Yorkie Trouble

TinysaurusRex

Hello, am just wondering if I can get some advice as am starting to get to breaking point with the problem!
2 years ago, we took a 1 year old Yorkie off a family who were at their wits end with him, they were going to give him up or sell him. I couldn't bare the thoughts of this and so I took him. If only I had known.
We took him as I said as a year old doggy, and he was skinny, shaky, and jumpy. Naturally, I assumed the worst, but I saw how this dog was raised and he couldn't have been looked after by a nicer family, they had several other dogs who were dreams, including another yorkie. So, i brought him to the vets, had him looked over and she suggested that he was just a skinny dog by nature.
When I took him home, over the weeks I noticed his behaviour was so strange, he hated being outside at all unless he was in my mams with all her dogs, and he would scratch and scream at the door until it was opened. This could literally go on for hours, as I was trying to get him out of the habit of crying for attention. I failed, miserably. It took a year to house train him, and he ate about a quarter of a bowl of nuts a day, as well as little or no water. He was a nightmare to walk, no matter how hard we tried, and still hasn't changed.
Back in February we got a little Shihtzu as a companion for him, and while it has improved him in miniscual ways, he still will not be outside for any length of time unless its in my parents and screams the back garden down, and when I say scream, I mean scream.
Grooming means sedation, as he is a nightmare to try to groom.
As i sit here typing I'm listening to him scream the place down, and I'm getting to my wits end. Can anyone advise me of anything that could help?

andreac

Where is he screaming the place down? Outside in the garden?

Sorry but Yorkies are not designed to be outside dogs, they are a toy breed so quite delicate.

Can you not just bring him in to the house if you are there? I know my 3 dogs, Rotties, hate being outside and will cry and whinge to be let in, so they are rarely outside. Im sure he would settle if he is in the house and in a comfy bed.

How much exercise does he get?

I would suggest getting a qualified behaviourist in to the house and also try bringing him to some training classes. The poor dog just seems so lost and is craving attention of some sort.
Also, if he is very skinny then he could have some sort of medical condition. What food do you feed him? A quarter of a bowl sounds fine for a dog that small.

sillysmiles

You poor thing, that sounds hard going.

When you say a 1/4 of a bowl, have you weighed his food and see how much he should be eating.
Has he put on any weigh since you got him?

Other than going to the toilet, does he need to be outside for any reason? If he is that skinny he is probably cold.

Has he bonded with anyone in the house?

TinysaurusRex

sillysmiles wrote: »

You poor thing, that sounds hard going.

When you say a 1/4 of a bowl, have you weighed his food and see how much he should be eating.
Has he put on any weigh since you got him?

Other than going to the toilet, does he need to be outside for any reason? If he is that skinny he is probably cold.

Has he bonded with anyone in the house?

I started giving him wet food to try encourage him to eat and he does eat all of that for me, but still hasnt gained much weight, and he is wormed.

I actually only put him outside to go to the toilet really, and maybe for a half hour other than that, but when he starts screaming I try to assert with him that if he cries he wont get what he wants, and unfortunately this can end up in hours of back and forth with him
He has bonded with me from day 1, he loves me, and i love him too, but he is literally one of the boldest dogs I have ever dealt with in my life!
Streasful situation to be honest

TinysaurusRex

andreac wrote: »

Where is he screaming the place down? Outside in the garden?

Sorry but Yorkies are not designed to be outside dogs, they are a toy breed so quite delicate.

Can you not just bring him in to the house if you are there? I know my 3 dogs, Rotties, hate being outside and will cry and whinge to be let in, so they are rarely outside. Im sure he would settle if he is in the house and in a comfy bed.

How much exercise does he get?

I would suggest getting a qualified behaviourist in to the house and also try bringing him to some training classes. The poor dog just seems so lost and is craving attention of some sort.
Also, if he is very skinny then he could have some sort of medical condition. What food do you feed him? A quarter of a bowl sounds fine for a dog that small.

Thank you for your reply, I should have clarified that he is a big yorkie, he was supposed to be a toy breed but is reeeeeaallllyyy long in the legs, and thin in the middle, only for the fact that we have papers i would have thought he was half italian greyhound to be honest.
He gets a lot of attention, i get this question a lot , and plenty of exercise.

mymo

I second the idea of getting a behaviourist in, it sounds like you really need it. It's not going to change the dogs behaviour over night, but will give you the tools to cope with and change his problems.
Really can't stress enough to get a qualified behaviourist, if you give an idea of the area you're in, someone may suggest a good one near you.

