possible neglected yorkie question....need advice
 

We belong to a local yorkie meetup group and a new member needed a sitter for their 8 year old yorkie....so we wanted to volunteer just because we know how it is to need a sitter during vacations. We've had her since friday and boy is she a mess. Her issues:

1. antisocial, completely and utterly antisocial with space boundary issues
2. she lunges at Zoe when she comes near and tries to play with her...we were told she doesn't play because of 'old' age
3. doesn't know a single command, not even the basic sit?????:( I don't get it, Zoe knows all her basic commands and even knows a few fun tricks
4. doesn't play at all, just sits in one spot, doesn't walk or run around the house
5. is completely overweight...she is Zoe's size, but weights 9lbs and Zoe weighs slightly over 5lbs....she is on diet food and we were told it's because their child gives too much treats which I don't believe that treats alone will make a dog overweight...must be another factor.
6. her nails are completely overgrown to the point where it is starting to curl over...I'm a bit bothered and concerned by this
7. her private areas are not at all groom which disgusts me because these areas are keep really short on Zoe for hygenic reasons
8. hubby was petting her on the back the other day and she went crazy yapping and ran off? She yelped and struggled as if she was being physically hurt. Was she abused or perhaps not touched much? You can touch Zoe anywhere on her body and she will curl or roll over and close her eyes as if she's enjoying it
9. doesn't know how to walk on a leash...will drag and pull and walk extremly slow
10. teeth is in extremly poor condition, perhaps due to age? We were never given a toothbrush or any direction about brushing her teeth...which we woudln't have mind brushing every day
11. will lunge at Zoe when she comes near or turn her head away and face the other direction when Zoe comes to play with her
12. we took her and Zoe to a nearby park and when we got to the grassy area, we unleashed both and we were running around and playing fetch and Zoe was running around like a mad woman while the other dog just sat there, not knowing what to do with herself, not knowing how to run around or play
13. won't play with toys at all. Her parents didn't bother to bring toys...and Zoe is sweet enough to push her balls and squeaky toys to this dog and either is ignored or lunged at or nipped at
14. snorts as if she is having breathing problems...we guess it's due to her overweight issues

Is this possibly a case of neglect or just someone that treats their dog like a 'dog'...I'm a bit concerned for her and realize that Zoe gets treated like a complete princess in comparison...in terms of training properly, good health and diet, good behavior, socialized, and lots of touching and loving from us. We have extreme pity for this dog because she doesn't know how to behave like a dog, she doesn't seem to know what it feels like to run around and play fetch and enjoy treats and chasing and wresting other dogs and playing with toys.

We have her for another week and it's quite unbearable to see her in this state. Any suggestions or advice about her behavior and physical well being? Should we address our concerns to the owner when they return or mind our own business?

It doesn't sound good to me. Are you interested in adopting this dog, or do just want to help it. Maybe you can have it groomed while the lady's away, and have it's nails clipped. You can just tell the lady you wanted to give her a spa treatment while she was on vacation. Maybe she'll get the hint.

we just want to help this dog. We're just sitting her while her parents are on vacation. Even if she was up for adoption, there's no way we would consider it out of concern for Zoe(lunging, nipping etc). We are doing our best to socialize her and help her behave like a normal dog and enjoy her doggie life.

That's a GREAT idea about the 'spa' just so we don't offend anyone. But part of me feels like I don't have a right to 'alter' the dog with nail trimming and shaving her private down becuase it's not our dog.

I treat my dog like a dog & he is well groomed, loves to play & super active.
I would not think neglect about the anti-social thing. There is a lady where i work that takes wonderful care of her yorkie, but her dog is very anti-social & has fear agression issues. I'm sure that's a combination of not getting out much & bad breeding. However, the grooming is what concerns me. I guess some people don't realize that have to clip the nails or hair. I guess you could suggest that this needs to be done & the name of your groomer. I would also watch how she reacts to her owners when they come back....if they can love on her & pet her then i would just accept that she's not used to strangers.

How long have you already had her??

