Is your dog well behaved?

[LadyGemma]

I love Moxie to death and she is a sweet, loving, energetic girl, but she is stubborn and we still need to work on training, even after a year. She would never hurt anyone, she doesn't yelp and bark the second she sees another dogs as I have seem some yorkies do, she doesn't bite people or dogs, she is patient with kids, she is very friendly with people, and often shy, but not aggressive with other dogs. if i drop food on the floor, she will wait a minute to see if it's something she's allowed to have, she knows commands like sit and lay down, she is generally quiet and well behaved in stores, etc.
HOWEVER,
-if she is chasing a squirrel or bird, she will not stop when I call her.

-she occasionally has a little potty accident

-if i take her someplace, sometimes she won't just let me tie her up, sit down and watch quietly while i do my thing, but instead will try to get free and bark so i will untie her or hold her or let her wonder around (this has happened in dance class and when i was trying to get a quick chair massage; some dogs are great with this- a few other girls have brought their small dogs to the dance class and they just stayed in their carriers the whole time). she knows if she barks enough i will come to her (not because I want to give in, but i don't want her to disturb people).

-she WILL bark sometimes at some thing I have told her not to bark at before- someone on a skateboard, a large man

-sometimes if a big dog she doesn't like comes up to her and starts jumping around and trying to play with her, she will do a little growl and snap. Even if the dog is much, much larger. She has never actually bitten or tried to but I don't want her to do this at all because I'm concerned they will snap back.

-if there is food on the street, she will try to eat it. she won't bite me if i pry it out of her mouth, but she won't "drop it" on command either

-she sometimes makes messes. Even when she has no reason to (she is getting exercise and stimulation and not spending a lot of time alone and has chews and toys), she might tear up a paper bag when i'm gone if she smells food inside or eat someone's sandwich they have left out.

So I love my dog, but she is mischevious and stubborn and not the best listener or very well behaved even if she is loving, bright, friendly, generally good and has no major behavior issues. How do I make the leap to having a VERY WELL BEHAVED yorkie who doesn't get in to trouble every time I turn my back and listens to my command *every* time?

[LadyGemma]

I should add- Moxie is a rescue, I am not sure how old, possibly 3 or 4. So I had no control over her training and upbringing. She had major issues when I first rescued her, many of which have improved. So while I acknowledge we both need to work harder and do better, please remember she was raised by people who didn't know how to treat animals at all, never trained her, never took her outside, never socialized her, never got her medical care, would sell her to a stranger off the street, planned to use her to breed, etc. So please understand it's a little different when you are not the one training the dog in their formative years. Thanks!

[Rachael1983]

I just made the decision to take Emma to basic obidience classes. Although she's learned sit, stay, down and follows directions in the house pretty well, she doesn't do commands well outside the home. Emma is 2 years old and I think it doesn't matter how old they are sometimes they need the refresher and being around other dogs and people will socialize her. Maybe that's something you can consider. The prices for a 6 week class were fairly reasonable.

[matese]

I also have a rescue,he was 2.5 yo when I got him,he is now 5 yo. He was a surrender not an abused dog, he was well mannered and knew a few commands. I have taught him other commands that we go through nightly, he follows all command in the house, outside lol, well that's another issue,lots of distractions. What I try to do when I can, is get him out where there are just a few distractions then work on his commands. Rachael has made a good suggestions with obedience classes where there will be distractions and she will HAVE to FOCUS on you. Good luck.

[gemy]

Originally Posted by LadyGemma

I love Moxie to death and she is a sweet, loving, energetic girl, but she is stubborn and we still need to work on training, even after a year. She would never hurt anyone, she doesn't yelp and bark the second she sees another dogs as I have seem some yorkies do, she doesn't bite people or dogs, she is patient with kids, she is very friendly with people, and often shy, but not aggressive with other dogs. if i drop food on the floor, she will wait a minute to see if it's something she's allowed to have, she knows commands like sit and lay down, she is generally quiet and well behaved in stores, etc.
HOWEVER,
-if she is chasing a squirrel or bird, she will not stop when I call her.

