Some questions about my rescue - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Msclutz14 · 04-03-2018, 07:39 AM

Hello!

This is my first post, so I hope this is okay! We rescued our yorkie almost a year ago. His name is Chewie and he is aprox. 6 years old. When we got him we were told he was a Yorkie and Chihuahua mix, but the owner and I agreed he didn't look like a Chihuahua so we aren't sure if this is accurate. He is longer than Yorkies normally are so I think he is mixed with another kind of terrier. (Pictures attached)

We love our Chewie but do have some concerns and I thought some of you could help! When we first rescued him he was very afraid of my fiance, and he really doesn't like men. We think he was abused in some way. My fiance used to work late nights and come home when I was already asleep and Chewie would become very protective of me and try to bite my fiance. He no longer does this and loves his mommy and daddy so we are very happy about that. However whenever we have company Chewie becomes very scared when people walk in. He will bark, growl, and depending on if the person startles him, bite. He has bitten two of my male friends before. I now hold him whenever I open the door so that he is at their level and can smell them. He is not a mean dog. If he does nip at someone we of course tell him "no" and he feels bad afterwards and will try to lick them to make up for it. I normally have new people sit on the floor with him and let him go to them. He is fine once he smells people and gets used to them actually in the house. However when we take him outside to do his business he is very aggressive towards people. We live in a apartment complex and so we can't really avoid people around us. We are considering taking him to a trainer but we aren't sure what kind of classes he should take.

I really believe that he has anxiety, possibly due to abuse in the past. When I first got him he was afraid of a lot of things. For example I was holding a toilet brush moving from one bathroom to the next and he ran under the bed acting like I was going to hit him. I would NEVER hit him and it breaks my heart when he becomes fearful of me. He also obsessively licks, and he will lick anything. He licks the couch, bed, blankets, us, his toys and himself. He also has accidents occasionally in the house. I'm not sure if this is due to lack of training or if it maybe was something that scared him when we weren't home.

Just to be clear I am not trying to complain, I really wanna help Chewie out and I want him to be happy! I will not get "fed up" and send him back to the rescue. He is my baby now and I'll never let him go.

I just hope someone here has some advice for me! Thank you in advance and thanks for reading my long long post!

Hayley

Lovetodream88 · 04-04-2018, 07:33 AM

He may not be a mix at all or if anything a silky. Don’t hold him when he meets new people I learned that with my mom and her rescue or he will get protective. He can also feel if you are worried about it. Honestly the best thing to do is just have people ignore him unless he comes to them and maybe they can offer a treat. Basic obedience classes would help build confidence and help with the anxiety and being scared some. You might want to get a trainer who does private lessons to work with the aggression.

Jkpal · 04-04-2018, 09:29 AM

He certainly looks Yorkie to me and Yorkies come in many sizes...Plus he is one cute cookie. I love that you love him so much and are truly committed to his well-being. God bless you and yours for rescuing him (and you're lucky to have a patient, understanding fiancé)! I agree with LoveToDream in that holding him is counterproductive having tried that with my Piper; it only made things worse. Now I have a gate so guests can enter house and speak with Piper before coming all the way in; it's still a work in progress and some days are better than others, but the gate has really helped. It sounds like Chewy is a love bug in that he calms down (Piper can stay in high gear endlessly). I think you are exactly the right person for Chewy and you guys will be even greater with a little "fine-tuning". All the best!!!

Jkpal · 04-04-2018, 09:30 AM

ooppps! C h e w i e; now I got it!

matese · 04-05-2018, 05:54 AM

Welcome to YT, so glad that you found us and thank you for rescuing this sweet little boy. You didn't mention he's weight, the reason I say this is because my now passed girl weighed in at 17 pounds as an adult, she had the longer snout / muzzle that your Chewie has. My rescue boy weighs 12 pounds and also has the longer muzzle. The bigger the yorkie the longer the muzzle is what I have found with my yorkies, all of mine were 9 pounds and over, the 9 pounder had a shorter muzzle, all were AKC registered. Your Chewie looks full yorkie to me from these pics but, I have seen Morkies that look pure yorkies so it's hard to tell if he is in fact a mix, you could do a
Wisdom Panel DNA cost about $85. just to satisfy your curiosity here is the link
www.WisdomPanel.com

As a rescue it's very challenging because we do not know their past history, abused, caged, not socialized, everything is trail and error.

