Why does our Yorkie act this way?
 

I'm not an animal psychologist, but I know that many of you will have a better idea on this one than me.

So anyway...when Tanner is alone with me, he basically shows no real life....he is definitely not like the puppy he is. He will sit next to me....motionless....and that's it. His ears are straight back and flat (ear positions mean a lot with cats, not sure about dogs).

So he just kinda lays there....there's no emotion. He'll either lay next to me or on me. Sometimes I'll try to move him to see if I can get some playfulness and there's absolutely none. Hell, even if I call his name or try to talk to him, he hardly responds.

What's the diagnosis?? I know I posted before that he "disliked" me, and I'm sorry for that....that's probably incorrect. There's probably another emotion going on here.

It's prob. just his personality. All dogs have different personalities. For example my male is very playful and was since the day he came home but my female is very relaxed and chill except when she wants to be she will all of a sudden go crazy and act playful.

Ah alright. I was just curious, because he's much different around Heidi. Around me, he just sits near me and that's it...no playfulness. Maybe I shouldn't worry.

When my dogs were as young as Tanner, they would play for 10 mins and then sleep for like 4 hours.... then play for 10 mins then sleep for 4 hours. Your puppy could be really tired, they wear themselves out so fast when they are that young. He may be curling up with you because he feel safe and comfortable enough to nap!

My Murfee acts different around almost everyone...and there are LOTS of people around here. Don't take this wrong, but I think you should just RELAX around Tanner. He probably senses that you are a little uptight about how he is acting. Just relax and pet him and kiss on him and love him and I will bet you will see him relax too. good luck, Patty

Jeez I wish this was the case with my sophie, She will play nonstop all day, I have to kennel her back up to get anything done during my day! I hope she settles down a little as an adult! I coudn't take this forever! well at least til she is potty trained!

Maybe he's intimidated. Are you the clear alpha of the pack? You could try laying on your back (flat) and putting on your chest - let him give some kisses and stuff - talk to him and such. Have you tried anything like this?

Oh it was like the reverse for me! Now mine hardly ever sleep.. they are almost 2 and very hyper! They don't settle down until 9 or 10 at night! When they were 9 week to maybe 3 months they slept almost round the clock! Theyd wake up to play for 10 mins, to eat and then back to sleep in their little bed! They were soooo adorable all curled up in this little bed that was STILL too huge for the both of them and you couldnt tell where one ended and the other one began! :D Now they never sleep! haha

Given your previous post (see below), I would guess the dominant emotion is FEAR.

C'mon now -- let's be fair at least. Give Nodak a chance.

I am seeing a whole new attitude in these posts. And granted, I was one of the folks to issue a kick or two in those initial threads, but ... I'm seeing what at least appears to be genuine effort to work at bonding.

What I'm hoping is that the advice offered in the previous posts were looked at objectively enough that it made someone say, "Hmmm. Maybe I need to try this again, but approach it a lot differently." There's a whole board full of people here from all over the world who are willing to help you do that!

But FirstYorkie is right. Ears back is a sign of anxiety.

My BEST suggestion is to sign up for a positive reinforcement/clicker training class. Even Petsmart is OK, although you'll probably get more for your money if you research private trainers.

My second best suggestion is the same as someone gave on another thread, which is to give Tanner yummy treats that only you, not Heidi have. For some reason, he is either not excited to see you or more likely afraid of you. Maybe you caused it, maybe he was afraid of someone else who you remind him of (maybe the father or older son at the breeder hurt him?), or maybe Heidi is "mom" and you are just someone unfamiliar. Either way, you need to earn his TRUST not just his love. Teach him a game - play fetch with him or try to teach him to sit. Reward his efforts with bits of chicken.

Loki's favorite kid in the whole neighborhood is the young girl who runs out of her house when she sees him to bring him a treat. Last time she came out with a container of Turkey lunch meat. We can't even walk past her house without him stopping and laying down in the grass and STARING at her front door. He loves her. Because she brings him food. :D

Well from your other posts you have only had tanner a few weeks. When we first got meeka, I was her mommy and she didnt really want to have anything to do with my husband. It use to make him sad, she would run away when he would try to grab her and the second he set her down she would run to me. Well it has been two months now and though I am still her favorite :), she has a new relationship with my hubby! She just adores him, when he gets home I think that she is going to have a heart attack from excitement. She doesnt stop until he lays down on the bed and lets her attack him with kisses! She love cuddling with him now too.... just keep trying and give it time.

