Need advice on yorkie puppy ASAP!!
 

I have a 8 month old yorkie that is a great dog.....

Today we took him and my other puppy to the dog park and had some issues..(don't think it matters but it is a pitbull, and please, this is about my yorkie, I have done my research on pitbulls and consider myself a responsible and knowledgeable owner.)

Moving forward, I have been taking my yorkie to the dog park since he was roughly 4 months old. We go pretty regularly roughly 3-4 times a week if not more. We walk him at least once a day and twice a day if we don't go to the dog park.

Today I took both pups to the dog park and everything was business as usual until about 15 minutes before we left. He attacked, and I would say viciously attacked another young puppy #1 a female lab that is 4 months old. After that we separated them and moved on. With the yorkie on a leash he kept pulling to this lab puppy. Finally we decide to let him off leash and he again attacks another puppy. Second puppy was a 5 month old female husky. This one was worse then the first. After that we took him to the other end of the park with our pitbull puppy. The yorkie and pitbull are fine together, like 2 best friends. The lab came to the end of the prk we were at to play with our pit bull pupand the yorkie again went to attack. 3rd time was too much excitement so we left.

My question is why does this happen all of a sudden.. He was never like this until today.

Background info if this helps at all or matters:
Been fed blue buffalo since day one and we recently switch to taste of the wild.
He was fixed about a month ago.
Only thing I can say is about 2 weeks ago he started getting nippy if you try to take something out of his mouth. And more vocal while playing with our pitbull puppy. ( pit bull is 15 weeks and already fixed and is a male.) the pitbull is very submissive to the yorkie so there is no issues between them. They eat together, pretty much do everything together except when they are in their own kennels.

If there are any other factors or questions please ask.

I need help ASAP, I don't know how to correct or what has caused today's issues. Any help would greatly be appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this all over the place post..

Hi and Welcome to YT!

The Yorkie's hormones are still in his system, it can take a few months for these to go away. Sounds like he was 'protecting' friend/kennel mate. The Yorkie needs more training, he needs to feel confident that YOU have all situations under control, and that he respects you. He needs to learn what is acceptable behavior and what behaviors will not be tolerated.

Yorkies learn best using Positive Reinforcement techniques....

You said the pit bull pup attacked the lab to I would honestly get a trainer because you need to nip the pit bull doing it in the but ASAP or he will become a danger because as puppy's they don't realize how strong there jaws are and can really hurt other animals or people and the trainer can work with both or them. A dark park can be to much for some dogs.

I read it that the Yorkie did the attacking...

The pitbull puppy hasn't attack anything or anyone. He doesn't even growl. Sorry for the confusion. The yorkie is the one that was attacking and when the yorkie attacked either dogs the pitbull was not near the dogs being attacked

It's the Yorkie who is doing the attacking, not the pit bull. I don't have any specific advice, but I just wanted to clarify.

They're puppies, so they're not 'speaking' dog yet (socialization). I believe they can misinterpret signals from other puppies who also don't know how to 'act like a dog'... ie: they're all sending mixed messages to each other

I miss read at the end it sounded like when he said the lab came to the end of the park they both did.

Like I said before I miss read at the end but any one else wanna point it out sheesh

This is all out of the blue and he has never done this before. He has been to the dog park hundreds of times and it's one of his favorite places in the world.

Could he be not feeling good? Is he acting different in any other ways?

They do go through different phases as they mature... I'll try to find a paper on it...






The Critical Fear Periods in Puppies



By: Nancy Frensley, CPDT, CAP1

Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society Training Manager

The Critical Fear Periods in Puppies:

Seven to Nine Weeks

Four to Six Months

Approximately Eight to Nine Months

Approximately Twelve Months

Approximately Fourteen to Eighteen Months

During these periods, puppies may show fear of items, situations or people with whom they formerly felt safe. They may start barking at people entering a house or become fearful and startle at benign items like trash cans, drainpipes or even yard gnomes. They may crouch, shake and try to run away, submissively urinate or tell the scary thing/person to go away by showing an aggressive display (which could include piloerection, snarling, lunging or other unruly behavior.

You must be patient during these periods and keep to the familiar. These are not good times to introduce your puppy to new situations or people. Be very careful to avoid doling out punishment or reprimands. It’s vitally important that you understand that your dog is afraid and that you add to the fear when you reprimand or punish. This, in turn, can set the dog up for future aggression problems.

During these periods, introduce your puppy slowly to the situation, with good tasting treats, so that he or she does not experience fear. Control situations so that you can prevent a fearful response and show your puppy that you enjoy the situation. Use food treats and happy talk to lure your puppy up to scary objects. Teach the targeting exercise (touch your hand with his nose) and work on getting your puppy to "touch the goblin".

When people visit your home during these periods, put your puppy in another room until visitors are settled in, then bring your puppy out on leash and praise for any show of confidence. Even have visitors toss good treats toward your puppy without approaching him or her.

He is acting normal playing with our pit pup as normal. eating normally and drinking normally. potty times have been normal.. that's where im caught off guard because this is the first time he has acted like this and i just wanna correct it before it escalates into a bigger problem.

PS thank you guys for promptly responding to my post and being helpful.

You're welcome!

maybe beating a dead horse but what is the advice here other then patience. what would you guys do in this specific situation. should i do anything? can or should i bring him back to the dog park, if i should when should i?

how should i deal with these types of situations when he gets like this towards other dogs?

also to add if there isnt a full understanding. both dogs he went after were doing nothing at all to the yorkie. neither of the puppies attacked were in anyway engaging in activities with the yorkie nor did they do anything to ask for the attack or really showing any attention to the yorkie. he out of the blue did this and sought after them..

