This is hard, since my 19 week, 4 day old baby cries when I close the bathroom door.

This is the Best response I've seen yet on this thread...:thumbup:


Francie

I agree with the above response. Yorkies need company, not a lonely garage. Yorkie Rescue might be just the right answer.

When my niece and her husband found out they were going to have a baby, they went, before the baby was born and learned how to integrate the baby with their furbabies. It has worked quite well for them and they are glad that they did it. Knowing that your little guy has a tendency to be aggressive, I am surprised that you didn't find out.

I am not sure why you feel he would be happy with only 2 hours of your time, when a loving family would not make his life miserable but quite happy. I cannot imagine locking my baby in a garage for 22 hours a day. That is called isolation, plain and simple. That would be a miserable and cruel existance for any animal.

I too was adopted. the greatest expression of unconditional love is letting go.

When I am gone for longer than a few hours, I either take my little girl to my sister or she comes over here to spend a few hours with her so she isn't alone much, so only having 2 hours a day.....I am sure that you will do the right thing and find a good loving home for your little guy.

How do you know they won't?

Well...to quote a friend - AT the end of the day - people are going to do just what they want to do.

Hopefully all the responses on this thread were read by the original poster....we can only hope people do the right thing for their pets.

You are right Villette!!

What a hard situation though! I wish you all the best, with whatever you may do!

Personally, I would do whatever I felt best for my real baby even if it meant having to rehome the yorkie. But I don't feel that the dog couldn't survive being rehomed. But since it is THAT aggressive, rehoming it sounds like it might be a problem too, any yt's giving some of this advice want to adopt him? I bet not. Seems to me these people have done everything to help this dog for 7 years to no avail, yet they must love him very much to go thru this for 7 years and still dont want to let him go. I bet there isnt very many people what would of gone thru this for 7 years with a dog. and notice I said.. not VERY MANY. I'm sure there are some. But I would have to put my real baby first and no way would I let it be around this dog if he is this aggresive. Due to the fact, they are some of the quickest little dogs i've ever seen. One quick move and it could bite the baby before anyone could do anything. Bad move there as it would be then a dead dog if it were mine. A baby is totally defenseless. Nobody should put a baby in this type of situation. Sounds like it might already be a little jealous of the baby to me and to me thats gonna make it more aggressive, especially if its been the baby for 7 years and had run of the house. I mean a humans whole life changes when a new baby is born. There are so many things that have to be done differently and its hard for the family to adjust or a loving puppy to adjust to it but one that is already on medication for being aggressive, no way would I want it near my baby. JMO

Well, I commend you...first for..
 

Asking for help......from YT.

And, it is quite obvious that you love your Yorkie. If the alternative is to make a room in the garage....just like you would a person.....air conditioning, music, or tv.....and interact with the dog...don't just shut the door....rather than, giving him away.......then it may be ok to try it for a little while and see how the Yorkie reacts....

Then, if after a couple of weeks, then maybe consider re-homing him. There are really nice people here and at Yorkie Rescues, that do not have small children....or are widowers and would welcome the companionship of this little munchkin....

Anyway, I know that this is rough for you.....and I surely will not think poorlyof you whatever the decision......

Lets all remember, life is not perfect......he is trying hard to find a solution.

Amen to that.

I think, rather than moving him into the garage perhaps leaving him in the bedroom, and bringing the baby into the room for longer and longer periods (supervised of course!)--at first, while the Yorkie is still in the play yard, the pup can see you cuddling the baby; then maybe while holding the baby with one hand you can pet your dog with the other. Very slow steps, eventually allowing the dog to sniff the baby. Further isolating the dog, in my opinion, will only do more damage and trying to get him to accept the new baby would be that much more difficult. In the garage seems like one step closer to "out the door," you know?

But you know your dog better than anyone on the board; think about how he behaves when you leave him in the bedroom; will moving him further from the household magnify any bad behavior or insecurities?

There are alot of different but good opinions on this thread and this is a sticky situation that is serious and should not be taken lightly.

So here is my two cents...

If I were in his exact position, I would sit back and evaluate the facts and ask myself these questions.
How aggressive is the dog?
Could this dog be helped with training?
Even if the dog was not aggressive, would I still be able to give him all the attention and care he needs when there is a new baby in the house taking up most the time and attention.
Would putting him in the garage make him worse?
Is it really fair for the dog to be moved even further away from the family and get less interaction and attention?
What can I do to help my dog and this problem?
What is best for the family and the dog?
These are all questions you need to ask yourself.

What I would do is this...
The very first thing I would do is evaluate the dog's aggression, some aggression can be corrected while other aggression can not. So I would call in a trainer and have him evaluate your dog's aggression and depending on how bad the aggression is go from there. I would also get more than one trainer's opinion this way I get the most accurate evaluation.

I would start off by putting the dog in a playpen inside the house, somewhere where there is alot of activity going on and the dog will be able to see everything that is going on.

I would give the dog something that has the baby's scent on it so it becomes familiar.

I would spend plenty of time with the dog to let him know that he is still loved and will get just as much attention as the baby so that he does not have to be jealous or feel threatened.

I would let the dog see and stiff the baby through the gate making sure there was no possible way the dog could hurt the baby through the gate, and I would watch the dog's reaction and body language to the baby.

Each day I would increase the number of times that the dog sees the baby.

I would reward the dog for good and correct behavior.

If you wanted the baby and the dog to have contact with each other I would be cautious and start off by one person holding the baby and the other holding the dog and having a firm grip holding the dog and if need be holding the dog's mouth so that you are not taking any chances that the dog can bite the baby.

***Most importantly watch your dog's body language and expressions. I would also do this with the dog trainer there so he can instruct you and be able to tell how the dog will react. You really need a trainer there helping you and your dog because this is a delicate situation and should not be taken lightly.