I have to agree with holding him when your guests arrive, not a good thing, makes him feel like you are protecting him from harm. I agree with lovetodream, let your guests come in and just ignore him. I had a baby raised by me from a 8 week old puppy that was scared of men, I believe because my family consisted of only women and a mans deep voice scared them, she would nip the back of their shoes. There were also a few woman that she didn't cozy up to right away. I would tell new ppl just ignore her, let her come to you and sniff you, once she has your scent you'll be her BFF. I would give them a treat to give her once she sniffed them and walked away.

Having your guest sit on the floor and having Chewie go to them is very good you should give your guest a treat to offer him in their open palm, let Chewie take the treat.

Teaching Chewie basic commands is very important and builds confidence in the dog while building a strong bond with you. Sit, stay, is a good start so you don't have to hold him to let ppl enter your home. Short training periods of 5 to 7 minutes several times throughout the day with high value treats and happy hand clapping praise. If he is food motivated and loves his kibble you can use that, many dogs love cheerios, just one tiny cheerio or kibble when he does what you ask. Train only one command at a time, sit, once he has that down pat move on to stay, once he has that down pat put the two together, sit, stay and make him stay in that position for a few seconds, when he does, treat and happy voice praise, reach time make him sit and stay longer, say a minute, if he holds that position, the next time make it longer, say 2 minutes, always treat and happy voice praise. Your goal is to have him sit and stay on command when you get company so he doesn't dash at them when they enter. Lots of patience and consistency are key factors in training commands. Keep it brief, several times throughout the day.

Your post does not indicate you are complaining against your baby, it shows you are committed to making this little boy as happy and stress free as possible. He is a lucky boy that it was you that found him as you are committed to his well being.

As for outside walks you may need a personal trainer for that. There are many things, ppl, sounds, smells that can scare a dog that has not had proper socialization as a puppy.

The toilet brush, before you move to the next bathroom put the brush in a plastic bag so he doesn't see it, hide it lol, then leave that bathroom and move on to the next one, always hide the brush.

I hope some of this helps you. Rescues come with a lot of baggage that we will never know, it is up to us to try to rid them of their fears and gently as we can, it can take a long time so patience is a must.

matese · 04-05-2018, 06:09 AM

Forgot to mention, I see in the photo you have a collar on him with the leash attached. Use only harnesses for walking, collars use for tags only. These small breed dogs especially yorkies are prone to collapsed trachea. Pressure of a collar against their throat can cause their trachea to collapse especially if the dog pulls or lunges while being walked leashed to a collar.

matese · 04-05-2018, 06:16 AM

He also obsessively licks, and he will lick anything. He licks the couch, bed, blankets, us, his toys and himself.

For this issue you should consult your vet, he may be lacking something in his diet or could be some other issue.

Msclutz14 · 04-05-2018, 07:32 AM

Matese thank you! I think we will contact a trainer and sign up for some classes for Chewie. We have tried to use "sit" when giving a treat and he will lay down. I'm not sure if the previous owner tried to train him briefly and now he is confused. He is very smart, we trained him to "go to bed" at night and that didn't take long at all. With the collar the picture of him with his long hair was the picture we got before we picked him up. We use a harness, I hate the regular collars I feel like it chokes them.

When people come in the door he runs right to them barking and jumping. We did buy a baby gate so I think I will just block him off at first and let him calm down.

Oh and for the weight he is about 12 pounds! So it may just be he is a bigger baby than some yorkies!

Msclutz14 · 04-05-2018, 07:35 AM

Thank you everyone for the advice on not holding him! I had a feeling it wasn't something I should do but it as just easier. I will put a baby gate in the hallway so he can see but not jump at my guests. We have had him a year and he has gotten a lot less scared I'm looking forward to training him and hoping that helps as well.

Jkpal · 04-05-2018, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Msclutz14

Thank you everyone for the advice on not holding him! I had a feeling it wasn't something I should do but it as just easier. I will put a baby gate in the hallway so he can see but not jump at my guests. We have had him a year and he has gotten a lot less scared I'm looking forward to training him and hoping that helps as well.

I knew that holding Piper wasn't good for her, but at the time I really had no choice because there was simply no practical way to keep her from rushing out the door as someone entered. I hope the gate works; I think Piper feels 'safer' having a buffer between her and the hubbub of guests coming in...

