She's a bit of a pistol , and only 11 weeks!

[Cathy Jensen 15]

I have had dear sweet little Miley for a month now . She is cute as a button. However, she is quite full of it. She's agressive, and a growls > Miley has already started barking too. A tiny little bark, but alarming bark when she hears something unfamiliar. I think it has moreto do with out Yorkie, sometimes, she just barks on her own without any provocation. It is a cute , high pitch little bark , that is not too bad, and she stops quickly. Were still surprised when she does bark. That is her newest thing .

The worst think is her agressive nature. For example, I had a dollar bill in my hand, and dropped it on the couch. Miley grabbed the money instantly , and it was in her mouth in a flash. I went to get it away from her, she growled at me, and tried to bite me . First growling, and then biting my hand. Eventually she dropped the money . I could not believe my little pup was behaving so agressive. It was not food, she I, guess thought it was? Even if it was food, she can't attack me ! I never had such a young pup behave in this manner.

She always goes after my yorkie too . Mostly to play, but, she bites her . My yorkie is much bigger then Miley. Mley is only 3Lbs. Miley acts as if she is so much bigger then she really is. She is a tough little puppy. I have not seen anything miley is afraid of> Miley and Suzi my yorkie and gotten into growling matches , and I supervise them very carefully, Suzi runs away from Miley all the time. Suzi is 16month old. Not very old. Suzi is not agressive, however, I make certain the two of them are not going to hurt each other or play too rough. I am ver scared Suzi will hurt Miley. JUst because of the size difference. I have place Suzi in a different room just to separate them for a while and to calm them down.

All Miley loves to do is play .PLay, and play some more. I am concerned about her aggressive behavior, the biting and growling. I am hoping as she becomes older, and with training she will become calmer , and stop this behavior. Right now she is a little bit of a terror .LOL .A extremely cute one though .

I guess not all shih tzu's are all mellow and laid back. Miley certainly is not.

[tzuhouse 4]

I can't really help in this matter, both my pups were 4 months when I got them. There have been so many that have posted the very same thing here about their puppies and I think the consensus is....they will outgrow it, they are just being puppies. Search for the topic and see what you can find. I know it has been addresses many times. Meanwhile, good luck with the little one...I do think it will get better.

[Stacey 7]

Yes this is completely normal.... the growling behavior your seeing is play with me DaB Nabit! Biting is normal and really they probably need to do it to determine dog pack order..... all three of mine do the biting thing, I just let them go, its normal and when one yelps the other one realizes hey I was too rough I wont do that next time.

So yes what you are describing is completely normal and they will outgrow it.... Bert and Lea are soon to be a year old and still do it but not as much as they did.

As far as the dollar bill part... thats her saying hey listen lady you dropped it and its mine! This part Lea still does with sticks and stuff and to correct this behavior give her another toy or treat and do an exchange as your doing the exchange say DROP IT so that way they learn the drop it command.

Let her be puppy, the older one will tell her when she's had enough. Its kinda like kids, we are always telling our neices and nephews dont grow up too soon you'll regret it.... so mom dont try to force them to be an adult when she still needs to learn how to become an adult by puppy play.

Edited July 19, 2009 by Stacey

[Kae+Gizzy 5]

Ahhh we had the same problem with Gizmo (Grabbing things and growling) at first we thought it was just puppy play but he carried on doing it until recently. He is just over a year old now. He went to grab something I had dropped on the floor a few months ago but I managed to get to it first and he bit me. Not a little bite, he drew blood, i was totally shocked. We then knew it needed addressing asap.

We have always had a problem taking objects away from him so we have now learnt him to drop. If he drops and we retrive it without a problem he gets a treat. He has quickly figured this out though and now will come to me with socks and things in his mouth and drop them at my feet lol and sits there waiting for his treat He is so much better behaved now. We are still using Nilf training with him and it has helped us so much.

Teaching drop and leave it early on is probably best. I now have no problems with him at all.