My dogs hate being out unless I'm out with them or it's warm and sunny with the door open. I'd suggest letting him out to toilet (go out with him if nescessary) and letting him straight back in, so he doesn't get the chance to start crying.

sillysmiles

Actually that sounds like a good plan, don't wait for him to cry, call him back in before he starts. Anything to break the cycle.

andreac

TinysaurusRex wrote: »

Thank you for your reply, I should have clarified that he is a big yorkie, he was supposed to be a toy breed but is reeeeeaallllyyy long in the legs, and thin in the middle, only for the fact that we have papers i would have thought he was half italian greyhound to be honest.
He gets a lot of attention, i get this question a lot , and plenty of exercise.

When you say plenty of exercise, what is his daily exercise routine?

TinysaurusRex

andreac wrote: »

When you say plenty of exercise, what is his daily exercise routine?

daily walks, as well as him running around like a lunatic with our puppy!

Nody

TinysaurusRex wrote: »

actually only put him outside to go to the toilet really

Have you trained him to have a toilet word that he's used to and knows what it means? Because throwing him out and expecting him to go is not going to work.

I try to assert with him that if he cries he wont get what he wants and unfortunately this can end up in hours of back and forth with him

Assert what exactly? He's a flipping dog; you're trying to apply human logic and show him who's the boss by ignoring him for hours which simply does not work as you've proven yourself (trainers would use 30s to a minute time out at most; not hours as dogs simply don't have the attention span or ability to connect being alone with what they did beyond that time period). Your dog is freaked out being outside (for what ever reason) and leaving him there for hours simply pushes him further into said panic mode which will go into a downward spiral as he panics and is all alone not knowing why he can't be with you. If you want to leave him outside (beyond the toilet) you're going to have to work him up to it and deal with it as separation anxiety (that's starting at seconds and slowly going from there).

He has bonded with me from day 1, he loves me, and i love him too, but he is literally one of the boldest dogs I have ever dealt with in my life!

Sounds to me you have a dog with separation anxiety in some form and I'd strongly recommend you get a behaviorist over as suggested above; gut feeling is you're going to have a whole new view on your dog's behavior after the first session but make sure you get a properly qualified one rather than the first cowboy around who calls himself a behaviorist (if you post your rough area people can suggest you a few good once).

TinysaurusRex

Nody wrote: »

Have you trained him to have a toilet word that he's used to and knows what it means? Because throwing him out and expecting him to go is not going to work.

Assert what exactly? He's a flipping dog; you're trying to apply human logic and show him who's the boss by ignoring him for hours which simply does not work as you've proven yourself (trainers would use 30s to a minute time out at most; not hours as dogs simply don't have the attention span or ability to connect being alone with what they did beyond that time period). Your dog is freaked out being outside (for what ever reason) and leaving him there for hours simply pushes him further into said panic mode which will go into a downward spiral as he panics and is all alone not knowing why he can't be with you. If you want to leave him outside (beyond the toilet) you're going to have to work him up to it and deal with it as separation anxiety (that's starting at seconds and slowly going from there).
Sounds to me you have a dog with separation anxiety in some form and I'd strongly recommend you get a behaviorist over as suggested above; gut feeling is you're going to have a whole new view on your dog's behavior after the first session but make sure you get a properly qualified one rather than the first cowboy around who calls himself a behaviorist (if you post your rough area people can suggest you a few good once).

Ok, you seem to have already decided that I'm a bad dog owner and that i'm clearly the reason for my dog being this way.
Toby lingers around the door when he has to go to the bathroom, so its not a case of me throwing him out and him not understanding.
I did mention that he absolutely loves being outside when in the company of my mam's dogs, and actually refuses to come in (which drives me insane too as he wont listen to me) but when we're at home its a different story. So the whole double standard thing is baffling to me.
The problem I am having is with my dog and his mixed signals. He seems to want to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and basically **** everyone else kinda thing.
I love both of my dogs very much and would appreciate if people understood and respected that. The other dog has been raised by me since he was a puppy and I have had no issues at all with grooming, feeding, walking or separation.
I also realise that all dogs are different, and am trying to respect that to the best of my ability, but my older dog is really causing problems for the whole household.
If there's anyone on this with valuable advice on how I can improve his behaviour then I sincerely thank you in advance. If there's any pet enthusiasts who believe that they are the best dog owners in the world and love nothing more than judging other dog owners, then kindly go elsewhere.
Thank You!

andreac

But if hes crying outside and going mad, just let him in? That will solve your problem?

What food are you feeding him as that can have a huge impact on their temperament and hyperness.

Do you do any sort of training or obedience with him? This will help to tire him out mentally and keep him occupied. Dogs love to please so it just sounds like hes looking for attention which hes not getting.

Yes he loves being outside with the other dogs as he has company, of course hes going to cry if hes outside on his own and all his companions are inside, why wouldnt he?

Start with little changes and it might make a big impression on other things for you. Does he settle when hes in the house?

You really need to bring him to a trainer or get them to come to your house to give you proper guidance and advice. What part of the country are you in?

For walks, what training have you done with him to try and sort this? Have you ever brought him to obedience classes?