Thanks...I appreciate that....

he may be afraid....or anxious....that was actually my primary assumption.

I've been told by some I shouldn't pet it while it's laying on me or next to me....and I've been told by some that I SHOULD pet it. I tend to try to pet it and scratch it behind the ears quite a bit when it's near me....I think ignoring it wouldn't help matters.

I appreciate that as well....although, it seems PetSmart would be the "McDonalds" of pet training...I'd definitely try a private one over that...

But by ignoring him you are not threatening, so that's OK. You definately don't want to reach out and just grab him if he doesn't like it. Try luring him over with something he can't resisit.

I have 2 yorkies and they both act so different. My female is very laid back, isn't really playful, and has her ears back alot. She is a year old and is just now really starting to come out of her shell. What worked for us is major socialization. Take your pup places where he can be around other dogs (supervised, of course), take him to a friend's house and let him be around other and different people. I would even consider taking him to a puppy training class so he can be exposed to many different types of dogs and people. socialization is so critical at this age. Just get him exposed to as many different situations, people, dogs as possible.

It's not what you think. Petsmart is positive reinforcement training - which is GOOD. What is in question is the experience of the trainer. My private trainer used to work for Petsmart, and I would also recommend the current trainer at our local Petsmart since she is also fairly good. I just can't vouch for the level of training of the trainer at YOUR local petsmart. And I also can't vouch for PetCo at all. Petsmart is fine unless you find a really great private trainer.

Private trainers generally give more intense lessons, and more of them, for the money. But there also aren't any certifications *required* for them to say they are a trainer. I could open a business tomorrow and call myself a trainer. There are also trainers who will recommend you use choke collars, leash corrections or try to dominate your dog. These are old-school methods and while many people still like to use them for German Shepherds, they do not work well with sensitive Yorkies. Loki and I did two years of positive reinforcement training classes (on and off) and he has gone from a complete terror to a very well behaved dog who I can communicate with extremely well.

Nodak -

My husband and I have 5 yorkies. 3 of which are totally attached to him. It use to be that they would just lay around with me when he wasn't home. But when hubby was in the house, I didn't exist and they became live wires!

Two of them are really attached to me and would lay around when I was gone. I attribute this to 'separation anxiety'.

So, I started spending more time on the floor with his babies and he did the same with mine. We would just get on the floor on their level and talk and try to get them to play with a favorite toy. We also started giving them some of their favorite treats so a connection could begin. This did take time, but now they can't seem to make up their mind who to run to first when we come in the door.

So hang in there and make sure you take Tanner places with just you, and get on his level. He won't respond much at first, but you should slowly start seeing some changes. And it will totally thrill you...

A mistake a lot of people make is thinking it's cute when their baby barks at you and when he shows favoritism to them instead of you. (It can be very flattering to be favored by one of these babys.) Make sure Heidi doesn't encourage this and make sure she doesn't 'take over' when she's home. Try playing with him and each other on the floor so that he sees mommy including daddy in playtime too. (Just don't get rough and scare him.) How Heidi interacts with you is very important.

Good luck... I know what you're going through and it will get better. Just give it some time and try not to take it personal.

Have you tried being the one to feed him,give him treats, and walk him. You want him to associate all good things with you. It is common for young pups to sleep alot. He will come around. It sounded like you bonded the other day just keep it up

Sorry - if you do go private look for a CPDT. Certified Pet Dog Trainer.

http://www.ccpdt.org/

One thing though, Nodak -- please lose the IT!

You want this little guy to show you his personality and warm up to you. That's marvelous! But GIVE him his identity. He has a name. This may be a bit of subconscious apprehension on your part, but Tanner likely senses it.

