dominant yorkie - YorkieTalk.com Forums

jsbart · 07-11-2014, 03:01 PM

About 2 yrs. ago I took a yorkie that was about 5 yrs. old and had been through 4 owners. The owner I got him from had had him the longest. He is scared of strangers, but after a short while he became very attached to me and was loving and sweet and always glad to see me when I came home. I'm retired so I'm home most of the time. After about 6 or 8 months he began to stay in the bathroom (his safe place) and would not come out to greet me. He might remain in the bathroom for several hours sometimes coming to the room I was in, looking at me, then running back to the bathroom. As time went by he became aggressive if I tried to pick him up while he was in the bathroom and would bite me to the point of drawing blood. I tried ignoring him, but he just gets worse. Lately I have put on gloves and repeatedly picked him up and took him to another room and made him stay. He immediately runs back to BR when I turn him. loose. Several times he has gotten very vicious and I have had to put him on his side and hold him until he relaxes. I continue to go after him (very calmly) sometimes 12 times or more. When he is at his most aggressive he will pee and/or poop. He also started running from me when I attempt to pick him up at other times, but loves to come and sit with me when I watch TV etc. I know he has anxiety issues but think he is mostly being dominant and defiant. I want the sweet little dog back that I know he can be. It seems that once he felt at home he started changing for the worse.

Wylie's Mom · 07-12-2014, 07:02 AM

Hi and welcome to YT. I can't help but wonder if there is a bad health issue going on here, where your little guy is actually in some kind of pain and is hiding/sheltering due to this. His behavior is def not normal and I think he should see a vet asap. If it's deemed strictly behavioral,then I think this fella is a perfect candidate for either prozac or valium or both.

jsbart · 07-12-2014, 01:07 PM

Thanks for the input. I'm pretty sure my Brodie hasn't got health problems. The person I got him from actually had him on Prozac at one time, but said it made him so lethargic she discontinued it. She made the comment jokingly (I thought) that he might be bipolar. He is a sweet boy as long as he comes to you, He'll come and sit in my lap when I watch tv., loves to sit with me if I'm on the computer and will let me hold him on his back like a baby. When he runs from me I can eventually pick him up with no problem. The only time the biting occurs is when I come home after leaving him alone. As mentioned before this only started after he'd been with me a while and felt at home and in charge. For the first several months he was so sweet. I think everyone else that owned him probably had the same problems and he's been passed from one to another. (4 in all). I doubt anyone has been able to spend the time with him that I have since I'm retired and home all the time. I feel like he thinks he owns me. I don't think the Dog Whisperer would even know what to do with him. Some times he'll come to the door of the room I'm in and stand and stare, sometimes going to sleep as he's standing there. Strange!!!

4carolyn · 07-12-2014, 05:31 PM

thank you for alerting me to the ringworm possibility. Vet says staph infection, round patch just part of the staph/allergy. So glad I took her in.
I am a newbie and didn't introduce myself, Carolyn, live in Northern Va. My baby is Jaya, she is 11. We lost her Yorkie playmate who was 15, a year ago to kidney disease. Jaya is my 4th Yorkie, I love the breed and can,t imagine life without a Yorkie to love.
Thanx for the help with skin issues.

Wylie's Mom · 07-13-2014, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsbart

Thanks for the input. I'm pretty sure my Brodie hasn't got health problems. The person I got him from actually had him on Prozac at one time, but said it made him so lethargic she discontinued it. She made the comment jokingly (I thought) that he might be bipolar. He is a sweet boy as long as he comes to you, He'll come and sit in my lap when I watch tv., loves to sit with me if I'm on the computer and will let me hold him on his back like a baby. When he runs from me I can eventually pick him up with no problem. The only time the biting occurs is when I come home after leaving him alone. As mentioned before this only started after he'd been with me a while and felt at home and in charge. For the first several months he was so sweet. I think everyone else that owned him probably had the same problems and he's been passed from one to another. (4 in all). I doubt anyone has been able to spend the time with him that I have since I'm retired and home all the time. I feel like he thinks he owns me. I don't think the Dog Whisperer would even know what to do with him. Some times he'll come to the door of the room I'm in and stand and stare, sometimes going to sleep as he's standing there. Strange!!!