I think hiring a personal trainer would be your best bet. With little that I know and from what I've read in your original post, I got the feeling that he thinks he's the alpha to the pit and you. Either that or he feels the need to protect the pit and you if any human/dog comes near.

Magnus sometimes go crazy wanting to get at another dog that's walking by or something. I stand in front of him blocking his view and try to divert his attention using treats. Once he calms down (sometimes takes a while), I praise and give him his most favorie treat which is different from his "usual" treats. He still not perfect but his behavior is better.

I'd keep him on a leash, this is very dangerous behavior for a small dog and you need to have absolute recall on him, hence the leash. Maybe visit the dog park during less busy times, but be ready to interfere and stop him for bad behavior, so keep him close to you. I'd also recommend a puppy class, without the pittie pup. And in between the critical fear periods. This will teach him how to be social around strange dogs.

When he does escalate, put yourself in between him and his target, you facing him and slowly walk towards him to make him have to back up. This is a 'claiming space' exercise.

Once he escalates to an attack, all you can do is stop it. You have to watch him, they all give a signal right before they attack, and you need to be able to identify the sign(s). Once you learn his signal, that's when you can prevent him from attacking, by interrupting his plan before he has a chance to put it in action. He can still hear you then, but once he 'red zones' (full escalation) he won't even know you're there.

Some common signs are becoming very still, a stare, squinting, a very low growl (mine used to squeak like a rusty door), a lip quiver.

Some of the things that can set him off: Dogs with white in their coats (or anything different than what he is used to seeing), a glance from another dog, a head tilt, tail motion, a single step or movement, the flick of an ear, blinking eyes, lip quivers, barks ...

They did something he didn't like... maybe breathed some air... This is a Yorkshire TERRIER we're talking about. They have huge hearts and tremendous courage, they don't think of the consequences their actions may cause. They are fearless, and you as the owner need to protect your Yorkie from doing silly things that may hurt him. They will try to attack dogs 20 times bigger than they are.

Hope this helps....

I would certainly NOT let him off leash of he's attacking other dogs.

And I would keep him away from other dogs, for his own safety as well as theirs-what if one attacked him back and hurt him or he hurt another dog?

Behavior therapy is needed.

Agree with the last two posters. He needs a leash at all times so that you can pull him back to you if there is an issue. I would for now not take him where there are larger dogs. As for dog trainer suggestions by some, I much prefer behaviorists. You need to figure out what is going on with him and work with him to correct it. FIRST thing though is to protect him...while he thinks he is rough and tough, he is not and he could be seriously injured or killed with one snap from a larger dog.
Another thought....any time you see him start up, pick him up immediately and put him somewhere by himself. Let him know that his behavior is not acceptable. When he is then back around other dogs and behaving, praise him. Hopefully he will get the message.

I am having some issues with a foster pup right now and had been doing some reading. Maybe this link will help you pin point exactly what is going on with him:

Aggression in Dogs | ASPCA

I tend to agree with the others. Keep him on leash. Put yourself between him and other dogs. Start out on a slow day at the park, then increase instances. Praise him for good behavior, stop him in his tracks for bad behavior. Remove him from the area/park. Each time you return to the park, on leash, if he acts out...stop him and remove him. But keep trying, eventually he will understand what you want from him, these are smart little critters and they aim to please. Show your pleasure when he's behaving properly, this will encourage good pet behavior. Good luck and keep us informed.

General info:

Use a harness on him, make sure it's fitted to him properly. A harness can be used to lift your pup up and out of harm's way or deliver him safely into your arms and out of the jaws of an attacker, without putting pressure on the sensitive windpipe area.

Be forewarned: If you try to pick up your dog after he has sprung into an attack, either barking or biting, chances are good that he will bite you. Don't take it personally, it's an automatic reflex action, fight or flight, as he's already in fighting mode, any touch will illicit a bite. This is why it's important to interrupt an attack before it starts, when you can get him to focus on you, then he can learn. I prefer to use the harness to regain control, as some pups will see being held as a reward.

Also, as mentioned earlier, it's important to wait for the dog to calm down after an episode. If you put him back in the situation too soon, the attack will continue. If this happens, use the harness and your body to move him away and regain his focus. You will have to try and determine how far you need to remove him from his triggers, try 10 feet, if no good result, move 5 more feet away. I don't agree with removing him completely out of the area. The goal is to teach him how to behave correctly in the presence of other dogs. The problem does not happen when he's isolated. Once calm is restored, reward him with a treat and a 'Good Boy', and a pat. Gradually move towards the other dogs as long as he stays calm. When you see him get tensed up, or the freeze, or staring, stop him, get him to focus on you, I use a sharp sounding 'Ah, Ah! to get their attention. Have him sit and focus on you. Calm gets the reward. If he can't stay calm, back him up 5 feet and try again. The goal is to walk calmly up to another dog and meet and greet in a calm manner.

This may or may not work for your dog, but it's a place to start. You may have to train the Yorkie separately to begin with, then as he learns the desired behavior, add the pittie back into the mix.

If you do decide to hire a Professional trainer or behaviorist, make sure they have experience with Yorkies. I say this because Yorkie minds are wired a bit differently than other dogs....that has been my experience anyway.