"My buddy Tanner" vs. "IT." Which would you rather be?:)

I agree with what others have said...Try giving him irresistible treats and you be the one to feed him, walk him, groom him, at least for awhile. He'll see you more of a caretaker then :) Getting on the floor to play with him sounds like a good idea. My maltese is very shy and timid when it comes to new people...She crouches down and tries to run away when someone tries to pick her up. This was really different for us because our first dog, Miko, loves everyone! But we got her when she was 7 months old, so she was like this before we ever got her. All dogs are different, but I think you're moving in the right direction :)
Try just sitting there holding a treat that he really likes, but not really paying attention to him. He might come over to you and see what you have in your hand.
Good luck, and keep us posted!!

I was going to say the same thing. We know you mean no harm by this, but maybe if it changed, it might help the situation between you and Tanner.

There you going calling him an "it" again. I really think you just don't truly care for Tanner and he knows...they are very smart.

How long have you had him? When I first got cupcake, the breeder told me don't buy any toys, because her mom and dad never would play with toys, they were both lap dogs. Well the first four days she was like your dog. She was like a bump on a log. The breeded had warned me she was very shy. I happened to be at walmart and bought a sqeeky toy for 99 cents. After a while she started playing with it, and I bought more and more toys for her. I had to learn what she liked and didn't like. Maybe the dog is warming up to you.

Dogs can pick up on so many emotions and if you're unsure or tense near him -- Tanner will pick up on that energy.

I would just sit there quitely and let Tanner come to you, explore around you, and just be near you w/o talking to him or touching him. Then, after a little bit of time you could grab a favorite treat of his.. let him smell it, then lure him to you saying "come". If you have a clicker, this would be a great time to use it.

Before you give the treat, click and say "good come". The click is positive reinforcement that a treat is coming. Training is a great way to bond w/your new yorkie.. just make sure that it stays FUN or it will be a nightmare for Tanner!

My little Carson is just with us girls all day long. He's about 5 months old. He's still very nervous around Mike, even though Mike is pretty quiet when he's at home. A couple of times he's gotten after him about being too rough with Phoebe (my girl) or peeing in the house. But it's not like he's ever hit him, or yelled loud. I think it's harder for him to adjust to Mike because there are four of us girls here all day... we can be loud, but we are girls....

I liked the ideas for you to spend time with him with treats, etc. Yorkies are so different (from what I now know) than other dogs. I have had labs and shelties. It seems like they need lots of encouragement when they are being brave and the encouragement goes a long long way. The labs, on the other hand, though they love praise, still want to lay on you, be next to etc, even when you get mad at them for being naughty. What does everyone else think?

Good luck and hang in there! Phoebe has changed drastically as she has grown up! She was very stand offish when we got her, though she loved to play. No snuggling. Now, she begs to be on our bed in the evening for some snuggle time before crate time!

deb

He may, in fact, be afraid of you, but by posting here, it look like you're a really good parent. Dogs live in the moment so be gentle and patient, go slowly, and win him over. Yorkies are usually so loving, it's not so hard. I think, as someone else posted, the first thing to do is to relax around him - even enjoy him. He's a little Yorkie and probably as cute as could be. Until he's ready, you can just enoy that.

I think treats are also a good idea, then walking him, and so on.


Good luck with him. He'll be climbing all over you in no time! Keep us posted.

This is really good advice!!! When we got Jake, he was meant to be my dog. He is very much a mommy's boy and warmed up to me right away. I think this is because his breeder is a woman, and she has a daughter so he was very used to women, but not so much with men. It took him a little longer to warm up to my husband. He didn't seem to fear him, he seemed almost shy. But, my husband spent alot of time holding him, talking to him, and being affectionate with him...but, he took it slow because he didn't want to overwhelm Jake. He got down in the floor with him, and Jake was so happy! He would use his favorite toys to play with him and teach him, and he would give him treats. Next thing you know, Jake could fetch.....he learned it in about 10 min. He also took part in giving him fresh water, feeding him and bathing him. He even took a shower with him once.:D Now, Jake is still a mommy's boy, but he loves playing with daddy. He's always so happy to see him when he comes home from work.:) You just have to be patient and keep trying.

:( I really do not like the IT thing. Sorry, that really bothers me. :(