04-03-2018, 07:39 AM	#1
Msclutz14 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Liverpool, NY, USA Posts: 3	Some questions about my rescue Hello! This is my first post, so I hope this is okay! We rescued our yorkie almost a year ago. His name is Chewie and he is aprox. 6 years old. When we got him we were told he was a Yorkie and Chihuahua mix, but the owner and I agreed he didn't look like a Chihuahua so we aren't sure if this is accurate. He is longer than Yorkies normally are so I think he is mixed with another kind of terrier. (Pictures attached) We love our Chewie but do have some concerns and I thought some of you could help! When we first rescued him he was very afraid of my fiance, and he really doesn't like men. We think he was abused in some way. My fiance used to work late nights and come home when I was already asleep and Chewie would become very protective of me and try to bite my fiance. He no longer does this and loves his mommy and daddy so we are very happy about that. However whenever we have company Chewie becomes very scared when people walk in. He will bark, growl, and depending on if the person startles him, bite. He has bitten two of my male friends before. I now hold him whenever I open the door so that he is at their level and can smell them. He is not a mean dog. If he does nip at someone we of course tell him "no" and he feels bad afterwards and will try to lick them to make up for it. I normally have new people sit on the floor with him and let him go to them. He is fine once he smells people and gets used to them actually in the house. However when we take him outside to do his business he is very aggressive towards people. We live in a apartment complex and so we can't really avoid people around us. We are considering taking him to a trainer but we aren't sure what kind of classes he should take. I really believe that he has anxiety, possibly due to abuse in the past. When I first got him he was afraid of a lot of things. For example I was holding a toilet brush moving from one bathroom to the next and he ran under the bed acting like I was going to hit him. I would NEVER hit him and it breaks my heart when he becomes fearful of me. He also obsessively licks, and he will lick anything. He licks the couch, bed, blankets, us, his toys and himself. He also has accidents occasionally in the house. I'm not sure if this is due to lack of training or if it maybe was something that scared him when we weren't home. Just to be clear I am not trying to complain, I really wanna help Chewie out and I want him to be happy! I will not get "fed up" and send him back to the rescue. He is my baby now and I'll never let him go. I just hope someone here has some advice for me! Thank you in advance and thanks for reading my long long post! Hayley Attached Thumbnails

04-04-2018, 07:33 AM	#2
Lovetodream88 Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md Posts: 23,247	He may not be a mix at all or if anything a silky. Don’t hold him when he meets new people I learned that with my mom and her rescue or he will get protective. He can also feel if you are worried about it. Honestly the best thing to do is just have people ignore him unless he comes to them and maybe they can offer a treat. Basic obedience classes would help build confidence and help with the anxiety and being scared some. You might want to get a trainer who does private lessons to work with the aggression. __________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart!

04-05-2018, 05:54 AM	#5
matese Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: E.Stroudsburg, Pa. Posts: 67,952	Welcome to YT, so glad that you found us and thank you for rescuing this sweet little boy. You didn't mention he's weight, the reason I say this is because my now passed girl weighed in at 17 pounds as an adult, she had the longer snout / muzzle that your Chewie has. My rescue boy weighs 12 pounds and also has the longer muzzle. The bigger the yorkie the longer the muzzle is what I have found with my yorkies, all of mine were 9 pounds and over, the 9 pounder had a shorter muzzle, all were AKC registered. Your Chewie looks full yorkie to me from these pics but, I have seen Morkies that look pure yorkies so it's hard to tell if he is in fact a mix, you could do a Wisdom Panel DNA cost about $85. just to satisfy your curiosity here is the link www.WisdomPanel.com As a rescue it's very challenging because we do not know their past history, abused, caged, not socialized, everything is trail and error. I have to agree with holding him when your guests arrive, not a good thing, makes him feel like you are protecting him from harm. I agree with lovetodream, let your guests come in and just ignore him. I had a baby raised by me from a 8 week old puppy that was scared of men, I believe because my family consisted of only women and a mans deep voice scared them, she would nip the back of their shoes. There were also a few woman that she didn't cozy up to right away. I would tell new ppl just ignore her, let her come to you and sniff you, once she has your scent you'll be her BFF. I would give them a treat to give her once she sniffed them and walked away. Having your guest sit on the floor and having Chewie go to them is very good you should give your guest a treat to offer him in their open palm, let Chewie take the treat. Teaching Chewie basic commands is very important and builds confidence in the dog while building a strong bond with you. Sit, stay, is a good start so you don't have to hold him to let ppl enter your home. Short training periods of 5 to 7 minutes several times throughout the day with high value treats and happy hand clapping praise. If he is food motivated and loves his kibble you can use that, many dogs love cheerios, just one tiny cheerio or kibble when he does what you ask. Train only one command at a time, sit, once he has that down pat move on to stay, once he has that down pat put the two together, sit, stay and make him stay in that position for a few seconds, when he does, treat and happy voice praise, reach time make him sit and stay longer, say a minute, if he holds that position, the next time make it longer, say 2 minutes, always treat and happy voice praise. Your goal is to have him sit and stay on command when you get company so he doesn't dash at them when they enter. Lots of patience and consistency are key factors in training commands. Keep it brief, several times throughout the day. Your post does not indicate you are complaining against your baby, it shows you are committed to making this little boy as happy and stress free as possible. He is a lucky boy that it was you that found him as you are committed to his well being. As for outside walks you may need a personal trainer for that. There are many things, ppl, sounds, smells that can scare a dog that has not had proper socialization as a puppy. The toilet brush, before you move to the next bathroom put the brush in a plastic bag so he doesn't see it, hide it lol, then leave that bathroom and move on to the next one, always hide the brush. I hope some of this helps you. Rescues come with a lot of baggage that we will never know, it is up to us to try to rid them of their fears and gently as we can, it can take a long time so patience is a must. __________________ Joan, mom to Cody RIP Matese Schnae Kajon Kia forever in my A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog

