Overly Possessive Yorkie - Husband wants to get rid of!
 

I need some help fast. We have had our Yorkie since January. She is about 8-9 months old. For the first 3 months she was a wonderful little puppy. After that she began getting possessive of me while we were sitting on the couch. She has just gotten worse as time goes on. We have another dog (s**tzu/Poodle mix). Well, they used to each out of the same dish but now our little Yorkie won't let the larger dog near the dish. I have to let each of them eat and then put up the dish (it is only the food dish, not the water dish). In the evenings when I sit down, the Tripper (our Yorkie) sits with me. If anyone walks into the room she starts her ficious little growl. She looks like she will attack but has never bitten anyone - yet. She has gone after our other dog and nipped at him if he gets too close. My husband is getting more persistent that we get rid of her. Whenever he says that my eyes fill with tears. She is adorable and I don't want to get rid of her but I am starting to wonder if I will ever get rid of this behavior. I have tried everything - banging metal cups together and saying no; laying her firmly on her back until she stops; squirting her with water. . . Nothing seems to be working. PLEASE - does anyone have any suggestions that have really worked on this type of behavior?

I have to tell you...if you can rent or borrow from the library Cesar Millan's the Dog Whisperer DVD's you wont regret it...he address this issue quite often and I find his techniques to be amazing..I can actually walk my dogs now...in peace because of Cesar...and we have learned sooo much...even the kids know what to do in most situations..I dont have your problem with my dogs and hope you find the answers you are looking for but that is a good hands on tool..

Dawn

Agressive Yorkie Nothing Works
 

I have tried everything - banging metal cups together and saying no; laying her firmly on her back until she stops; squirting her with water. . . Nothing seems to be working.

My female was that way with my husband (I couldn't get near him) like you I thought I had tried everything too, then it hit me...
Yorkies are alot like children in that some punishments just don't work no matter what you try. One night when I went to sit next to him I decided we'd try the time out routine. When she acted agressive I picked her up told her NO and then put her on the floor. When she would try to get back up I would put her down again. After about a week of not being able to sit with dad she decided that it was better to be nice and get along rather than try to try and push the ALFA female around. You have to be strict and keep at it but I'm happy to say that we all live in a happy home now.

You could give this a try if you have someone that will work with you. I saw this on a training show on tv. The dog was really bad and it worked.

Have her favorite treat ready and let someone come close (but not to close) to you. You give her the treat and praise her like crazy. You keep doing this until she no longer reacts to someone approaching you. When Tripper is comfortable with that you have the other person start giving the treat (always with a lot of praise). She will begin to associate letting people get close to you with good things.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

I saw this issue on an episode of "Me or the Dog", and it was with a yorkie. The trainer had the husband turn his back to the dog and sit down (keeping his back to him). That way, the dog didn't see him in a "threatening" way.

Well, I believe that food aggression is quite common among dogs. Mine will eat peacefully together but they all take a few bites of food, walk away, and then eat it separately.

With treats, they will do warning snips or growls so I have to be right in the room to mediate just in case.

About the possesiveness I would put your yorkie on the floor everytime you are sitting with your hubby. Make the couch a "no dog" zone until this situation subsides.

Also you must step in when the yorkie is being aggressive towards your other dog. What I do is I step between them and say NO and stare at them until they start to back up. If that doesn't work, I gently roll them over to their sides until they calm.

I know that is controversial, but we've done it since they were babies and it's a calming thing for them. After I roll them to their side and they settle I do a ittle doggie massage.

Another thing you could try is to distract when the dog becomes aggressive, or whenever your hubby touches the yorkie and she doesnt react, give her a treat and she will associate good things with your hubby.

You've gotten a lot of good advice here, so I won't repeat it. But I will give you my sympathies, because I know how stressful a situation like this can be for your family and marriage. I had a very similar situation with a rescue yorkie several years ago, and she really came between my husband and me. The more I defended her, the more upset he became with her, and the more upset he became, the more I defended her. It was excruciatingly painful emotionally. And the more stress that's in the household, the worse the behavior gets. It's a vicious circle.

So I would definitely rent the Cesar videos. They talk a lot about this particular issue. And try some of the ideas here. And I really wish you the best.

One question for yorkiegirl83.. when you're doing the puppy roll, how can you do that gently when they are being hyperactive and out of control?

Help for Overly Possessive Yorkie
 

Hi! You need to get a good trainer and do everything they tell you. I've personally had experience with 2 dogs like this (rescue babies). The trainer we used was highly recommended by our vet. This woman saved these dogs from being put down. They had both been passed around to 2 other owners before they came to me. We attended weekly classes with the trainer and then did all the follow-up everyday at home. It worked beautifully. Please invest the money to change your dog's life and all of you will live happily. :)

I saw that too, and that is what i would try ! Just dont look at the little stinker, just back up to sit ! Good luck !