuts and like you, I have no idea what to do to break that. It's so annoying and it's far from cute, like it was when I first got her and just thought that was a "baby stage" kind of thing. She's gotten older and gotten worse. She literally follows me EVERYWHERE and I do mean EVERYWHERE!! I can simply walk to the trash can and throw something away and she'll jump out of a deep sleep just to be at my feet. I get annoyed tripping over her, as if she's not tiny as it is. She's 5lbs. She's needy, demands attention and way too clingy. I don't mind it but I wish she would tone it down just a tad. It's like if I'm on the couch she can't just come find a spot on the couch and relax, she has to be in my lap or somewhere literally glued to me (like she is right now). I feel smothered by my own lil pup. I am going to lose my sanity.

Welcome to YT, for starters this thread is 12 years old. You really should start a new tread "smothered by love" or something like that. Yorkies are ppl dogs, they must have their human in their sight at all times, they love snuggling into your body, they crave human contact, and yes, once you have a yorkie you'll never pee alone. Did you not read up on yorkies before buying one? Did you not read up on a yorkie's Characteristics, personalities? Like a woman's first child, they are doted on, spoiled, demands are always met, then the child is 5 yo and has temper tantrums, moms calls the child a brat, says the child is spoiled, well, who created that? YOU the mom. Same with dogs, any breed. Yorkies are very easy to spoil, they are to cute not to give into them, to tote them around, smother them with smooches. What as a puppy was cute, you now find " annoying". And who created this " annoying" baby, YOU did. Having a yorkie is like having a toddler for life. They need human contact, need to be with their humans, have them in their sight. I don't mean to sound harsh, I am sad that you feel smothered and feel you will lose your sanity over a wee lil baby that loves you too much.

As you can see I am new to this whole site as of yesterday and though the thread is 12yrs old, it's still listed I posted a response big deal! Secondly you know nothing about myself nor my pup other than what I posted about nor do u know what has taken place between my pup and I or anyone else in the family or even who where or what she came from and how I deal with her. You have your opinion, which ur entitled to and sorry (not sorry) if I may sound harsh but that doesn't change how I feel! Even if I did or did not do my research. I run my life and my household. Not a puppy!! She gets love and attention and I take very care of her but what she will not live to believe, is that THE WORLD REVOLVES AROUND HER! Thank you good day!!!

Welcome to YT. SWAT! You were a bit harsh to a stranger/newbie. You might not have meant to be, but you were. If I were her, I'd leave the board with bad feelings about the board and never look back. I might even speak badly about the board to others.

She had a problem and asked for help. Your solution wasn't helpful; it was to blame her for the problem.

Im ROFL at this!
When my Cali was at a Service Dog school one of the main things they spend a great deal of time on was distraction issues. I had not had her very long before she left for Service Dog School and the trainers there had very little experience with small dogs, but the thing they kept telling me was that when I went out there for my part of the handler training they had never seen such a focused pup. She never took her eyes off me the whole training time.

That was 8 year ago - And when we go for her every 3 to 5 year assessment, that focus is always commented on. Since they had not trained many Yorkie’s the behavior assessors say they have never seen another like her. I just say it is Yorkie behavior!

Enjoy you baby, and you do get used to not going to the bathroom alone:D

I felt a little sad too, unless I was reading it wrong. It's like hearing about someone complain they're being loved too much! :eek: That poor baby to be considered not cute and just pure annoying, breaks my heart!

I don't find it annoying they are my babies and I am lucky they love me so much. Callie is my doggy soul mate she know me better then anyone so if I am stressed that is when she is right up against me. She used to follow me every where but now its mostly if I'm having a panic attack or bad anxiety or sad or when we are out or if we have company. Joey follows me every where he goes into the bathroom with me but he was rescued way to early at 9 weeks old so he has a bit or separation anxiety. Penny just doesn't want to miss anything so she will follow. We are sooooo lucky to have this babies so being attached to me is definitely not annoying to me. My only concern would be if I got sick and had to stay at the hospital or something other then that I don't leave them. I would not go on a vacation unless they could go so maybe I'm too attached lol.