I think Toby might actually like me

[Opium88]

So, up until recently Toby, my teapot Yorkie, has been perfectly happy on his own doing his own thing which is more often than not exactly what we DONT want him doing. He's taken to stealing EVERYTHING. if he can grab it, pull it, drag it, tear it, chew it or eat it...he will. And don't think for a second he's going to entertain your notion of bringing it back. He takes these things out to no mans land. No mans land requires a drill to get into. His version of fetch requires you do the fetching. He does this every moment that his eyes are open. Oh and his favorite thing to tear up is $20 bills. Tiny shreds.and they could not put HUMPTY Dumpty back together again.
But guess what..? All of a sudden he's actually bringing me things . And dropping them near me! What?!? And laying beside me at night, on the side next to the the DREADED FAN that he's sure is going to devour him. And when it's not sleepy time, and we're downstairs, he curls up behind me, which pushes me near off the couch considering he's 12 lbs . And when grooming is being attempted, and he turns from a mischievous jackass into a demon possessed Yorkshire Cujo, he will lick my hand after he bites into it, almost like an apology. He does not apologize to anyone else for these violations mind you. And the sweet little bastard has gotten quite opposed to my neighbor acting like he's coming at me with purpose... Because he was barking at him and he turned and said jokingly, " and what is your pipsqueak butt gonna do ? Huh? Lol and just walked toward me and Toby barked and barked and backtracked and when Eric turned around to step back into his house Toby ran underneath his Pitt bull and snapped and bit down on his ankle and snarled and then backed up into me trying to push me backward but staying between me and the enemy. And I hear Scott behind me say " that'll teach you to screw with a yorkie's mama! Lol" and Eric just said s**t, I think he likes you! Skip past all the negativity about his behavior- my point is HE FINALLY LIKES ME!!!!!! Without question geniunely likes me! Oh and the pit bull just watched and stood over Izzy to shield her from the chaos. She loves my terrorists. Oh and did I mention that now when Toby sneaks out the front door and runs away.... He. Comes. Back.on his own without bribery. That's what's up!

[MaWilliams3]

Originally Posted by Opium88

So, up until recently Toby, my teapot Yorkie, has been perfectly happy on his own doing his own thing which is more often than not exactly what we DONT want him doing. He's taken to stealing EVERYTHING. if he can grab it, pull it, drag it, tear it, chew it or eat it...he will. And don't think for a second he's going to entertain your notion of bringing it back. He takes these things out to no mans land. No mans land requires a drill to get into. His version of fetch requires you do the fetching. He does this every moment that his eyes are open. Oh and his favorite thing to tear up is $20 bills. Tiny shreds.and they could not put HUMPTY Dumpty back together again.
But guess what..? All of a sudden he's actually bringing me things . And dropping them near me! What?!? And laying beside me at night, on the side next to the the DREADED FAN that he's sure is going to devour him. And when it's not sleepy time, and we're downstairs, he curls up behind me, which pushes me near off the couch considering he's 12 lbs . And when grooming is being attempted, and he turns from a mischievous jackass into a demon possessed Yorkshire Cujo, he will lick my hand after he bites into it, almost like an apology. He does not apologize to anyone else for these violations mind you. And the sweet little bastard has gotten quite opposed to my neighbor acting like he's coming at me with purpose... Because he was barking at him and he turned and said jokingly, " and what is your pipsqueak butt gonna do ? Huh? Lol and just walked toward me and Toby barked and barked and backtracked and when Eric turned around to step back into his house Toby ran underneath his Pitt bull and snapped and bit down on his ankle and snarled and then backed up into me trying to push me backward but staying between me and the enemy. And I hear Scott behind me say " that'll teach you to screw with a yorkie's mama! Lol" and Eric just said s**t, I think he likes you! Skip past all the negativity about his behavior- my point is HE FINALLY LIKES ME!!!!!! Without question geniunely likes me! Oh and the pit bull just watched and stood over Izzy to shield her from the chaos. She loves my terrorists. Oh and did I mention that now when Toby sneaks out the front door and runs away.... He. Comes. Back.on his own without bribery. That's what's up!

Fantastic!!!!! Selfish question- how long did that take? Bruiser's signal to come is one loud clap. This works only 50% of the time. So I start threatening to put him to bed, that use to work, he knows "bed" means time out. He sleeps with us as not confuse him. Now I have to find him and pick him up while he plays coy to get him inside!! It's very exhausting. He's tiny and we have a lot of ..... a ton of wild grass that is twice his height. He hears me clap and stops moving so can't hear the clink of his tags. Booger! Lol

[Opium88]

Well, honestly, I had to completely give up on him and when he ran I had to just stop chasing and bribing and walk away. I walked away and I shut the door to where he only had to nudge it to open it. And I held my breath and waited. And he came back after like ten minutes. And each time this happened it got shorter. And now I actually open the door and if it's after 8:00pm , I let him do his sprint around the area and he comes right back. Sometimes he won't even take his freedom. Strange, huh? This progression took about a month from first giving up til now. We don't live in the best area, and we live on a fairly busy side street ... So it was risky. But if I chased him he just ran faster and avoided me completely. And when I stopped and he didn't have my familiar face and was faced with so much unknown, I guess he got scared and ran back home. Whatever it was, it worked. He doesn't always come on command mind you, but I guess I had to teach him that it wasn't always a negative thing when I called him to me. Now he comes running cause he knows he's not gonna be scolded or punished for it. Nonchalance worked wonders.

[Opium88]

Oh always keep a noisy bag of his favorite treats so when he's hell bent and not looking back you can grab it and shake it and call him all happy. When he returns DO NOT SCOLD HIM. Just give him his treats and get him to come inside and tell him good boy! No negativity or he'll continue to avoid returning. That's the key.

[Wylie's Mom]

Aw...of course he loves ya!

[MissSunni]

What a cute story.....Sounds like you are pretty fond of Toby too The things you described sound very familiar....they are little stinkers. But, the laughs and fun is so well worth all of the bratty moments. I've got to say, the one thing I'm lucky with Sunni is she doesn't run away.....so far! lol. But she is such a mama's girl she's not happy if I'm not within a few feet of her when we are outside.

[Opium88]

Yeah that's how my Izzy is. She is always right by me. I got lucky with her. She's the saint and Toby is the sinner. But now that he's actually starting to calm down, I think he just might turn out to be a good dog. Man I had no clue what I was getting into with adopting an oversized Yorkie. He gets into everything. Cause he still likes to walk around on two feet and he can reach the counter of the bathroom and on top of the desk, and he cups his paw and pulls things off. Some dog trainer somewhere for a stunt dog show is missing out cause this dog is smart as he'll and actually figures stuff out and does things I've never seen any dog do. You can look at him and almost see the gears turning in his mind. And he never looks away from your eyes. Stares you directly in the eyes and never wavers. Most dogs don't do that with the intensity Toby does. He is fascinating