I need help!!! My dog is driving us crazy

[Buster Brown]

Here are some trainers in the Wichita area. I hope that things work out for Snoozels.
There a few in this list that deal with aggression. Animal Behavior College
Wichita, KS, US Dog Training Directory

[bobohyde]

Originally Posted by Snoozels

exactly... my daughter just wants to love on him, and it breaks her heart that he wont let her. Our neighbor has a shih tzu that is also about the same age and is the same size and she will let my daughter love on her, brush her hair ect and then she comes home thinking ours will do the same it just wont. Snooze just doesnt want anything to do with it. My daughter asked me tonight if we could get a girl dog now. So I am at a loss here.
I wonder if some classes at petco would help or not? Someone posted on here that your dog goes crazy when the doorbell rings and you pick him up right away. Well mine does too and if I pick him up and answer then door with him in my arms he will try to bite the person at the door by leaning out of my arms. Our neighbor stopped by a few nights ago and touched my shoulder when leaving and the dog just about took her finger off. If I didnt put my hand in the way he would have bitten her. I mean dang this dog is 8lbs of controlness.

Hmmm...Your post makes it sound like you really aren't open to training classes. I hope you will reconsider. It concerns me that your 4 yr old is talking about getting a girl dog "next time". Snoozel is a part of your family! She shouldn't think he is disposable. Part of being a dog owner is training and being a responsible pet owner. Many people don't do their homework and read up about the possible traits and characteristics or certain breeds before they purchase it. Then the dog gets blamed when he is just being true to his breed. Yorkies are known for being yappy and most do go crazy when someone comes to the door. They also generally aren't recommended for families with small children, both because they could snap at the child to protect themselves and also because small children can hurt the dog. I hope if you decide to not keep this dog that you will find a good home for him that is calm, doesn't have small children and with someone who has the time to train him. If you just take him to a shelter and label him a biter, you are signing his death papers and frankly, it sounds like you didn't read up on yorkies before you got him with a toddler in the house or you would have known about this possible behavior. Some small dogs will tolerate children "loving" on them if the owner has trained them well and the small children are well behaved. You've got a couple different things going on here. The alpha dog behavior from Snoozel and also your expectations for a yorkie with a 4 year old. Your dog needs training and your family also needs training. Please don't give up on your dog.

[Snoozels]

Originally Posted by Buster Brown

Here are some trainers in the Wichita area. I hope that things work out for Snoozels.
There a few in this list that deal with aggression. Animal Behavior College
Wichita, KS, US Dog Training Directory

Thank You for the links. I will look into them.

Originally Posted by bobohyde

Hmmm...Your post makes it sound like you really aren't open to training classes. I hope you will reconsider. It concerns me that your 4 yr old is talking about getting a girl dog "next time". Snoozel is a part of your family! She shouldn't think he is disposable. Part of being a dog owner is training and being a responsible pet owner. Many people don't do their homework and read up about the possible traits and characteristics or certain breeds before they purchase it. Then the dog gets blamed when he is just being true to his breed. Yorkies are known for being yappy and most do go crazy when someone comes to the door. They also generally aren't recommended for families with small children, both because they could snap at the child to protect themselves and also because small children can hurt the dog. I hope if you decide to not keep this dog that you will find a good home for him that is calm, doesn't have small children and with someone who has the time to train him. If you just take him to a shelter and label him a biter, you are signing his death papers and frankly, it sounds like you didn't read up on yorkies before you got him with a toddler in the house or you would have known about this possible behavior. Some small dogs will tolerate children "loving" on them if the owner has trained them well and the small children are well behaved. You've got a couple different things going on here. The alpha dog behavior from Snoozel and also your expectations for a yorkie with a 4 year old. Your dog needs training and your family also needs training. Please don't give up on your dog.

Hi. Thank You for the scolding and for your input.
We are not wanting to get rid of snooze at all. We all do love him and yes he is part of our family. My daughter wanting a girl dog is because we always planned on getting two dogs and this was her request (the other dog to be a girl)... We are getting some training and yes we are working with him to make things better.

Again thank you all for your help and thoughts. Today was a much better day and he is much calmer and loving today. I refuse to let him be a snippy dog that wont handle loving that is not what we want for him. We are working on all our issues and will get there. Feedings went much better today with me having a more controlled time and quiet house for him. It seems to keep him calmer and more controlled for dinner time. So we are getting there.
Snoozels and I both thank you for all the help and guidence!

[maggiefromnj]

Sorry to say this, but I have a feeling it's how your daughter treats him that might have started the ball rolling. Her "loving" probably doesn't feel too loving if she is anything like my friends 3.5 yr old. She sometimes pets Maggie too hard, I've seen her sort of kick her and just sort of treat her a little rough like she is a stuffed animal or something. I am not sure if she is trying to get attention, or get maggie's attention.