The lethargy would wear off...it's really sad that she didn't stick with the Prozac for at least 3 mths to give the poor guy a chance to feel normal

. Seriously, he is an *ideal* candidate for medicine and I would start it asap for him bc he clearly isn't feeling very happy, settled, or easy...and the medicine may help ease all of that. Besides, a little lethargy sounds exactly like what this poor little guy could use, ya know? Bless your big heart for taking him in, btw...I can only imagine how tough this is, wanting to help him so badly but feeling kinda helpless. Really though, I think meds could work a miracle.

matese · 07-13-2014, 07:27 AM

Hi welcome to YT. Some years back I had a beautiful passive lil girl, never showed aggressiveness, one day I went to pick her up,(at this time she was 6 y/o I raised her from a 8 week old pup) I always scoop my babies up, hand under butt, the other hand under front legs, this day when I went to pick her up she bit me!!!!! I was shocked, she didn't want to be held so I set her down. Later that day I forget about the bite and went to pick her up again, the same thing. I called my vet. I took her in, it turned out she had pancreatitis, picking her up caused her pain in her abdomen. This could be one reason your new boy gets aggressive, I did read you say he has no health issues, just threw this out to you. Also him having 4 owners you don't know about the other 3 he had, maybe he was abused, maybe he did something naughty and one of his owners went after him, maybe he ran and hid, maybe they came after him and hit him, this could be a reason when you go after him he gets aggressive, a lot of "maybes" here. I recently adopted a 3 y/o boy, I have him now 8 months, he was not an abused dog, he was much loved and very spoiled, he was a surrender, financial issues with prev. owner. He was like a 4 y/o child with a new baby sitter in the scene "let me see how much I can get away with". Because he was a surrender and I knew how much he was loved, and I knew how much he must miss his family I was very genital and soft spoken with him, he bonded with me very quickly, after 4 months he started to nip & bite me when we would play, when I told him in a firm voice NO BITING he would argue with me, seems he didn't like the word NO. I have worked with him, he has a bad temper, wants his own way and that's when the biting would start, he now knows I am the pack leader, when he gets mad I see his mouth showing his teeth,but also know he is playing with me, he comes like he's going to bite me, but is just teasing and doesn't bite. Now that he is comfortable in his new home and he knows he is going to stay, he knows how much I love him so I have become a bit more firmer with him. He still tries to be the dominate one, but I set him in his place, he is learning. You have your boy 2 years and he has changed for the worse, have you spoken to your vet about this? Remember, all rescue dogs come with baggage that you will never know what it was. Maybe taking him to a trainer would help, but I would deff. talk to my vet about these new issues. Good luck and please keep us updated.

bjh · 07-13-2014, 07:42 AM

I am so sorry you are having issues with your little boy. It does sound like something medically could be going on. Has he been around other people in your home other than yourself? If so how does he act around other people?

Does he get annual rabies shots? The rabies shot can cause increased aggression in some dogs.
Vaccine Reactions | Truth4Dogs

Does he go outside very often? Does he like to go on walks? How does he act when you offer him a treat? I do hope you can get him checked out. He could possible have something wrong that is hurting him and that could make him not want to be touched.

jsbart · 07-13-2014, 01:45 PM

I appreciate everyones ideas. The reason I am sure he doesn't have any physical problems is because this attitude only occurs when I leave him and try to approach him when I return. It's like he's punishing me by not having anything to do with me. I had a session with him when I returned from church this morning. He has gone from not so much biting me when I pick him up as to fighting me harder and harder as I try to make him surrender. I must have picked him up and made him surrender at least 15 times before he finally gave up and made no attempt to bite and lay calmly. He's just now coming out of his "cave" and it's been 5 hours since I came home. He'll be alright after a while as I continue to ignore him. Right now he's standing and looking at me. Don't know what he's thinking because if I go to pick him up he'll run. When I start to eat supper he'll be right there begging and then later be in my lap when I sit down to watch tv. I'm going to keep on with my attempts to reprogram him. I never shout at him and never hit him so I'm hoping eventually he'll realize that when the bad behavior starts he gets the same consequence and will not win. It may be that he's been like this for so long he'll never change but I hope not. Someone asked how he is around other people. I went to the mountains back in Nov. with my grown kids and took 3 of my dogs including him. None of this behavior took place the entire time. He was a different dog which again makes me think it's just me and the fact that he thinks he owns me. When we're with others he knows he's not the main focus and therefore behaves better.

