Boyfriend wants me to get rid of my Yorkie

[emmaowner]

I have been with my boyfriend for two years and he moved in with me five months ago. I have had my yorkie Emma for one year and she is not very well trained. Well, my boyfriend can't stand take her bad behavior around the house. She still pees and poops wherever she wants, she chews on everything she can get her teeth on, she bites, and she barks constantly. She has ruined several of his shoes and she even got hold of his expensive Ray Bans sunglasses and chewed them up. She is pretty nice to us, but she hates everyone who visits.

He started making comments about how he doesn't know how much more he can take of it, and yesterday he said that he won't keep living with me unless I give Emma to someone else. I don't know what to do, he is a perfect boyfriend except for this.

[Purty816]

Lol a misbehaved dog is pretty embarrassing. Especially a classy looking dog. This is why I stress getting proper training materials at the beginning of getting your dog. Theres a ton of good training videos on Youtube that you should have already checked out. put in the time and effort to train your dog. How your dog behaves can be a reflection of the owner.

[tb98rock]

Train as often as possible be consistent teach her what's acceptable and scold what isn't...she's not a broken toy your boyfriend shouldn't just throw her out cuz she's not trained it just takes teamwork and consistency

[Doodlebug]

Keep the puppy, get rid of the boyfriend. Would he be able to tolerate a misbehaving child? My Yorkie had accidents when she was a pup but once she understood that she must not potty and poo in the house, she was the best pup you could ever want. Just be consistent and give it time. It will be worth it. I'm sorry but I don't see him as a perfect boyfriend if he would break your heart because the puppy is an inconvenience to him. And what will happen to the poor pup? Please don't get rid of the pup, I think you will come to realize that you made a big mistake. Best of luck to you.

[Tay65]

You MUST train your pup! Maybe if the bf sees you making the effort to train your puppy he'll ease up on the negative comments about her. Please do your puppy a favor and train her. Would you allow a child to misbehave?

[yorkiemini]

There are several books on potty training. One of them is Training in 7 Days, but it will take you longer than that because of bad habits that need to be overcome.

Have you asked your bf to help you train her? If he is willing then that is something that you can do together and he can see the progress.

As was said before, dog are not throw away toys, so you must train her whether you have the bf or not. You may need to confine her and start a structured training program with lots of praise and treats.

Good luck! But for remember the pup is totally dependent upon you for care, your bf is not.

[matese]

Definitely train the pup, not for your BF but for you and your baby. All dogs need to be trained where to pee and poop. Start now, potty training is a MUST DO with or without a BF. Even tho it's your fault for your babies bad behavior, I would DUMP THE BF before I got rid of my baby. How much could he care / love you when he tells you to get rid of the dog he knows you love, if you had an unruly child would he tell you the kid needs to go? If he truly cared / loved you he would suggest you both start with a potty training program. As for chewing things up, when you get a puppy to have to puppy proof your home, just as you would have to baby proof if you had a toddler in the home. Puppies are notorious for stealing thing and chewing them or hiding them. If you don't want to lose it, put it where the puppy can't get it. IMO he is out of line to tell you to choose "him or the dog" I would be handing him his tooth brush and showing him to the door . But, PLEASE, do it for your self and this precious baby and do train her, also as Doodlebug stated what will happen to the dog, where will she end up, will she be beaten, starved, abused, not given proper vet care. You took her to care for and to love her, PLEASE do not get rid of your baby like she is a worn out shoe to be tossed away, this is a life we are talking about. Get rid of the BF keep the baby, there are plenty of men that would be more then willing to work with you on training a dog, knowing how much you love this little furbutt. Start now training her. Good luck, I pray you make the right choice.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by emmaowner

I have been with my boyfriend for two years and he moved in with me five months ago. I have had my yorkie Emma for one year and she is not very well trained. Well, my boyfriend can't stand take her bad behavior around the house. She still pees and poops wherever she wants, she chews on everything she can get her teeth on, she bites, and she barks constantly. She has ruined several of his shoes and she even got hold of his expensive Ray Bans sunglasses and chewed them up. She is pretty nice to us, but she hates everyone who visits.