Now that Snooze has gotten older (over 1) he is probably growing tired of this "attention" and he may just be acting out. Maybe he has developed a fear of people, I think fear can be acted out by showing aggression.

Maybe I am way off base....but he just might not like all the loving on him. Perhaps if you had your daughter ease up, and keep an eye on her. I have noticed my neighbors daughter will be more aggressive with Maggie when we're not paying attention.

They ended up getting rid of their shihtzu when the little girl was about 2. He was not neutered and already had a habit of marking in the house. After the baby the marking got worse---flat out peeing, and he became more aggressive and less tolerant of the baby as she got older. He did nip at her a couple times so they got rid of him. I believe a lot of the problem was the lack of neuter and poor training. Owner would put him in the laundry room (not big) if she found a pee spot, even if it was hours later and insisted he "knew" why he was punished. Poor guy, luckily he now lives with an older lady with no kids.

A visit with trainers might help to figure out the problem. Good luck.

[Oddsock]

I second the book recommended and advice already given. Plus does your dog have a place to go, where children are not allowed to touch. When young, our children (and their friends) were always taught, if the dogs were in their bed area, then they were not allowed to touch them. This gave the dogs a place to get peace.

I realize this won't stop the problems of barking or biting, good luck with that, hope you'll let us know how it goes. Not having a Yorkie (always had big breeds) yet, I'd be very interested if those with this problem work it out.

[Snoozels]

Hi everyone. I think we are slowly making some progress over here. We have laid out some new rules in the house. Our Daughter is no longer allowed to give snooze any treats, or touch or talk (lol) to him if he goes to mommy and daddys bed or his kennel. And I have been working with him on the leash more with more direct controlled commands. Like someone previous suggested I am no longer allowing him to go ahead of me, or move without directions from me while on the leash. This is really working to my surprise. The barking at the door is still totally craziness I mean he can hear the ups truck two streets over and go crazy. So I am working at quickly and loudly saying "NO" when he barks at cars. I dont want to punish or have him stop the barking at the doorbell cause I think that is a nice safety habit for us all.
He was a strong willed yorkie from the get go and our vet advised us of this from the start so we knew he would be work. It just caught me off gaurd to have the bitting starting. I hope this wont happen again and we can create a happy yorkie loving family again. I am still open to any and all advice we are writing them down and trying them all I promise you. My husband and I both are on board to help Snooze be a happier dog.

[bobohyde]

I am so happy to hear this. I am sorry if I came across scolding or insulting. It sounds like you are doing the right things. Think of your training with him similar to house breaking - putting in the time and extra effort with him now will pay off for the rest of his life and your family and Snoozel will be happier because of it. Keep up the good work.

[gracielove]

I have heard good things about the book that was recommended to you. I hope you will take the time to read it and use the suggestions.

As was mentioned dogs that act like this many times feel they have to be aggressive because they do not have a solid leader in the household. Taking the time to teach him some obedience commands will be very helpful in teaching him that you are the leader. Teaching him to "sit" "stay" "come" will train his brain to obey your voice. Right now he is not responding to you because he does not see you as the authority figure. Apparently he can learn since you did house train him but that is not the end when it comes to training a dog.
Here is a website that has videos and training articles throughout:
DSD Training Videos | Dog Star Daily
You may get some tips there. Taking him to a training class will help socialize him and it will help you learn the tips you need.

The problem you are having can be corrected but it is going to take some work on your part. I hope for the dog's sake and for your family that you take action soon.

[MochaBoyMom]

I am so excited to hear about your progress. I was going to suggest the Pet Safe Ultrasonic trainer for the barking but read that you actually want him to bark for safety purposes. That training device will teach him not to bark at all. Guess that won't work. Nonetheless, I am happy that your little baby is doing well and learning fast. Best of luck to you both.

[Oddsock]

Originally Posted by Snoozels

Hi everyone. I think we are slowly making some progress over here. We have laid out some new rules in the house. Our Daughter is no longer allowed to give snooze any treats, or touch or talk (lol) to him if he goes to mommy and daddys bed or his kennel. And I have been working with him on the leash more with more direct controlled commands. Like someone previous suggested I am no longer allowing him to go ahead of me, or move without directions from me while on the leash. This is really working to my surprise. The barking at the door is still totally craziness I mean he can hear the ups truck two streets over and go crazy. So I am working at quickly and loudly saying "NO" when he barks at cars. I dont want to punish or have him stop the barking at the doorbell cause I think that is a nice safety habit for us all.
He was a strong willed yorkie from the get go and our vet advised us of this from the start so we knew he would be work. It just caught me off gaurd to have the bitting starting. I hope this wont happen again and we can create a happy yorkie loving family again. I am still open to any and all advice we are writing them down and trying them all I promise you. My husband and I both are on board to help Snooze be a happier dog.

Well done with the changes so far. Have you checked out You tube videos on 'teach dog to not bark', there are loads.