Small dog syndrome

[Yorkiemom1]

While I THINK my babies are allowed to get away with murder....afer reading some of these posts, I realize there are a multitude of behavior issues that I just do not have to worry about....growling, biting, snapping, and resource guarding are not issues I have with any of mine...my issues involve begging for "a bite" when we are eating, one has issues tearing up pee pads, excessive barking when they get excited,....mine are at my feet constantly...if I am cooking, they are in the kitchen....if I am on the computer, they are all around me, if I go to the couch or my recliner, then they want up on the furniture next to me,,,,and of course, we all sleep in my bed.....If mine ever got out to the front yard, they would be GONE!....so that is a major issue that needs correcting....all the rooms that have doors that exit to the front yard, are "fenced off" by multiple ex-pens....and dogs are just not allowed into that part of the house. I can honestly say I dont have any little "bullies" or any nasty temperments in this group.....which is a great thing. I would not tolerate biting or snapping or "resource guarding". Jumping on my legs or sitting next to me on the furniture is acceptable and not considered "bad behavior".....

[yorkietalkjilly]

Oh, Tibbe gets away with murder half the time but he's a good boy when he's really supposed to be!!!!! He knows just how to walk that line!

[Lap Princess]

Good on you for pursuing this goal. Way too many small dogs are spoiled to the point of not having any boundaries and end up being little generals running the house. Dogs do NOT want to be in charge. They only do so because of a perceived weakness in leadership -- power vacuum, if you will. This is never in their best interest.

Little Joel seems to be a smart dog, so with patience, positivity and persistence I'm sure you will succeed, and EVERYONE will be happier for it, especially Joel!

[ilovejoel]

Thanks for all the advice
So what should I do when someone comes to me and he runs to protect me, I push him off the couch and he pushes back and mouths my hand and the more I put him off he does it more back.
Also I told my mom if he snaps at her she needs to make a loud noise to scare him

[Lap Princess]

Originally Posted by ilovejoel

Thanks for all the advice
So what should I do when someone comes to me and he runs to protect me, I push him off the couch and he pushes back and mouths my hand and the more I put him off he does it more back.
Also I told my mom if he snaps at her she needs to make a loud noise to scare him

That's the kind of stuff you cannot tolerate. Immediate timeout! Try the spray bottle at first for the snapping.

[CesarTheGreat]

I never feel bad about disciplining my dog. I would feel more guilty about letting him do as he pleases as if he's not a dog, resulting in bad behavior and anxiety, which is not good for him. As a dog he should not be worried about a thing in the world, especially being under so much stress that he attacks somebody because he doesn't want them near a blanket or couch.

The main problem for me is the hard headedness of Cesar. He is very stubborn and doesn't want to do what I say unless I give him a treat.

I've tried methods of taking him for exhausting walks and then working on training routines so that he is more cooperative but sure enough later on he is back to his old ways.

I don't feel bad about disciplining him but I do feel bad when I have to constantly discipline him. And no, I do not hit him but I am constantly forcing him into submission and having to give him stern quips.

I have never dealt with such a stubborn breed. My shepherd was incredibly easy to train and obedient. My pit bull was perhaps the smartest dog I ever had, potty trained himself in just weeks. He could do any trick, would lay down until you told him he could get up, and would go wherever you told him to go. "Go to your room" and he'd go to the bedroom where his bed was. If he barked and you said to stop, that was the end of it.

Cesar took about 6 months to potty train and despite all of my attempts at correcting his bad behavior he doesn't seem to grasp it. He ignores me when he goes berserk at walking neighbors and he will not sit, stay, or shake without getting a treat.

When I have a treat I get all the attention and obedience I want. It's as if he knows that he doesn't have to obey unless he gets something.

On the other hand I have seen Yorkies that are the opposite and are incredibly well behaved and obedient to their owners. Cesar is either too clever for submission, or just terrible.

I think he's just really damn clever.

Good luck curing your small dog syndrome. I found that Cesar is more well behaved when he has a shirt on. Some days when he's being really crazy putting his shirt on will calm him down completely.

[Lap Princess]

Originally Posted by CesarTheGreat

I found that Cesar is more well behaved when he has a shirt on. Some days when he's being really crazy putting his shirt on will calm him down completely.

Hmmm, kind of like a thundershirt? That's interesting.

[ilovejoel]

Ok sorry for all the questions but im trying to feel this out.
Most the time when Joel jumps up to "protect" me its when he is asleep next to me so when I yell at him he looks so confused about what hid did so what should I do when he jumps up in his sleep when someone walks by me?

