New to the Community

[Cdimples17]

Hello everyone....

New pet owner and first Yorkie. . I'm excited....Any helpful tips is greatly appreciated. Previous owner says he's aggressive and territorial. She's giving him away because he doesn't like her cats. He's arrive here today...I want him to feel safe. He's 3 years old, is it possible to change his behavior now at his age?

[matese]

Welcome to YT and congrats on your new furbutt.
Is he neutered.
Did the prev. owner say if he is aggressive toward dogs, All animals or ppl or all 3?
He may be territorial because cats go all over even in his safe place.
Is he territorial over his food, toys his humans?
If he is aggressive towards all dogs I have read it is hard to change this behavior.
It is obvious that the prev owner loved the cats more then she loved this little guy, this "could" be a reason why he is this way. The cats may have gotten more attention then this yorkie needed. I am sure this little guy got scolded a lot over the cats. He "may" have a different attitude living in a home where he FEELS LOVED and not being scold. He "may" lose his aggressiveness if he gets the love and attention he needs.
You have him only a few hours, he needs time to adjust to his new owners, home, smells, schedules. Bonding and trusting with new humans does not always happen over night, it may take time, just have lots of patience and give LOTS of TLC, speak to him in soft tones, no scolding just soft corrections. Let him build trust in you. He may have accidents in his new home, his world has been turned upside down, he is confused and needs time to adjust.Treat and praise like crazy when he potties where he is supposed to. For everything he does right treat and praise like crazy, I am sure he is not use being told he's a goooood boy. After a month or so in his new home and new humans you will see if he is aggressive and territorial. Please keep us updated.

[gemy]

Matese had great questions. For now I would limit his roaming space and try to set your dog up for success. Maybe the kitchen gated off or a large spend, wee pads placed in one section. Try to either make this space one you spend lots of time in so you can interact frequently.

[Cdimples17]

She says that he gets along well with other dogs, it's the cats that he's having the most trouble with. He's aggressive towards strangers but warms up after a while. He's been in obedience training for a few weeks. Making progress but still needs work. She suggests to keep him away from cats and children. Too much activity makes him nervous, growl and try to bite. He doesn't like loud noises. Other than those that...he seems to be a sweet dog.

[Cdimples17]

Thanks Maltes and Jemy for your suggestions, as it is much appreciated. I have lots of love and attention to give him. I will section off an area for just him and I to bond for now. Hopefully it wont take long for me to earn his love and trust. He is housebroken so I'm not sure about the pads yet. We'll see...

[matese]

Great that he gets along with dogs, it is a safety issue for him if he was not.
Cats, you do not have any, so there's no problem there.
Small children, if not raised with them, yes, many yorkies get nervous around rambunctious young children.
Aggressive towards strangers, I believe with more socializing this could be overcome. When you get company have them ignore the dog, let the dog come to them, give your guest a treat, when your pup calms down have your guest offer him the treat, do this with any company that comes to visit you.
I had a girl, I raised her from a 8 week old puppy, my family consisted of mostly women, my girl was aggressive towards men, she would nip the back of their shoes when they entered the house lol. Once she got to know them she was ok. I would do as I have suggested to you, over time the sneak attack of nipping at their shoes stopped.
Loud noises, the only loud noises my girls were afraid of was thunder and fireworks, which most dogs are. My adopted boy (now 5 years old) is also afraid of these noises, plus gun shots and nail guns. If these are the loud sounds that he's afraid of you can try putting a ThundShirt on him. I have not used one, we do have members that have said a ThunderShirt has helped their dogs.

Is he neutered
Is he micro chipped

[Cdimples17]

Yes he is both neutered and microchipped. He's leash trained and has a muzzle that he doesn't like to wear.... I love him already...lol. I will try socializing in a few months after he's comfortable in his new environment. He seems ok so far...

[matese]

Great that he's neutered and micro chipped, don't forget to change the information on his chip to your name. I believe your vet has to fill out a form and sign it. Although my boy is adopted he was a gift to me from my vet after I had to let my last girl go, it was an unplanned adoption lol, I was sorta in a fog, my vet took care of the transferring of owners, Cody was a surrender.
Yes socialize AFTER he is comfortable with you, has bonded and trusts you. If he is house broken I would keep him that way, although pads do have great advantages. After a few months with love and attention he may not need that muzzle.
Have you made an appointment with your vet for a physical, and do you know if he's current with all his vaccines. It doesn't take long to fall head of heels in love with a yorkie lol.