As far as the rest of it is concerned it is puppy play, they often get abit over excited. Miley will grow out of that type of play. She's just having fun She's a fiesty one mom :)

[borzoimom 24]

Well it probably is associated with the terrier part ( the Yorkie) however, what you are describing is resource guarding. And while at 11 weeks old, the bites dont hurt that much, this behavior should be stopped. If nothing else than what would have happened if she had gotton something that could really hurt her?( like an extension cord etc) If this were a big breed pup, it certainly could not be tolerated, and a little breed is no different.

She needs to be trained " to give" something back. Start with some treats in one hand, hand a toy, when she goes for the toy go to take the toy, then say " give" or drop it, and put the treat by the puppys face. When the puppy takes the treat, dropping the toy, pick up the toy. Repeat this several times. You will know she understands when as soon as you " give" or drop it ( whatever word you want- but always the same word), by looking at you immediately dropping whatever she has, you know she understands. Then move onto other items. Make this like a game.

Should she " fight you"- back it up! You gave the option first of dropping it, then if she fights you, scruff her at the back of the neck. DO NOT let go, until she complies. Remember- she might yelp- but that is not that you are hurting her, its either " submission' or she is fighting to keep what she has. Until she lets go of what she has, or relaxes her body, allowing you to take it, the battle is not " over".

[Seastar 44]

I totally agree. Aggression like this isn't something to tolerate. It's cute when they are babies, but it's dangerous to let this kind of thing continue and hope it gets outgrown.

[luvinpreciousntoby 0]

i have this same issue with Toby.. and we have been working on it since he was 8 weeks.. he tends to go crazy and bite at you if you try to wash his face.. we have been told by many that it is not a "dominance or aggressive" thing.. it's simply he's a puppy and has to know his boundaries.. we have taught him "settle" which at first, we would simply pin him down.. and say settle.. when he relaxed we let him up.. he now knows.. "settle" means to calm down.. we also.. pertaining to the barking.. when he started barking,, if it was an obnoxious with no reason bark.. I would walk to him and say no bark. if he continued, I would take 2 fingers and hold him mouth shut for just a second.. now.. if he starts barking for no reason... and not stopping, I can say "no bark" and he becomes quiet...

We still have the lil spazzz sessions.. but this is a learning process.. and we're still working on it..

[Cathy Jensen 15]

Thatnk you so much for all the advice. My yorkie is so docile , I did not have to deal with these issues , that I have in Miley. Especially in such a young age! Miley is precious, she loves to play, play , and play some more. She is just a rowdy little puppy who is totally fearless.

[borzoimom 24]

Never would I accept aggression- nip it in the bud from the start. Its not a game- stop it quick!

[Stacey 7]

Thatnk you so much for all the advice. My yorkie is so docile , I did not have to deal with these issues , that I have in Miley. Especially in such a young age! Miley is precious, she loves to play, play , and play some more. She is just a rowdy little puppy who is totally fearless.

A yorkie a docile?????

I have never seen a docile yorkie most of them act spastic or like they are on doggy crack and never sit still.

Your lucky! lol

[borzoimom 24]

Yorkie's are a terrier.. Totally! Remember- they use to be ratters.. That takes uh 'brass'...

[RedyreRotties 1]

Please don't scruff your puppy, or punish her physically in a way that would make her yelp.

She sounds like a normal playful puppy.

Here are some helpful links on how to teach bite inhibition to puppies or dogs.

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogT...eInhibition.php

http://www.phsspca.org/training/puppy_biting.htm

http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm

http://www.crickethollowfarm.com/biteinhib.htm

http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/archives/bite.txt

http://www.doglogic.com/obedienc.htm#biteinhib

http://www.aylmer-hull-spca.qc.ca/biteinhib_e.html

More fun puppy games that put you in a position of leadership. These exercises teach your puppy in a kind and gentle way to respect you and look to you for leadership and FUN.

http://www.redyre.com/training/recallgame.html

http://www.redyre.com/training/nolookie.html

Another fun game to play with puppies that teaches enthusiasm, self control, and an enthusiastic recall....

http://www.ehow.com/how_2296463_teach-dog-crate-games.html

Good luck with your puppy!