What concerned me the most is the dental condition . The little one should have a complete check up by a vet .

i dont want to come off as not spoling my yorkies because i think i do

but some of those "neglected traits" really dont sounds like neglect to me.
not walking on a leash, mayve they carry her and they might not take her to parks and such i dont. some of mine give me trouble on leashes and wont walk on them. some of mine know simple obedience and some dont. some play with toys and some dont. some want to play with other dogs and some dont. i would never trust my dogs to run leashless anywhere but the back yard and even then they tried to escape to seek that adventure.
if hses older teeth will start to decay, if the mainly fed her soft food thats a factor in bad teeth. if she is an only dog thats why she isnt comfortable playing with other dogs. and if she isnt around other dogs often, which that sounds like whats going on, then that would explain her being anti social and space hogging.

we had little girl first for years and we took her out and about but not with other dogs. we didnt take her to parks to run wild and i dont see us as neglectful for doing that, but when we added other dogs she was/is antsocial with them, jealous of people and space and she doesnt play with toys never has. even though we did buy her toys. its the dogs personality

grooming i bathe and comb them and trim them my self but rarley do i go down under unless there is a specific area that needs something done. sometimes i shave the hineys but not all the time. yes nails should be done, sometimes i get a little lazy and might go a few weeks before doing it but i do, trim the nails and that is a neccessity

as for yelping when she is pet by your hubby. is their a man in her life now at home? maybe she hasnt been around men. maybe her personality is when i want to be petted by you i will come to you. maybe being older she is sensitative in spots. i had a dog live to be 18 and that was her sometimes. you didnt know you were hurting her but she would yelp, they get older and they get brittle

so i personally dont think its a case of neglect and i dont mean to be rude but sometimes some people overreact because they do things differently then others. some people see there yorkies as princess/princes to be spolied beyond means and some people see them as loving pets to hold and cuddle but know the line between pet and people and some people see them strictly as dogs (which by the way they are) im in the middle i love my to death but i do draw the line at certain points.

so i dont believe this is a yorkie in distress that needs rescuing.

I agree. I would go ahead and get her groomed. She would probably be a much happier dog looking and feeling pretty. You could tell her you wanted to surprise her when she returned from vacation.

i also dont see anything wrong with you wantingto clean the pup up. nails, bath and all. it would probably be a nice suprise for the lady. but i would do anything more than a trim on the hair. she might be upset if the dog gets shaved or something. and you can explain what you did and show her how good the dog looks like that and it might start a chain reaction on her end to start doing more in the grooming department.

good luck with another week of the puppy and relax:p

She's not been socialized at all, and probably never gets to go anywhere at all, especially on walks which would help keep the nails shorter. Yes, snacks will certainly cause a dog to gain weight, and quickly too.
My guess is that the owner just doesn't have the proper "know-how" to take care of the dog, and it would be nice if you could show her these problem areas and offer to help out.

I disagree about the treats . When i got Ryo he was 10.something pounds. I can totally understand that if he ate too much out of the community bowl the Yorkies were fed from. He has a healthy appetite.

Now he is 8.1lbs. I was feeding him still too much . When i cut out treats all together and fed him 1/4 cup of food like he was supposed to have he dropped weight immediately. I treat him with maybe 10 more kibble per day instead of other treats. So yes treating alone coupled with too much food to begin with does cause them to be overweight and Ryon with his huge appetite is proof.

If the owner is nice I would maybe talk to her first. Other than that what can you do? too bad there isnt a Yorkies social services that makes people accountable in a healthy way for the care of thier pets.

trimming the nails or shaving the dog would not be a infrengement on rights but rather a God sent I would think

hey there - poor girl - the nails have to hurt and she needs a sanitary trim - it'll make her feel better and you too - I'd go for it -

as far as all the rest - she may not be used to children or other pets - it happens - maybe in a few days she'll come around but you have to remember she's in a new envoirnment and probably scared - She's also a bit older and maybe toys don't interest her anymore - I wonder if you can give her the kind that has a treat inside to keep her attention better ?

i think for me it would be nice to have someone surprise me with a dog groom. i think you may want to try and keep it to a bathing, nail clipping, and maybe a cute bow or something.
one thing you don't know is how the dog will react to a groomer. if she isn't very social in your home, she may not be social with the groomer.

have your dog done at the same time and say, "i was taking xxxprincessxxx to the groomer and decided to treat xxxpauperxxx done too! it's so relaxing for them."

then you sound excited like you did something great, they come home to a groomed pup (maybe they can't afford it...) and might even say, "yes, xxxpauperxxx was overdue, but we didn't have time before we left, etc."

if they offer you money, that's great!
but you also know not to leave your pup with them...

I think if you did get her groomed It would be easier to say, hey you need to keep this area shaved for sanitary purposes. Doing that would kind of clear the air and make speaking about changes a positive thing, not a negative. WHo knows maybe she will continue to keep in touch and come to you for more advice?

I would not get her groomed. People can get weird about things like that. I would give her a bath and trim her nails and butt area only. ( thats just me I guess) Talk to the people about your concerns and show them what needs to be done. talk about being over weight and NO TREATS. Mabey meet up with them for walks etc. If they are interested thats a good sign. If they blow you off you'll know they might not give a rip. I posted earlier but my post didn't show up. Anyone else have this happen? this is the 3rd time on different post.....