He started making comments about how he doesn't know how much more he can take of it, and yesterday he said that he won't keep living with me unless I give Emma to someone else. I don't know what to do, he is a perfect boyfriend except for this.

Hi -- you say above he's the "perfect boyfriend..." - but he's not at all. If he doesn't accept you - everything about you, including your fur child - and throws ultimatums at you (someone mature would NOT do this) in order to control you, then he is NOT even close to being perfect.

Are you prepared for a lifetime of him tossing out ultimatums in order to control your life???

You chose to take on the responsibility of owning this poor little innocent dog. You need to put your foot down *now* and stand up for this dog whom you love and tell him that you come w/ Emma as a package deal and he doesn't have the right to force you to give up your fur child. Tell him you should be approaching this problem as a team as something to solve and deal with and find solutions for. If he can't see that, then perhaps you're not right together, ya know?

I would suggest you view the training and potty training sticky threads in our Training section. Also, I'd highly suggest you pay a trainer to come to the house, meet Emma and the boyfriend, and give you advice.

[JadeD]

Find a dog trainer in your area. Some have "in board" training where they keep the dog for a week and they work with that dog. It is costly, but it is well worth the money because you will have a different dog when you get it back. However, you also have to continue training with the trainer because they have to train you as well. They will teach you how to work with your dog and correct her bad behaviors.

If you can not do that then at least sign up for training classes at PetSmart. Believe me, that is better than no training and they can focus on areas you are having problems in, they did with me and all of my dogs that I took to them for basic training.

The dog needs training and consistency and you can turn her into a great dog that both of you love. It will take time and dedication. I have 3 Yorkies and my puppies are 6 months old and they still have an accident but they are mostly house broken at this point. They are fairly well trained, but I have gone through enough training courses with previous dogs I owned over the last 20+ Years that I was able to train them myself, but part of going to a dog training class is to teach YOU how to train the dog and be a better dog owner.

It is worth the cost to invest in classes. Trust me, you will have a different dog if you do this and are dedicated to actually doing your homework with the class.

[Tink04]

Originally Posted by emmaowner

I have been with my boyfriend for two years and he moved in with me five months ago. I have had my yorkie Emma for one year and she is not very well trained. Well, my boyfriend can't stand take her bad behavior around the house. She still pees and poops wherever she wants, she chews on everything she can get her teeth on, she bites, and she barks constantly. She has ruined several of his shoes and she even got hold of his expensive Ray Bans sunglasses and chewed them up. She is pretty nice to us, but she hates everyone who visits.

He started making comments about how he doesn't know how much more he can take of it, and yesterday he said that he won't keep living with me unless I give Emma to someone else. I don't know what to do, he is a perfect boyfriend except for this.

I would suggest to reach out to a professional trainer, possibily if her little issues cannot be fixed through training.
However, I will say the "perfect boyfriend" would never give you an ultimatum like this. Just because Emma has some behavioral issues does not mean she should just be "given away". When we bring these little creatures into our lives we are making a commitment.
Is it possible that Emma is acting out even more because she KNOWS your boyfriend doesn't like her? This could be a possibility as well.
Tinky was a crazy little puppy and had her issues as well, but instead of telling me to "Get rid of her" my boyfriend and I worked on her training. He would have NEVER told me to get rid of her. I suggest you find someone who will love and accept little Emma... not someone who suggests to simply get rid of her... not a good sign

[Magnus]

Since you've been with your bf for 2 years and had Emma 1 year, he knew about her "bad behavior". In that time, has he ever suggested/commented Emma needs to be better trained? Or is it something he's been just complaining about? I think that makes a difference on how much he's willing to investing in your relationship.