 I found that Cesar is more well behaved when he has a shirt on. Some days when he's being really crazy putting his shirt on will calm him down completely

Lol I did that to Joel the other day he was acting crazy and I said do you want your shirt on and he stopped and stared at me

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by ilovejoel

Thanks for all the advice
So what should I do when someone comes to me and he runs to protect me, I push him off the couch and he pushes back and mouths my hand and the more I put him off he does it more back.
Also I told my mom if he snaps at her she needs to make a loud noise to scare him

Oh, he's really out of control and misbehaving, isn't he! Hope you have started the Nothing In Life Is Free program. This starts teaching a dog they cannot access the couch or your bed until invited.

When you see him running your way with the intent to jump on the couch uninvited and when another person has joined you on it and he's jealous or in a possessive mode, stand up and stop him with an outstretched finger pointing at him, lock eyes and say "uh oh" and spread you hands out to the sides, flex your knees a bit and make it clear you are going to block his jumping on the couch, moving right or left to keep him from jumping. Do that until he stops and looks up at your. Put him in a down/stay. Allow the person to come on to you and if he arises from the down stay, stand up again and back him off and back into the down/stay.

If he tries an end around to jump up on the couch, remove him, and when he jumps down, tell him "Down" and then "Stay", standing in front of him with your finger out and eyes locked on his. Use those eyes to tell him you mean this but aren't angry. Stay matter-of-fact and in training mode. You are just showing him how to behave in this situation from now on. Repetitions of this are going to show him and train him what not to do and what to do.

If he bites/nips when you are removing him from the couch, you can use a finger flick to his muzzle but I prefer the claw-hand over the back of the neck as I stand up over the dog and say "No", pressing in with the fingertips enough so he feels it but certainly not enough to hurt or frighten. This will let him know he is being disciplined(sort of the manner another dog would use with their teeth over the back of the neck), making sure your body attitude is one of "this is stopping right here and right now, mister!". Then, if you want to prevent further nipping, take a pillow or magazine or book and use it to leverage him off the couch if you think he might bite/nip again. I don't care for this method and prefer the dog try to nip so I can discipline with the claw hand but others are kind of afraid of a nip. It is alright to use an aid like a book, etc., with a dog that wants to mouth - grab a tool of whatever is handy and use that to nudge him down as you stand over him, locking eyes and putting him into a down/stay when he gets to the floor. Stand there to reinforce his staying down. If he gets up, put him back down. Stand there until he relaxes his ears and submits, looks off or puts his chin on the floor, stopping alerting to your couch mate. When he does, treat and gently praise with a "Good boy".

If he should start to alert during further hugging or activity, repeat backing him off and the down/stay and preventing him accessing the couch.

You will have to stage some of these sessions so that you can get several into a single training session and start making the point that you own the couch, the people who sit on it with you and you decide when he may come up. After he has remained in a down/stay for a minute without trying to get up, release him and gently praise/treat. Repeat. Gradually increase his down/stay time and draw it out until he has learned to lie there and accept what is going on with your couchmate.

In time, the dog gets the message that this behavior of possessiveness and jumping on the couch, nipping/biting and dominance when you have a couchmate is no longer acceptable and he is going to be backed off, put into the boring down/stay, disciplined with a claw hand if he nips/bites, blocked from the couch and if he should break through and get on it, removed from the couch the moment he tries to get onto it, and eventually, with enough repetitions, dogs begin to curtail their own misbehavior in line with your teaching him to avoid these situations and that you are in control. In time, with the NILIF program, he will learn that he can come onto the couch but ONLY when you invite him, which is part of the NILIF program teaching and will learn in time to avoid trying to act possessive and jump onto the couch when someone joins you there.

To me, this type of training will directly address the dog's actions and helps to teach them more quickly that you are in control over others but there are several other ways, too.

Another way to teach them is to remove them from the room when they alert to your having someone join you on the couch - quickly removing the dog from the room and making him stay in the other room quiet for 15 minutes. But in attempted controlling and possessive acting out, I prefer the direct but non-angry confrontation with the claw-hand discipline, standing them down until they submit. Don't act mad or anything during any of this, just authoritative and no-nonsense - full training mode. If he thinks you are mad at him, he won't learn - he'll just be scared. But taking authority and back him off, standing over him doesn't need to be accompanied by anger to work at all. Just be firm and stand him down until he has relinquished his desire for control to you by looking off, relaxing his ears, putting his chin on the floor or turning away. Then he gets a nice treat and he won't feel scared by what just happened - just corrected and disciplined and shown the boundaries of what you are allowing and not allowing - all without anger or fear.

