HELP , 7 MONTH MALE YORKIE IS RUNNING OUR LIVES

by Ruth
(Las Vegas, Nv)

WE Have a 7 month old Male Yorkie who was fixed 7 days ago. Got him at 4 months old. My husband's idea. He's wanted one for quite a while now. We are both retired so we're home with the pup a lot. He's approx 7-8 lbs.

Paper trained him, but at 6 months put a doggie door in, which he goes out & in of, sometimes does his business in the designated area we made for him, but for the most part goes on the paper. If I'm busy or my husband is not paying attention to him, he moves his bowels where ever he feels like it.(my husband insists on spite) When people come in the house, he jumps on them like he's a madman. I've taught him to sit, come and stay (w/ treats) but when I don't use the treats he rarely listens to me.

I've tried to walk him but he just sits down and won't move and I don't want to pull him. When he isn't getting attention, he barks for it and I don't know how to stop him. My husband wishes Riley would let him pet him, but Riley only let's you pet him when he wants you to. He also chews on everyone's shoes. I've tried to show him his basket with all HIS things in it and tell him, that this is MINE and his toys are HIS, but to no avail! At my wits end!

My husband got him so he could have a friend and love, feed and pet and take care of him, but the dog is making his blood pressure rise and he is ready to give him away.. I've bonded with Riley (feed, bathe, groom, try to walk him, play with him, etc) although clearly he loves my husband and my hubby is his favorite) Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I think my husband is really serious about getting rid of him. He says he made a mistake. I keep telling him Riley is still a puppy and it's our fault that he does the things he does.. That we allow him and enable him to be a bad pup, but for the life of me, I don't know how to correct all this bad behavior

Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Many Thanks!!



Hi Ruth
I'm sorry you're having so many problems with this little guy, and I can imagine how frustrating and disappointing this must be.

However, you're right when you say that it's more the fault of you and your husband, than it is the puppys'! I don't mean this nastily at all, the situation you're in is actually very common and although it may seem impossible right now, with discipline and perseverance (and a bit of time) YOU can turn this pups behavior around.

Raising puppies is very similar to raising children, and if you don't set the proper firm rules and guidelines early on, life can be very challenging - for everyone. Yorkies are adorable, but they can be very stubborn and willful, and the fact that their cute little faces can melt your heart in a second (photo above is proof of that!) doesn't help.

To begin with I would suggest getting a crate for your little guy and begin to use it regularly. Your pup should have pretty good bladder/bowel control, so messing in his crate shouldn't be a problem. My Crate Training A Puppy page has lots of tips and advice to help you.

He will likely make a huge fuss at first though, but you will have to harden your hearts and ignore it. He will eventually settle down, but with all of these things I'm going to tell you about it could be a battle of wills for a few weeks - and it's important that YOU and YOUR HUSBAND win these battles. You are going to be 'cruel to be kind' because otherwise this little boy risks losing the only home and family he knows and loves, and that would be terrible for him (and unnecessary).

One point I'd like to make is that dogs don't do things out of 'spite', they simply don't have the capacity to think in that way. It's more likely that although your pup uses his doggie door and the paper often, he thinks that this is 'optional', and if no-one is reminding him, or supervising him, then he'll just be lazy and go wherever he wants. The crate will help with this.

Get his chewing under control by reading my Puppy Chewing page and following the tips there. For really stubborn chewers, or for the times when your pup is hanging on your shoe laces, a small water spray bottle can be very effective. A quick shot of water on the nose, accompanied by a firm verbal 'no' can be very effective.

I think both you and your husband and your puppy would benefit from enrolling in a formal basic obedience class at a local dog obedience school. The socialization experience is an added plus for your pup, and you will learn how to overcome any problems with one-on-one instruction from a qualified dog trainer.

The jumping on people is a problem that needs to be addressed to - but at least this is a 8lb pup and not a 80lb pup you're having to deal with! This will take a bit of effort on your part, and you'll need your visitors to 'help' you too, but it can be done. Here's how......

You will need to attach a long training leash (See this website page for some samples of long training leashes. It also has tips that should help you with that leash-walking problem), or even a strong piece of rope to your pups collar right before your visitor comes to your door. Either you or your husband holds the leash and the other person opens the door, when the visitor steps in and your pup rushes forward to jump on them, give the leash a short/sharp tug so that he isn't able to jump and is put off-balance.

Repeat this every time he tries to jump. It works best when the leash is fairly long, and the pup is barely aware of the person holding it. That way the correction, seems in his mind, to be directly related to his jumping, and not to someone pulling him. After he's stopped jumping, or at least has slowed down his efforts, the person at the door should ask him to 'sit' and once his little butt is on the floor, he gets a treat and the visitor can greet him while he's sitting. If he starts jumping again, repeat the process. If he KEEPS jumping, over and over again, just get him to sit once and get his treat and then pick him up and put him in his crate. He'll soon decide sitting and getting petted and treats is preferable.

If you can get some friends to 'visit' you so that you can practice this more often, so much the better. If your pup does the same thing when you and your husband come home, have one person be the 'returning person' and the other can do the correcting, if you see what I mean.

Now, none of this is going to result in a well-behaved pup overnight, but if you are consistent, loving and patient - but firm, your little guy WILL get the message. He's had 7 months to learn how to misbehave, and although it shouldn't take more than a couple of months for him to re-learn the correct behavior, it will take time.

In general, dogs WANT to behave the right way, they just need to be shown clearly what that is. Your little guy loves you both, and he will be happier and more secure once you establish rules and cause-and-effect for him. Puppies really are just like children in that way. It would be such a tragedy for him to lose his home over something like this, so I beg you both to be strong for his sake and help him learn what's right. It may be hard for a few weeks, but the result will be a much stronger, happier relationship between you two and your dog, and that is worth whatever effort it takes to achieve it.

I wish you both the best of luck, and hope your story has a happy ending. If you want to let me know how it goes, feel free to send me an email - I'd love to hear how this turns out.