Listen to your trainer and your instinct, if either of you feel the dog is too aggressive, do not take the chance of even trying to train him but rather try to rehome the dog with a rescue group that is experienced in behavior or aggression problems.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: I think this post is priceless in it's good advice

Well said :thumbup: :thumbup:

Awesome post! I would do the same thing. :thumbup:

As usual, you always give excellent advice. :thumbup: :thumbup:

Maybe it would be best to find him a home where he would be loved and appreciated. I really hate to say this, but a dog or any pet for that matter is a commitment not to be entered into lightly, and maybe I have you all wrong but you do have a responsibility to him. I won’t say anything further…except a garage is no place for a Yorkie!

No matter the situations , it is always the dog that have to pay . I really had a laugh when I read that the person wasn't able to socialize him from the beginning . There is a big lack somewhere .

A yorkie that doesn't like to socialize?:D

It's extremely hard to believe .

I agree. Yorkie's (and all dogs) are PACK animals. They need companionship (canine and human). My Yorkie and Maltese are the BEST of friends. They're always kissing and making out. And they sleep and cuddle together all the time! I've never met any Yorkie who did not like to socialize. Some Yorkies may bark at other dogs but that does not at all mean they want to be alone for 22 hours a day -- it's not healthy for them.

Actually I sorta did, and am regretting it, but it just is not the right thing to do! I as many here, if not all, know that these little guys can’t stand to be alone for a minute! They are just happy to follow you around, though God knows we all do more than just that! Dennis is always with me and I would not have it any other way. I love this little guy!

To have a happy, socialized, well-adjusted pet, you have to be willing to give it the attention and care it needs. It just seems to me this baby is starved for attention, especially now that there is a new baby. A new home is the right decision if the other choice is putting him in the garage. I would be a little aggressive too!

I totally agreee!!!!! Banishing the yorkie to the garage is more likely to make his agression problems worse. Theres a transition period when introducing a new family member. I understand him not wanting to take chances with the baby, but there has got to be another answer. Even if its a hard one.

I would have to agree with rehoming him. Thinking about it, my concern also would be "what happens when the baby becomes a toddler and curious about the dog in the garage. If the aggression problem has not been resolved and kept in the garage, what will happen when the toddlers curiosity gets the better of him/her. Toddlers are not gentle with pets. Small children do not know that an animal, if hurt, will strike out at whatever is hurting it. That is just their normal instinct, aggressive or not. And which one would you scold, the toddler, for not being watched or taught, or the dog for protecting himself? Hmmmm.....

In spite of your loving your little dog a lot, I think rehoming would be the best solution.

Having to have a dog on medication - keeping him in a playpen - considering keeping him in a garage - worrying about his aggressive behavior around a new baby - etc. etc. isn't a good environment for a pet. Our goal is for our pets to become happy, affectionate, playful members of our family - not something that needs to be penned up, put aside, worried about, and then enjoyed for only a few hours a day.

Quoting you ----- "I KNOW he would rather see me 2 hours a day and be happy, rather than to be given to a stranger where he would live out the rest of his life miserably," as well as your thinking that you are the only one "willing to put up with him" is totally wrong.

I truly believe that given the right home and right environment - he could become better socialized and be very happy. For instance, he might be very happy with a retired couple who have no children.

It sounds like I'm critizing you - but I really don't mean to. I just think little dogs should be where they don't need to be penned up in playpens or garages most of the time. They need to interact with their caretakers and be part of a family. I think that having to isolate any dog only makes them less sociable and probably more aggressive.

I am really only thinking of your dog - and think that "rehoming" is his best chance to live a more normal and happy life. Being isolated the better part of the time, living in playpens, and now maybe a garage -- is not the way a dog should live. And, I'm sure he could adjust very readily to a new and better environment and be much happier. Dogs can do this -

****** You're not the only person in the world that should consider rehoming a pet. I had to rehome a pet (a parrot that I loved very much) - and it was very hard for me to do. But sometimes the best and kindest things to do are also the hardest. . He had to be rehomed because my Yorkie (yes - my Yorkie) thought he was a toy and wanted to pounce on him every chance he got. After about four frightening episodes - I realized that if anything ever happened to that wonderful, playful, affectionate little bird that I would never forgive myself. So - I had to found him a new and safer home to live in. ***** My little parrot is thriving in his wonderful new home. He's as happy as he can be and very enjoyed and loved very much.


Good luck - Carol Jean

Jank - We had a similar situation with our Old English Sheepdog. He bit my son in the face and he needed stitches. We worked with the rescue organization in our area and they found him a home with a couple with no kids and 3 other dogs. They write and send pictures to us and I'm so happy he's in such a great place. I am a total believer in rescue organizations. They'll make sure they find the right home for your dog. I know what a painful decision it is, it broke my heart giving our dog up - but with kids in the house, sometimes there's no other option. It's the best solution for you and your dog.
To be optimistic though, I do hope things are working out with you introducing the dog to your baby gradually.
Good luck,
Karen

Great post!!:thumbup: :thumbup:

Good point. :thumbup:

We once had a beagle that suffered horrible separation anxiety. He was so destructive that we almost gave him up. He was also impossible to leash train. We didn't want to give him up because he was a rescue that finally had a forever home and despite the problems we really loved him. We finally decided to send him to a local dog trainer for a month. This man worked with Buddy several times a day, every day and when Buddy came home he was the perfect little gentleman.

My advice would be to talk to a couple of trainers in your area and get him the help he needs. If it were your child I'm sure you would have him or her in to a child psychiatrist sooner or later! It is worth a try!

Please don't put him in the garage!

I dont mean to be rude, but i totaly agree with Villette, i could never ever to this to my Babies !!!!