help with growling and snapping
 

I was hoping it was just a one time thing when Parker was tired, but, it happened again today. He always runs away from me and never comes when I call. I have to chase him and grab him. Today he growled at me and snapped when I went to grab him. Then I rolled him over and told him no and he bared his teeth at me and continued to try to bite me. I can't keep a dog who is mean. He is only four months old, and this is very depressing. Any suggestions?

I'd say that you should get Parker and yourself enrolled in an obedience class as soon as you can, or at least get a trainer to come over to your house for an hour or so and teach you how to show Parker that you're the boss, that he can trust you to know what's best for him, and that you're not trying to hurt him. Then give him LOTS and LOTS of rewards for good behavior!

We had some trouble getting our little guys to realize that we were the authority in the house, not them. We thought we were doing everything right based on the books we'd read on training, but it wasn't really sinking in. I think Yorkies are one of the more difficult breeds to train. Anyway, we eventually got enrolled in obedience school, and we learned a lot from it. Just make sure you find a trainer that doesn't use physical punishment of any sort - that's just not acceptable, and it's not necessary.

It would also be good to get Parker used to being around other people and dogs. The last thing you want is for him to snap at or bite a child and have a lawsuit on your hands. And if he's aggressive around other dogs, he could even end up getting himself hurt, and I know you don't want that!

Good luck!

I seriously doubt that you have a "mean" dog on your hands. I think you're saying that it's only happened twice so far, right? If you could give us a little more information, it would help...

Why are you chasing him in the first place? Does he have something that you're trying to take away? Are you trying to put him in his crate or someplace similiar? Given the particulars, we could probably help you more.

In the meantime, I second the suggestion to enroll in a puppy obedience class. It's well worth the time and money, and besides, it's fun!

I would discontinue your use of the "alpha roll". It makes many dogs more aggressive, not less.

Thanks. As soon as he has his last series of shots, which is Monday, I'll see about taking him to PETSMART or something. I'm just a little worried, because most dogs are so much bigger.
Anyway, there are lots of reasons that I chase him. Sometimes I want to lift him over the barricade to go feed him in the kitchen, or he has something from the floor in his mouth, or it's time to go outside, etc. He just never comes to me when I want him to.

My girl wouldn't either until I started using Cheerios like someone here told me to as a "training treat". Now, I say Elvira come, and you can hear her running from anywhere in the house! Try it. It didn't take 1 day for me to have her trained to come and another to sit.