07-11-2014, 03:01 PM	#1
jsbart Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: sylvester ga. Posts: 19	dominant yorkie About 2 yrs. ago I took a yorkie that was about 5 yrs. old and had been through 4 owners. The owner I got him from had had him the longest. He is scared of strangers, but after a short while he became very attached to me and was loving and sweet and always glad to see me when I came home. I'm retired so I'm home most of the time. After about 6 or 8 months he began to stay in the bathroom (his safe place) and would not come out to greet me. He might remain in the bathroom for several hours sometimes coming to the room I was in, looking at me, then running back to the bathroom. As time went by he became aggressive if I tried to pick him up while he was in the bathroom and would bite me to the point of drawing blood. I tried ignoring him, but he just gets worse. Lately I have put on gloves and repeatedly picked him up and took him to another room and made him stay. He immediately runs back to BR when I turn him. loose. Several times he has gotten very vicious and I have had to put him on his side and hold him until he relaxes. I continue to go after him (very calmly) sometimes 12 times or more. When he is at his most aggressive he will pee and/or poop. He also started running from me when I attempt to pick him up at other times, but loves to come and sit with me when I watch TV etc. I know he has anxiety issues but think he is mostly being dominant and defiant. I want the sweet little dog back that I know he can be. It seems that once he felt at home he started changing for the worse.

07-12-2014, 07:02 AM	#2
Wylie's Mom Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 35,889 Blog Entries: 2	Hi and welcome to YT. I can't help but wonder if there is a bad health issue going on here, where your little guy is actually in some kind of pain and is hiding/sheltering due to this. His behavior is def not normal and I think he should see a vet asap. If it's deemed strictly behavioral,then I think this fella is a perfect candidate for either prozac or valium or both. __________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann \| Pfeiffer \| Marcel Verdel Purcell \| Wylie \| Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨°

07-12-2014, 01:07 PM	#3
jsbart Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: sylvester ga. Posts: 19	dominant yorkie Thanks for the input. I'm pretty sure my Brodie hasn't got health problems. The person I got him from actually had him on Prozac at one time, but said it made him so lethargic she discontinued it. She made the comment jokingly (I thought) that he might be bipolar. He is a sweet boy as long as he comes to you, He'll come and sit in my lap when I watch tv., loves to sit with me if I'm on the computer and will let me hold him on his back like a baby. When he runs from me I can eventually pick him up with no problem. The only time the biting occurs is when I come home after leaving him alone. As mentioned before this only started after he'd been with me a while and felt at home and in charge. For the first several months he was so sweet. I think everyone else that owned him probably had the same problems and he's been passed from one to another. (4 in all). I doubt anyone has been able to spend the time with him that I have since I'm retired and home all the time. I feel like he thinks he owns me. I don't think the Dog Whisperer would even know what to do with him. Some times he'll come to the door of the room I'm in and stand and stare, sometimes going to sleep as he's standing there. Strange!!!

07-12-2014, 05:31 PM	#4
4carolyn Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Alexandria, Virginia Posts: 146	Staph infection thank you for alerting me to the ringworm possibility. Vet says staph infection, round patch just part of the staph/allergy. So glad I took her in. I am a newbie and didn't introduce myself, Carolyn, live in Northern Va. My baby is Jaya, she is 11. We lost her Yorkie playmate who was 15, a year ago to kidney disease. Jaya is my 4th Yorkie, I love the breed and can,t imagine life without a Yorkie to love. Thanx for the help with skin issues.