I think I would do the nail trim and sanitary trim but not cut her coat.These people obviously had no issues with letting you see how they care for their pet. I guess they think everything is ok. It is a delicate subject to approach. I would just say,"hey I noticed her nails were getting a little long, so I took her along when we had Zoe's cut. Here's the card for the salon. They are really good." Hopefully they will get the hint.Good luck.

IF you do anything at all, I would keep it to just a bath and a nail trim.... possibly even a hiney trim. DO NOT get this dog groomed without permission from the owners. If someone that was babysitting my Tatum did that without permission, I would be pissed. What if you took it to the groomer and something happened? Anything from the dog getting injured or even just a really horrible haircut that the owners ended up hating? I would not want that on my conscience. I have to speak from the human standpoint now..... a neighbor of mine that I trusted was babysitting my 11 month old daughter (many years ago) and took it upon herself to "trim her bangs". Of course she didn't take into account that my daughter's hair was very wavy and really bounced up when dry. Her bangs were SO short..... I was livid. I think I would not be happy either if someone took it upon themselves to make significant changes with my dog either. Just my 2 cents!

You're right about the new environment. They need time to adjust. I also had a young female that did not like to play with toys or other dogs. Never did. She was a one person dog and would protect you with her life. She was as sweet as she could be, but did not like to be messed with. She was NEVER abused. She had run of the house and slept with us. Just a difference in personalities.

I hope I didn't offend anyone about my concerns and observations. I know everyone treats their dogs differently and every dog reacts differently. I too teach Zoe her place in our family but she also enjoys being exercised, groomed, and shown affection. I guess. I'm still on the fence about grooming but I like the ideas presented here about how to tell and educate the parents

I didn't realize treats alone can possibly trigger a weight issue. She is on a strict diet set by her parents at the moment in hopes of loosing weight. I don't know how succesful this is because she doesn't want to exercise (walk or run or play and is constantly sneaking Zoe's food (we are constantly having to guard Zoe's food since we free feed Zoe in hopes she will gain some weight since she's too skinny) BUT I was told strict 2 scoops of her dry food per day, no extra treats so treats are out of the question. I asked if I can give her fresh cut up fruits and they said no to that.

I was posting just to get different people's opinions, I'm just concerned about her is all, we're not freaking out or anything like that. I guess everyone's right, different lifestyles and different ways on how to treat a dog.

Yes V, you're right, she's in a new environment and is probably in some sort of stress in her new environment without her family. I guess I saw signs that concerned me.

I only used abused in the touch aspect where she took off when we gently rubbed her back.

All the posts above is making me feel slightly better about different dog behaviors and personalities.

Hi Jennie - you are so kind to be concerned (and very observant) about this pup. Some people do treat Yorkies "just like dogs". There are some pups that are just not social no matter what you do and don't ever take well to the leash.

I know that our Eskimo Spitz is one such dog. She has never walked well on a leash (and actually hates walks and the car), she has never played with a toy in her life (we tried when she was a puppy) and she has very bad teeth. Now, I will admit the teeth part is because she has never had a dental cleaning at the vet. For years I did brush her teeth regularly. I really didn't know better about the teeth till I got my yorkie girls. I tried to use the Petzlife Gel on her, but she is now old and ornery and her mouth obviously hurts her and she has bitten me several times when I've tried to take care of her - so I don't try anymore.

That being said, I don't feel she is neglected. She is fed, brushed (she when lets me) and loves to be with us. But, she still hates all other animals (my girls included) and basically just lies around. Some just act this way!!!!

I would offer her parents some literature on PetzLife and see if that makes any difference. I would also bathe her and trim the nails, but would leave it at that. Good luck!!!

taking her to the groomer sounds good but are you sure she is up todate on the shots??? If she is antisocial I would hate for her to nip the groomer!! It sounds like a good idea but I would think twice though especailly if she is not groomed now she may not be up todate on shots which is why they haven't taken her.

Thanks Jodie...great idea, I'll even donate a bottle of Petzlife and educate them on this. Not a big deal.

Yeah, the vaccinations are where we faltered...we never asked if vaccinations were up to date. This is our first time volunteering to doggy sit for a complete stranger that joined the meetup because a neighbor suggested this just to find a sitter. Who knows if they will ever come to a park meetup.

do you have a phone # - can you reach them ??? Call, and tell them you are taking yours in to the "spa" , can thiers go too???