[Cdimples17]

Hello everyone,

I've had my Yorkie now for 2 days now. His foster mom dropped him off on Tuesday night. He's 3 years old. Shots up to date and neutered. I'm concerned because my baby won't eat. His foster mom was very kind in giving me a list of things that he likes to eat. She even came over to confirm that I bought the right food. He ate all of his food when he got here right after she left. We went for a walk and he even ate the next morning (Wednesday). Would not eat lunch or dinner. Here it is Thursday morning and he still has not eaten, nor will he drink water. He reluctantly ate a couple treats from me. He seems really unhappy and withdrawn. I understand that he misses his foster home and is uncomfortable in his new surroundings..but is it normal to not eat or drink for a full day? I'm worried. Any advice given will greatly be helpful.

[matese]

Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese on his food, this should set his taste buds in motion, if that doesn't work, buy boneless chicken cutlets, boil them. It's not unusual for a dog to not eat when when he is in a new home, away form ppl he had bonded with. Dogs LOVE chicken cutlets. Offer him some chicken. Skim off any fat from the chicken broth, put a couple of table spoons of broth is his water, the taste of a little broth in his water should encourage him to drink. Not too much broth, he will drink the entire bowl and may vomit from to much liquid. Remember, you are this 3rd home, he is confused, scared. Unless a dog is sick, a dog will NOT starve himself. Only feed him twice a day. Give 1/2 the recommended amount of food in the morning, the other 1/2 early evening. If you want to feed 3 x a day, take that recommend amount and split it 3's. Feed same time every feeding. Walk him same times every day, rain, hail, sleet, snow, always keep to the schedule regardless of the weather. Buy him a rain coat for those rainy days, sweater or coat for cold weather. Walks are a good bonding tool. Talk to him a lot so his gets use to your voice. Hope this helps. Please keep us posted.

[Cdimples17]

Thank you so very much Matese! I was worried that I had done something wrong. So far, we are still on the schedule that his foster mom had...I take him out a little more because he appears anxious to peepee. I'm off from work for a couple months, so I figured I'd do whatever needs to be done in order to help him become comfortable for the first couple weeks. I'm sure he's not ill. I was given a full report from his recent vet visit. He's healthy. His shots are up to date and he's neutered. I will try the chicken broth and see if that works. His Foster mom said the he has a sensitive stomach. With that in mind I will be sure to limit how much I give him. Thanks so much for putting my mind at ease. I was beginning to feel hopeless.

[matese]

That is fantastic that you will have several months 24/7 with him, that is more then enough time to get him settled in and bond with you. GREAT you are able to keep him on the same schedule as the foster mom had him on. Boiled chic cutlets is easy to disgust on a dog with a sensitive stomach. What I have done in the past with my now passed girls was, if they had not eaten for a day I knew something was up, I would make them the boiled chicken because sometimes dogs just get tired of the same food, if they ate the chicken I knew they were not sick and perhaps it was just time for a food change. I don't feel he is sick if he ate the day you got him, and ate Wed. morning. I feel he is just missing his foster mom who gave him a lot of attention and love which I am sure he did not get from his original owner. If he eats the plain boiled chicken, then the next step is to SHRED the chicken into his regular food, NOT pieces because most dogs with pick out and eat just the chicken and leave the dog food lol, shredding makes this harder for them to do lol. Have you taken him to YOUR vet? even tho you were told he is up to date on all his vaccines, it is always WISE to have your vet give him a physical. Your vet will check his teeth to make sure no tarter buildup and a cleaning may be needed, his ears will be checked to ensure no ear infections, check his heart rate, and make sure you bring a FRESH stool sample with you. You are doing nothing wrong, this boy has to just settle in, accept you, trust and bond with you,you will see a change in him in a week, maybe two. Just be patient, loving, speak to him is soft tones, PRAISE him like crazy when he EATS, POOPS, and makes his PEE PEE and treats always helps. A couple of cheerios is a great treat for starters. It's a possibility the treats you gave him could have upset his stomach, just a thought.

[Jkpal]

Originally Posted by Cdimples17

She says that he gets along well with other dogs, it's the cats that he's having the most trouble with. He's aggressive towards strangers but warms up after a while. He's been in obedience training for a few weeks. Making progress but still needs work. She suggests to keep him away from cats and children. Too much activity makes him nervous, growl and try to bite. He doesn't like loud noises. Other than those that...he seems to be a sweet dog.

Gee, other than the cats (used to have two much-loved felines), you're pretty much describing me!!!