07-13-2014, 07:27 AM	#6
matese Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: E.Stroudsburg, Pa. Posts: 67,952	Hi welcome to YT. Some years back I had a beautiful passive lil girl, never showed aggressiveness, one day I went to pick her up,(at this time she was 6 y/o I raised her from a 8 week old pup) I always scoop my babies up, hand under butt, the other hand under front legs, this day when I went to pick her up she bit me!!!!! I was shocked, she didn't want to be held so I set her down. Later that day I forget about the bite and went to pick her up again, the same thing. I called my vet. I took her in, it turned out she had pancreatitis, picking her up caused her pain in her abdomen. This could be one reason your new boy gets aggressive, I did read you say he has no health issues, just threw this out to you. Also him having 4 owners you don't know about the other 3 he had, maybe he was abused, maybe he did something naughty and one of his owners went after him, maybe he ran and hid, maybe they came after him and hit him, this could be a reason when you go after him he gets aggressive, a lot of "maybes" here. I recently adopted a 3 y/o boy, I have him now 8 months, he was not an abused dog, he was much loved and very spoiled, he was a surrender, financial issues with prev. owner. He was like a 4 y/o child with a new baby sitter in the scene "let me see how much I can get away with". Because he was a surrender and I knew how much he was loved, and I knew how much he must miss his family I was very genital and soft spoken with him, he bonded with me very quickly, after 4 months he started to nip & bite me when we would play, when I told him in a firm voice NO BITING he would argue with me, seems he didn't like the word NO. I have worked with him, he has a bad temper, wants his own way and that's when the biting would start, he now knows I am the pack leader, when he gets mad I see his mouth showing his teeth,but also know he is playing with me, he comes like he's going to bite me, but is just teasing and doesn't bite. Now that he is comfortable in his new home and he knows he is going to stay, he knows how much I love him so I have become a bit more firmer with him. He still tries to be the dominate one, but I set him in his place, he is learning. You have your boy 2 years and he has changed for the worse, have you spoken to your vet about this? Remember, all rescue dogs come with baggage that you will never know what it was. Maybe taking him to a trainer would help, but I would deff. talk to my vet about these new issues. Good luck and please keep us updated. __________________ Joan, mom to Cody RIP Matese Schnae Kajon Kia forever in my A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog

07-13-2014, 07:42 AM	#7
bjh Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 7,959	I am so sorry you are having issues with your little boy. It does sound like something medically could be going on. Has he been around other people in your home other than yourself? If so how does he act around other people? Does he get annual rabies shots? The rabies shot can cause increased aggression in some dogs. Vaccine Reactions \| Truth4Dogs Does he go outside very often? Does he like to go on walks? How does he act when you offer him a treat? I do hope you can get him checked out. He could possible have something wrong that is hurting him and that could make him not want to be touched. __________________ "Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

07-13-2014, 01:45 PM	#8
jsbart Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: sylvester ga. Posts: 19	dominant yorkie I appreciate everyones ideas. The reason I am sure he doesn't have any physical problems is because this attitude only occurs when I leave him and try to approach him when I return. It's like he's punishing me by not having anything to do with me. I had a session with him when I returned from church this morning. He has gone from not so much biting me when I pick him up as to fighting me harder and harder as I try to make him surrender. I must have picked him up and made him surrender at least 15 times before he finally gave up and made no attempt to bite and lay calmly. He's just now coming out of his "cave" and it's been 5 hours since I came home. He'll be alright after a while as I continue to ignore him. Right now he's standing and looking at me. Don't know what he's thinking because if I go to pick him up he'll run. When I start to eat supper he'll be right there begging and then later be in my lap when I sit down to watch tv. I'm going to keep on with my attempts to reprogram him. I never shout at him and never hit him so I'm hoping eventually he'll realize that when the bad behavior starts he gets the same consequence and will not win. It may be that he's been like this for so long he'll never change but I hope not. Someone asked how he is around other people. I went to the mountains back in Nov. with my grown kids and took 3 of my dogs including him. None of this behavior took place the entire time. He was a different dog which again makes me think it's just me and the fact that he thinks he owns me. When we're with others he knows he's not the main focus and therefore behaves better.