This is tough. Let me point out a few things; The fact that his nails are overgrown bothers me. However, with that said let me just say that Newman our 10 year old Yorkie is prone to overgrowth. His nails curl naturally and grow quickly AND, he is not good at all at having them trimmed so in some cases his become much longer then I intended because only the vet and a small army can trim them. In so far as how he's acting at your home. It could just be that he's uncomfortable in a strange house, with strange dogs. Tia who is very good with "OUR" other Yorkies, was visiting with us at a strange place and she snapped at a very friendly pup that just wanted to say hi. AND, Bella is just not good with other dogs other then our dogs. The petting throws me a bit. When you say your hubby went to pet him and he yelped and ran. Only thing I can say is that that doesn't necessarily mean anything either. Newman is very touch sensative. Down right nuerotic and it's due to poor breeding. You cannot chew gum in front of him or he freaks and shakes. If you pick him up, he yelps, and that's due to his hips bothering him. Perhaps this 8 yr. old is just a bit artheritic? Oh boy next in so far as his being over weight. Well, I'm guilty of that for sure. Newman is over weight too. Partly because he sneak eats the other's food and partly because he does have trouble with getting excersice due to his arthritis and due to a collapsing trachea. The only thing that does really concern me is the fact that the people would think nothing of bringing their ungroomed dog to stay with you. I know that sometimes things get crazy and at times my dogs may seem unkept from time to time (Very rare) but one thing for sure is that I ALWAYS make sure they look GREAT when they have a vet visit or we have company etc. I would be mortified to have someone see any of my babies looking scrappy. I think your best way to judge this is to see how he reacts when his mom and dad come to get him. If he's not excited about seeing them then I woudl think that would give you your answer right away. I know mine would be bouncing off the walls when we came to get them. Elaine

wow, you have some good points here to explain the situations. Can you educate me on what it means by 'poor breeding'. Do you mean they have certain traits/behaviors that are a cause of breeding from their parents with similar traits? eg...if if a dog is always aprehensive or fearful, and if they are bred...their pups could develop similar characteristics?

I was told by someone that because a dog's trait is extreme loyalty to their owners, no matter how badly you treat or neglect them, they will always love you and want you and be happy to see you....is this true? Just curious about this because of the comment about whether they will get excited to see their parents, which was also mentioned in a prior post.

I think my husband will be glad to hear/read this thread and be slightly relieved about this dog minus grooming and education.

Wow, I think you should really step back and realize that this is not your dog.
I don't mean to be rude, but perhaps you don't have all the information and it would be a horrible thing to make these people sound so terrible if it is not warranted. You offered to dog sit. So do a good job of it. All dogs are different. My last Yorkie was a product of horrible breeding and he died at 7 yrs old. His bottom teeth stuck straight out causing all sorts of eating problems and pain for him. He had a congenital kidney problem and eventually died of kidney failure at 7. He never ran and played like a "normal" dog. I now know that his teeth caused him a lot of pain even though the vet sedated him to clean them often. I think that if you had dog sat my Gizmo, you may have had a list for me too. Gizmo was in so uncomfortable in his last year, we just held him mostly and tried not to cause him any more pain. We loved him very much.
Now, I have a healthy yorkie girl, one of Jill Brook's, and she is beautiful, playful, etc., nothing like Gizmo. Every dog is different.

i thought about this and no one else has pointed it out
unless you have the rabies certificate she cant be taking to any groomers.
most groomers want the certificat not just the tag and some have legal things that have to be sign by the owners

I understand what you're saying and I didn't ask to be judged. I only asked for different people's thoughts and their experience as I've only had a dog for a few years and the post was meant to educate me (and perhaps others), not to point fingers at the owners or insinuate anything at all. I want to know from people whether I should be concerned and that is all. I'm not asking if the owners are horrible nor am I trying to bash them, but rather should I bring this up to the owner if it is in fact an issue. Wouldn't you rather me ask this question and find out it's nothing to be concerned about rather than sit there and say nothing and do nothing and perhaps there are some issues to be addressed? I've simply listed key items I've observed and am asking other whether this behavior is 'normal'. Forgive me for caring, I tend to have a very motherly nurturing personality. I realize this is NOT my dog, hence my hesitation to do anything but bathe and care for the dog. (Eg....school teachers that see things in a student, is this their child? No but it's their duty to speak up if anything seems off) enough judging on this board.

Maybe the pet owners will call and check up on their baby & you can ask about the grooming.

If they are concerned about the dog's weight, that's a good sign that they are trying to help the dog.

I figure you have had your fill of advice. Just wishing you the best of luck & maybe everyone will have adjusted to one another by the time the owners come back :)

:aimeeyork :) yorkiesmiles