-she occasionally has a little potty accident

-if i take her someplace, sometimes she won't just let me tie her up, sit down and watch quietly while i do my thing, but instead will try to get free and bark so i will untie her or hold her or let her wonder around (this has happened in dance class and when i was trying to get a quick chair massage; some dogs are great with this- a few other girls have brought their small dogs to the dance class and they just stayed in their carriers the whole time). she knows if she barks enough i will come to her (not because I want to give in, but i don't want her to disturb people).

-she WILL bark sometimes at some thing I have told her not to bark at before- someone on a skateboard, a large man

-sometimes if a big dog she doesn't like comes up to her and starts jumping around and trying to play with her, she will do a little growl and snap. Even if the dog is much, much larger. She has never actually bitten or tried to but I don't want her to do this at all because I'm concerned they will snap back.

-if there is food on the street, she will try to eat it. she won't bite me if i pry it out of her mouth, but she won't "drop it" on command either

-she sometimes makes messes. Even when she has no reason to (she is getting exercise and stimulation and not spending a lot of time alone and has chews and toys), she might tear up a paper bag when i'm gone if she smells food inside or eat someone's sandwich they have left out.

So I love my dog, but she is mischevious and stubborn and not the best listener or very well behaved even if she is loving, bright, friendly, generally good and has no major behavior issues. How do I make the leap to having a VERY WELL BEHAVED yorkie who doesn't get in to trouble every time I turn my back and listens to my command *every* time?

It sounds like she has come a long way! I ran across this article to get you started on the growling approach. How to handle a growling dog | NJ.com

It does sound like a group obedience class is the way to go for many of her behaviours you wish to improve on.

Remember the hardest time there is for a dog to obey is when distractions are many and tempting. To proof your dog requires determination and graduated exposure to those distractions over many many months. So you create baby steps and make sure the first step is solid before progressing. Also try to set your dog up for success!

Good Luck with your training!

[yavenay]

Duchess loves people......other dogs not so much.
My biggest problem with her is when she goes batsh*t crazy when she sees other dogs. In the dog park she can get a little snippy if dogs get to close to her. However she loves kittens.....when she sees a kitten, she just has to cuddle it like it's her pet.

I am also thinking about taking her to an obedience class to help with socialization with other dogs. It's too the point now I don't want to take her to the dog park.....so I am hoping a class will help. Other than that, she is actually a pretty good dog.

[Singingtiger]

"Sigh" sadly Cricket is NOT well behaved..... She goes CRAZY at the vet's office! I try to hold her and she wiggles.when she is weighed on the baby scale , she wiggles and won't be still. I've taken her a couple of times to a giant outdoor craft/ flea market area in her stroller and she does really good if she is zipped into it. If she is unzipped and tethered in, she tries to turn herself around and gets tangled in the tether.

[aweitzm1]

My two are well behaved when I am home. They love all adult attention. Children and other dogs not so much. My two do get into trouble when I am away from home.


For instance, today I left the paper towel hanging over the counter and as soon as I left for the day they jumped and grabbed it. Now my kitchen is covered in shredded paper towels.


One of my co-workers has told me with all of my stories about their antics she has said she will never get a dog too much responsibility for her.

[matese]

Shredding paper, any kind, is a yorkie thing lol. You are an animal lover, your co-worker is not. Now we here on YT can laugh at this, cos we have been there, done that, and have laughed at it, then we blame ourselves for leaving paper with in dogs reach, this is how our yorkies train US lol.

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by LadyGemma

I love Moxie to death and she is a sweet, loving, energetic girl, but she is stubborn and we still need to work on training, even after a year. She would never hurt anyone, she doesn't yelp and bark the second she sees another dogs as I have seem some yorkies do, she doesn't bite people or dogs, she is patient with kids, she is very friendly with people, and often shy, but not aggressive with other dogs. if i drop food on the floor, she will wait a minute to see if it's something she's allowed to have, she knows commands like sit and lay down, she is generally quiet and well behaved in stores, etc.
HOWEVER,
-if she is chasing a squirrel or bird, she will not stop when I call her.

-she occasionally has a little potty accident

-if i take her someplace, sometimes she won't just let me tie her up, sit down and watch quietly while i do my thing, but instead will try to get free and bark so i will untie her or hold her or let her wonder around (this has happened in dance class and when i was trying to get a quick chair massage; some dogs are great with this- a few other girls have brought their small dogs to the dance class and they just stayed in their carriers the whole time). she knows if she barks enough i will come to her (not because I want to give in, but i don't want her to disturb people).