[borzoimom 24]

A mother dog would scruff a puppy. This is not accepted behavior is what the mother would say. A language understood by the puppy as done before.

[tzukeeper 12]

I have 8 dogs and with the exception of Emi I raised them from puppies. They all did the exact same behavior as you have experienced with Miley. It's nothing more than typical puppy stuff in my opinion. I have never "scruffed" any of my dogs or "pinned" them. I find that a very aggressive action for a puppy. I simply redirected their attention to something more positive. I never wanted to create fear of me in my dogs. I wanted them to be well adjusted, confident animals secure in the fact that I would lead the way without need for undue physical actions against them. All of mine outgrew these type behaviors and all is well. I wish you the all the best with Miley. A little patience and understanding goes a long way with puppies. :)

[borzoimom 24]

Thats true Tracey- most of the time it works and why I posted how to train the give or drop first. Most pups learn the right way to do it. Its rare the puppy would continue a battle. Hopefully the give or drop will do the trick.

[RedyreRotties 1]

I have 8 dogs and with the exception of Emi I raised them from puppies. They all did the exact same behavior as you have experienced with Miley. It's nothing more than typical puppy stuff in my opinion. I have never "scruffed" any of my dogs or "pinned" them. I find that a very aggressive action for a puppy. I simply redirected their attention to something more positive. I never wanted to create fear of me in my dogs. I wanted them to be well adjusted, confident animals secure in the fact that I would lead the way without need for undue physical actions against them. All of mine outgrew these type behaviors and all is well. I wish you the all the best with Miley. A little patience and understanding goes a long way with puppies.

I agree completely, tzukeeper!

I breed, train and exhibit Rottweilers, and have done so for over 20 years. I do not find it necessary to intimidate or physically manhandle puppies in order to have well behaved respectful nice working dogs.

My puppies find out very quickly what gets a smile, pleasant interaction and a treat from me, and what gets them the back of my head. ;)

[LondonGirl 3]

I am not a fan of any form of physical restraint to correct an unwanted behaviour.

It seems that Miley was around 7 weeks old when she came to take over your household and maybe she did not quite get the hang of bite inhibition from her mom and/or siblings before leaving her first home. There is a lot of advice in the links already given above (and Google has oodles more) to help you to teach her not to bite.

A little patience and consistency on your part and Miley will be a little lady before you know it.

Good Luck.

[Kae+Gizzy 5]

I have never in my life Scuffed a puppy or pinned it down, it's a very harsh punishment.

A pup would see that as an agressive act and if this sort of thing were to continue people would turn that happy playful little pup into a fear biter.

I was horrified when I watched Ceaser Milan pick up 2 dogs by the scruff of the neck and hold them in the air. I don't believe we need to act like a dog would to get the right response from it. I will never watch the dog whisperer again!

I can't recommend Nilf training high enough. It really has solved any unwanted behaviour we had with Gizmo. Sometimes just plain old ignorance does the trick. Gizmo hates being ignored and that in my opinion is punishment enough. Most of my pups over the years have been fiesty and playful. Our Doberman springs to mind, now he was a fiesty boy but he grew up to a loving, loyal friend

Enjoy those puppy days, they grow up too fast lol

[mom2Gizmo 24]

My Gizmo is almost 13 months old now and we are dealing with some issues as well. As a younger pup (though he didn't come to me until 7 months of age) he always played rough and did the play nipping. He was always fearless and pushy. Once he hit his first birthday a couple of weeks ago, he started to exhibit pushy and very assertive behavior that I did not like. He used to sleep in bed with us and when I went to move him one evening he did a complaining grumble. Not an actual warning growl, but more a complaining type one. He slept in his gated area that night instead of in our bed. Last night I went to move him over to get into bed and he put his mouth over my hand. Not with any pressure whatsoever. It was a lot like what he does when I'm brushing him and he tries to mouth me to get me to stop. Even though there was no pressure applied, he has now lost all bed priveleges. He now is going to sleep in his gated area. Also, he has twice gotten bossy with my one daughter and snapped at her. Once when she went to move him over on the couch and once when he was sitting on her lap chewing on her shirt and she went to nudge his mouth away from her clothes. My daughter is a teenager, not little, so it is easier to deal with the situation. Previously I have been kind of lazy in training. He learned sit on command and to sit at crosswalks and that was it. This past week we taught him down and we are now working on wait. Next will be come and stay. We have really put into action NILF the last few days. I *think* we are already seeing some change in attitude. Hopefully things will improve. Most dogs I have lived with have been the more nervous, timid types. This is definetely a change for me. I've never lived with such a self confident dog before!

