I have an 18 mo old Yorkie named Joe. I realize now that I have not done the best job training him early on and am trying desperately to fix the problems now. Joe was very spoiled early on but it was not a major problem for me (since i did the spoiling). The problems began when i decided to bring home a 5 year old Papillon. I am at fault for their poor introduction...I did not take them to a neutral location or anythign like that. At the time they were both in tact but I soon had Joe fixed. This Papillon was attacked pretty viciously by Joe several times so that I finally took him back to my groomer where I got him. Then around New Years I decided to get a cat. So I took Joe with me and we jointly picked out a cat that got along with both of us. Things have been superb. Joe and Jeffrey snuggle together and have learned to play together and it has been very wonderful. Recently I had both Jeffery and Joe at my grandmothers for the weekend, while I was out of town. Apparently Joe attacked my grandmothers dog Murphy (we think over the cats food that Murphy was trying to check out). Murphy is okay, had a scrape on his head but all in all is fine. So I resolved myself to the fact that I couldn't take Joe over there anymore. Well just this weekend I was cleaning up the house and heard Joe make his attack sounds and I turned around and he was on Jeffery. I yelled and ran over and very easily pulled him away (when he attacked the Papillon this was very difficult). It seems like a minor spat but with Joe's history of aggression I don't think I should take it lightly. For all I know the cat scratched him in play and he simply replied... About 20 minutes later the cat was nuzzling up against him and initiating play. This makes me think it wasn't too big of a deal. Joe also has a major problem of barking at people outside and when they come in the house. He also ran out the door one day, following me when i was taking Jeffrey out, and barked pretty ficiously at my neighbor. The neighbor says Joe bit him (I think he nipped at him). The neighbor was kicking and swinging at him which only excalated the situation. I guess my question is this, can I use committed training to solve these behavioral problems and will I ever be able to really trust him when I am not around... This is my first dog in my first house and I really can't imagine my life without him. The thought of having to put him down devastates me so I really want to believe that I can work on this. PLEASE HELP!!!

Diana,
Dominance comes in all sizes. You said it with your own words that you spoiled him. Real training will help, but I'm afraid he's going to have this dominance thing as part of his character. I have a 2.5 year old female sheperd who is a dominant dog. I have trained her from the time she was a pup. At first by doing conditioning exercises then later when she was about 4-5 months we started real training. She is still a dominant dog; however if I'm watching as situations come up I can see trouble brewing and with the training that's been given her I can usually head trouble off. Training is only half the answer though. The other half is to not let your dog get in those type of situations in the first place.

Then you have the dog and the cat now, and not the second dog, right?



Does the dog have a crate? A leash? Are you training the dog?

Does the cat have places to go where the dog can't reach him?

Yes, right now I have the dog and the cat (no second dog). Joe does have a crate but I do not use it. The cat has many places it can go where Joe won't get to him. He has his own closet where I keep his litter box. I put a cat door on the door to to closet (Joe will NOT go through the door) and Jeffrey seems to love going in there and roll around. Any specific training techniques I should be using?

Other than general obedience training you can put the cat in the crate and create a zone around the cat ( say 10' or whatever you like) then you must enforce it consistently by not allowing the dog any closer then that zone you've created. Keep a leash on the dog and every time he comes to close correct him. The key to this whole thing is the dog being able to see you clearly as the pack leader. Until he does he will not respect your wishes (to leave the cat alone).

You need to buy the Basic Obedience video from Leerburg and the Dominant and Aggressive dog video. Study them. They really helped me.

Your dog may only weigh 5 pounds but he is a dominant and aggressive dog. He needs a micro prong collar which you can also order from Leerburg.

This dog thinks he is the boss of you, and he is correct. If you want this dog to change, YOU have to change first. There have to be new rules set that the dog will have to follow whether he likes it or not.

He will need CORRECTIONS with a PRONG COLLAR. Now believe me, I am a softie when it comes to my pets and I can truly say my first correction on my male HURT ME more that it hurt him. But it is the ONLY way to get him to respect you. (Close your eyes if you have to, I did!)

He sleeps in his crate, not in your bed (just until he is trained and listens well).

If you tell the dog to stay in the house, when you take Jeffrey out, he bloody STAYS IN THE HOUSE from now on. If you tell him to stop barking, he bloody stops barking NOW. Not after 5 more barks.

YOU are the one who has to change the way you live with your dog. From studying Ed's videos, you do not have to get rid of your dog. This is an easy problem to fix. It is just not easy for those of us who like to baby our pets, to have to live more sternly with them. I initially felt like I was being so mean to my dog, but once you start seeing REAL RESULTS, trust me it will all be worth it.

Good luck with Joe!

Angela makes some good points there. Your lil' Yorkie is a huge dominant dog in a little Yorkie body. You have to teach him you are the alpha and he will get better. Start by not allowing him on any furniture including your bed, UNLESS YOU invite him. He sleeps in his crate until his behavior improves. Little dogs seem to suffer most from this kind of behavior because we, as humans spoil the crap out of them and teach them the wrong behavior. Work on that and you'll see how quickly he improves, stay firm and be fair to him.

Thanks for all the suggestions...In the past couple of days I have been initiating new house rules and Joe seems to already be picking up on it. I still let him out in the house during the day right now and make him sleep in his bed next to mine. I will immediately start making him sleep in the crate. Should I be crating him during the day when I am gone. I work a 9-5 job...

I trained my dog with a professional trainer whose beliefs are similar to Ed's. My trainer said that "while the dog is learning new rules, he is either in his crate, peeing, or obeying a command"

So the answer based on my trainers perspective would be, yes, he is in his crate while you are away. He needs to EARN freedom by being on his best behaviour when he is out. So to start with, you take away all his freedom. Then he will realise how important his freedom is, and will be more willing to work for it.

Once he has acceptable behaviour all the time, then he will no longer need his crate. But for now, he should be in it all the time except for walks (exercise), bathroom breaks, and training sessions with you.

It WAS acceptable, though, for my dog to do an hour long down-stay on his rug in the living room with his bone while I watch TV. As soon as he breaks, he gets a correction and put in his crate. Solves barking problems too

You could also have the crate in the room with you while you watch TV, work on the computer, etc, so the dog doesn't have to be alone all the time.

 Quote: Diana Freeman

The neighbor says Joe bit him (I think he nipped at him). The neighbor was kicking and swinging at him which only excalated the situation.

I know this is serious and you have recieved some good advice, but this part of you post made me chuckle.
I can just imagine someone swinging and kicking at a Yorkie....it would be like trying to hit a fly without a fly-swatter....or the green giant picking on the keebler elves