Just be loving and gentle but firm the whole time and once he's submitting quickly, you can pat yourself on the back - he's coming to terms with the new reality of "couch rules" and the way it is now. Once the training session is over, give him some treats, love, hugs, kisses and let him outside to run off any tensions.

[ilovejoel]

He did good today
I've been telling everone what we need to do when it happens, I think the reason it got this far is because we weren't being strict enough and I always find excuses to why it's okay

We did practice today with my mom since she's the most one he does it to, I think it's because she tries too hard to get him to like her and ends up annoying him, lol. But she patted my leg and he was just watching and she did it a little faster and that's when he went at her hand and she firmly pushed him off the couch and said no and than I said no also so he knew I'm agreeing with her and she put him in the baby gate for 5 min. And we took him out and tried the same thing and he was just sitting there like he was saying "Look! Im not biting" and we praised him and gave him love

I'm also asking him to do tricks before everything

[gracielove]

A dog that knows what "no" means does not have to be disciplined. Sit, stay are also words they can learn and obey. When you don't want your dog to bother someone you say "no!" and then "sit" and "stay." Any dog can learn these things easily. (It does take some time and repetition at first) Then you do not have issues with this type of behavioral problem because the dog knows that you are in charge and can handle the things that go on in your life without his help. They are simple things for you to teach and easy for him to learn. It just makes life easier for everyone.

[cherryblossom]

oh my lord, then Jobi is the devil reborn. he does all that stuff. and now he nipped someones pants the other day. he use to nip the girls when i came home. i don't know why, he got excited i was home and would run around the room on fire and jump on the bed and nip at them, they would have to hide under the blanket. the water bottle stopped that right quick. i don't get the nipping of this girl though. he has not done that for a year. maybe cause it was the first time he slept over at someone else's house with me and kyia and was trying to be territorial?

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by gracielove

A dog that knows what "no" means does not have to be disciplined. Sit, stay are also words they can learn and obey. When you don't want your dog to bother someone you say "no!" and then "sit" and "stay." Any dog can learn these things easily. (It does take some time and repetition at first) Then you do not have issues with this type of behavioral problem because the dog knows that you are in charge and can handle the things that go on in your life without his help. They are simple things for you to teach and easy for him to learn. It just makes life easier for everyone.

That's the beauty of some simple training. After that, you don't have actual behavior problems since they know the meaning of the word "no" or your look of disapproval and stop it. I never have actual behavior problems with my dogs ever. Jilly wasn't ever obedience trained - she had physical problems and a Grade I subluxing patella so I didn't have her sit and lie down, etc., but she just learned from my saying "uh oh" or "no" or just moving her back from something what to do and not to do while still a puppy. Tibbe was totally wild when I got him at 9 mos. so he was in need of behavior reshaping so we trained at obedience and basics in listening to me, learning how to calm himself and also to control his impulses. Took about a year to totally change him from a little Tasmanian Devil to a Tasmanian Half-Devil who has all of the 'tude of Taz but behaves like a little gent. Sure do love my little Taz! But he sure does sass me while he is doing what he should - let's me know it could be done a better way sometimes and all this behaving is truly not so fun!!!!!!

[Lap Princess]

Hang in there with what you're doing. I knew Joel was a smart boy who really just wants to please. Keep it simple & keep it up!

[gracielove]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

That's the beauty of some simple training. After that, you don't have actual behavior problems since they know the meaning of the word "no" or your look of disapproval and stop it. I never have actual behavior problems with my dogs ever. Jilly wasn't ever obedience trained - she had physical problems and a Grade I subluxing patella so I didn't have her sit and lie down, etc., but she just learned from my saying "uh oh" or "no" or just moving her back from something what to do and not to do while still a puppy. Tibbe was totally wild when I got him at 9 mos. so he was in need of behavior reshaping so we trained at obedience and basics in listening to me, learning how to calm himself and also to control his impulses. Took about a year to totally change him from a little Tasmanian Devil to a Tasmanian Half-Devil who has all of the 'tude of Taz but behaves like a little gent. Sure do love my little Taz! But he sure does sass me while he is doing what he should - let's me know it could be done a better way sometimes and all this behaving is truly not so fun!!!!!!

This thing called small dog syndrome is really about just what you pointed out. The dog has to feel secure in the fact that you are in charge and that they are the ones who listen for your signals no matter how they are put forth. It does take repetition and a true effort to make them understand but it works. I would be just as miserable as the dog if I had to continually discipline my pet. This issue has nothing to do with letting your dog sit on your couch or sleep in the bed.