-she WILL bark sometimes at some thing I have told her not to bark at before- someone on a skateboard, a large man

-sometimes if a big dog she doesn't like comes up to her and starts jumping around and trying to play with her, she will do a little growl and snap. Even if the dog is much, much larger. She has never actually bitten or tried to but I don't want her to do this at all because I'm concerned they will snap back.

-if there is food on the street, she will try to eat it. she won't bite me if i pry it out of her mouth, but she won't "drop it" on command either

-she sometimes makes messes. Even when she has no reason to (she is getting exercise and stimulation and not spending a lot of time alone and has chews and toys), she might tear up a paper bag when i'm gone if she smells food inside or eat someone's sandwich they have left out.

So I love my dog, but she is mischevious and stubborn and not the best listener or very well behaved even if she is loving, bright, friendly, generally good and has no major behavior issues. How do I make the leap to having a VERY WELL BEHAVED yorkie who doesn't get in to trouble every time I turn my back and listens to my command *every* time?

".........she is mischevious and stubborn and not the best listener or very well behaved even if she is loving, bright, friendly, generally good and has no major behavior issues....". Sounds like a wonderful YORKIE!! Please remember, she is NOT a human, she is still a dog....as much as we adore them and think of them as our children, they will behave like a dog when given an opportunity, because that is what she is!! I think she sounds absolutely stunning and DELIGHTFUL, and you can send that "little old spoiled brat" to ME anytime you think you dont want to tolerate her "incorrigible" behavior for one more minute!

[Imissu]

"Is your dog well behaved?"

No. I love her anyway.

[SweetPea53]

Lil' Miss Izzie is very well behaved, but I have to agree that shredding paper is a yorkie thing....I have her papasan chair next to mine at the dinning room table so she can sit next to me when I am working on the computer. If I happen to leave a kleenex or paper too close to the edge she will take it and run with it to the sofa. As soon as I see that she is munching on something and I ask her what she has she quickly tries to chew it up before I can get to her to remove it from her mouth. I have to laugh because one time (it wasn't funny at the time) she got ahold of a few bills and by the time I noticed she had torn a few of them up. Luckily they were only $1.00 bills and she could have taken the $20.00 or $50.00. All I could say to her at the time was "You Don't Eat Mommy's Money" !!!!!!

Originally Posted by matese

Shredding paper, any kind, is a yorkie thing lol. You are an animal lover, your co-worker is not. Now we here on YT can laugh at this, cos we have been there, done that, and have laughed at it, then we blame ourselves for leaving paper with in dogs reach, this is how our yorkies train US lol.

[yorkiemini]

Cali is an almost perfect dog
She does fit the Yorkie profile rather well!

[Jkpal]

LADYGEMMA, the similarities between Moxie and Piper are uncanny...including their rather mysterious backgrounds. And, like you, I know my Piper isn't perfect, but she is absolutely perfect for me and I wouldn't trade even one of her little issues if it meant changing any part of her sweetness, goofiness, calmness, and on and on...Shortly after bringing her home and after chasing her down because Piper totally ignored me calling her to come, my veterinarian laughingly advised me that, "Oooooohhh, these little guys are bomb-proof!" I didn't understand, so Dr. Patti explained that if Yorkies were interested in something, anything, you could set a bomb off right next to 'em and they wouldn't even flinch. That was my first lesson in learning (not always successful, mind you) not to take everything our little ones do or don't do personally...Your little Moxie (cute and appropriate name) sounds too adorable and loving with tons of personality to keep you on your toes!

[SLR49]

Originally Posted by Imissu

"Is your dog well behaved?"

No. I love her anyway.

Very well said.

My Rock is only 5 months so still learning a lot. I find his shredding, digging, and other Yorkie behaviors so funny and sweet. I make sure he does not have anything that could hurt him in his mouth and if he does we make a trade. When we run errands, he is wild in the cart ( lol tries to climb out). I make sure he is safe and he loves meeting new people which is good for his socialization.

Otherwise, I let him make his mess, clean it up, and know that his is safe, healthy, and loved more than anything in the world. Now we are working on our "quiet voices" when in public and hotels just to be courteous to others.