There's always a chance even a well trained dog would have "accidents". Whether it's peeing/pooing in the house or destroying something of value. So if Emma does get trained but on rare occasion she destroy something, will your bf react the same?

Dogs love in UNCONDITIONAL. Can you say the same about your bf?....

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by Doodlebug

Keep the puppy, get rid of the boyfriend. Would he be able to tolerate a misbehaving child? My Yorkie had accidents when she was a pup but once she understood that she must not potty and poo in the house, she was the best pup you could ever want. Just be consistent and give it time. It will be worth it. I'm sorry but I don't see him as a perfect boyfriend if he would break your heart because the puppy is an inconvenience to him. And what will happen to the poor pup? Please don't get rid of the pup, I think you will come to realize that you made a big mistake. Best of luck to you.

Give me a break!! The pup was there BEFORE the boyfriend! The boyfriend moved into THE PUP'S HOME/YOUR HOME, and he is going to tell you what he will tolerate and not tolerate????? I dont think so!!!!

THAT being said, you need to teach your baby how to behave like a civilized little pet!!! You can NOT allow that baby to use your home like a toilet! It sounds like you have taken the path of least resistance, and rather than expend the time and energy to teach and train and control your pups behavior, you have let the pup raise itself, and you now have a dog that does not integrate with other people and has no house manners! THIS is YOUR fault and you need to correct it!

Either resolve yourself to make the time to train your pup to live like a civilized house broken companion, or spend the money and effort to have a professional do it. I am fearful you have a baby that NO ONE will tolerate being around, because of lack of training! YOU have raised a house ape and you need to fix that so even if you are not able to keep that baby, you do not want her to end up on the streets because no one can tolerate her bad/unacceptable behavior!

While I can not stand a man that would move into my home and then begin to tell me how I have to make MY living space acceptable for him, I can understand where he is coming from. He should have known or noticed after 2 years of dating, (and I am certain he has been at your living space at least once during that time, so he knew how you tolerated your pup's bad manners), that your pup was not well house trained.....he should have NEVER moved into your space under the current conditions if they were unacceptable to him.

[Mayzoo]

These little guys and gals are smart. I have been training dogs my whole life, and I tend to believe my current little guy is probably the smartest I have trained. I started him off in training the day he arrived in my home (at 1 year old) for house and door training, then the rest one week after he arrived so his neutering could heal. He was completely untrained. No house training, and no commands. He tore up stuff and chewed a few holes in my carpet. He is now a completely different, confident and very happy little guy!! In ten weeks he had already learned:

1. Sit
2. Lay down
3. Speak
4. High five (just for fun of course)
5. Sit and wait for specific release command to go outside and come in (ignoring all other words until he hears the word "okay").
6. Sit and wait for specific release command to go to his food (ignoring all other words until he hears the word "okay").
7. Stay for several minutes with me in sight or out of sight.
8. "Leave it" including when food is dropped near him.
9. House trained
10. Roll over
11. Controlled load and unload from car
12. Leash trained to sit when we stop and stay until command to get up

It will take you longer since your dog is used to you letting it do whatever she wants. Once she realizes the tides have turned and you are going to be 100% patiently consistent, she will begin to learn rapidly. Your dog and everyone your dog is around will so much happier if you train her. Right now she is a very confused dog because she does not know how to behave better, but she knows their is tension in the house surrounding her, and she gets in trouble without understanding.

Here is a free website that offers both training ideas, and tips for problems in training: Introduction | Mind to Mind

Whatever else you do, train the dog. Many dogs who are impossible to live with (untrained) end up euthanized.

[maxdog]

Train the dog and then lose the bf. Anyone who would tell you that you MUST give away something he knows you love is not the person you want to spend the rest of your life with

[Rachael1983]

I agree with many of the thoughts already posted. My dog's name is Emma as well. You should train and train some more. Make sure you're crating when appropriate . The boyfriend can stay but he will need to be a bit more understanding.