04-05-2018, 06:09 AM	#6
matese Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: E.Stroudsburg, Pa. Posts: 67,952	Forgot to mention, I see in the photo you have a collar on him with the leash attached. Use only harnesses for walking, collars use for tags only. These small breed dogs especially yorkies are prone to collapsed trachea. Pressure of a collar against their throat can cause their trachea to collapse especially if the dog pulls or lunges while being walked leashed to a collar. __________________ Joan, mom to Cody RIP Matese Schnae Kajon Kia forever in my A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog

04-05-2018, 06:16 AM	#7
matese Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: E.Stroudsburg, Pa. Posts: 67,952	He also obsessively licks, and he will lick anything. He licks the couch, bed, blankets, us, his toys and himself. For this issue you should consult your vet, he may be lacking something in his diet or could be some other issue. __________________ Joan, mom to Cody RIP Matese Schnae Kajon Kia forever in my A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog

04-04-2018, 09:29 AM	#3
Jkpal YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Lake Geneva, WI Posts: 2,776	He certainly looks Yorkie to me and Yorkies come in many sizes...Plus he is one cute cookie. I love that you love him so much and are truly committed to his well-being. God bless you and yours for rescuing him (and you're lucky to have a patient, understanding fiancé)! I agree with LoveToDream in that holding him is counterproductive having tried that with my Piper; it only made things worse. Now I have a gate so guests can enter house and speak with Piper before coming all the way in; it's still a work in progress and some days are better than others, but the gate has really helped. It sounds like Chewy is a love bug in that he calms down (Piper can stay in high gear endlessly). I think you are exactly the right person for Chewy and you guys will be even greater with a little "fine-tuning". All the best!!!

04-04-2018, 09:30 AM	#4
Jkpal YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Lake Geneva, WI Posts: 2,776	ooppps! C h e w i e; now I got it!

04-05-2018, 07:32 AM	#8
Msclutz14 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Liverpool, NY, USA Posts: 3	Matese thank you! I think we will contact a trainer and sign up for some classes for Chewie. We have tried to use "sit" when giving a treat and he will lay down. I'm not sure if the previous owner tried to train him briefly and now he is confused. He is very smart, we trained him to "go to bed" at night and that didn't take long at all. With the collar the picture of him with his long hair was the picture we got before we picked him up. We use a harness, I hate the regular collars I feel like it chokes them. When people come in the door he runs right to them barking and jumping. We did buy a baby gate so I think I will just block him off at first and let him calm down. Oh and for the weight he is about 12 pounds! So it may just be he is a bigger baby than some yorkies!

04-05-2018, 07:35 AM	#9
Msclutz14 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Liverpool, NY, USA Posts: 3	Thank you everyone for the advice on not holding him! I had a feeling it wasn't something I should do but it as just easier. I will put a baby gate in the hallway so he can see but not jump at my guests. We have had him a year and he has gotten a lot less scared I'm looking forward to training him and hoping that helps as well.