[Stacey 7]

normal this type of behavior means he thinking he's the leader of the pack and you need to reverse this now or yes it will get much worse....

when I was staying with my ex, his shih tzu was the pack leader, I kept trying to tell my ex that he needed to start getting him to mind and train him, as when we went to lay down in the bed, blubies (my pups dad) would growl and snarl at me like I was going to hurt my ex or telling him that he was his and for me to stay away....

this dog was not trained in anyway

[Bubsie 0]

I agree with not using any physical intimidation or punishment, the puppy is already convinced you are going to steal her valuable stuff, when you touch things she has it should be nothing but awesome for her. Work on changing her mind about you being around "her" stuff. I agree with training a drop it. I like to train without showing the dog the treats (so they can learn to trust that you will deliver a treat even if they don't see it first), I use a clicker so I can click when the dog does the behavior I like and take a few seconds to take a treat out of my pocket or off a table without worrying about delivering the treat when she's doing something else.

After training the dog what the clicker means (by teaching her to touch my hand on command) I would put some treats in my pocket or on a table and take a dog toy and get her playing with it, play some tug, get really into it so she likes it. Then stop and wait, and wait and wait, I would have her in a closed room or on leash so she can't leave your sight. She might play by herself a little or try and get you to play or just stand there and stare at you, but the moment she drops the toy click and then deliver a treat. Then start the game again. Dropping the toy should mean both food and the restart of the game, in other words an awesome thing to do. Repeat this over and over until it gets to the point that she drops the toy as soon as you let go. At this point you add the command "drop" or "give" or whatever you'd like to use. You play tug and right as you let go say "drop it" in a normal tone of voice. When she does click and treat then restart game. Repeat over and over. The point you want to get to with this is where she understand the actual cue word and is not responding just to the previous cue of you letting go and ignoring her until she dropped it. so what you'll do after several session of saying drop it as you let go is say "drop it" and hold on for a moment longer if she lets go click and treat and restart game, if she doesn't then drop the toy as you were doing before. Keep trying this until she lets go BEFORE you let go of the toy. At that point you can be somewhat sure she has an idea of the cue word. then start practicing with all her toys. Then move on to other items that are safe but not hers, no food and nothing that could harm her or that you would be upset if it were destroyed. Leave them lying somewhere on the floor and sit on the couch and read. Have a bowl of treats somewhere in the room where she cannot see it or have some in your pocket. When she picks one of the items up stand up and sit on the floor, act happy and say her name. Pet her and get her excited then ask for a drop it. If she does make a HUGE deal out of it, bust out the treats and give her TONS of them, then give her a toy, heck even buy a few new ones and rotate them out ONLY for this training, don't give them to her at any other time. if she doesn't drop it when you ask, and that's always a possibility when you change something up in training, you have a few options. One is to put a leash on her and walk her around the room. I know if Phoebe has something in her mouth and I have her walk so that she can't settle down and chew it she'll drop it. If that works for you try and say drop it as she drops it and give her a couple of treats. Another option is try and get her to drop it because she hears something that she needs to be alert for or is more interesting than what she has. You can try panting (makes some animals very curious), squeaking, barking at her, etc. or you could physically do something with yourself like lying on the floor, curling into a ball (you could couple that with noise), running around the room, anything you don't normally do so that she feels the urge to investigate. As soon as she drops the toy get all excited, feed treats and give her another toy she likes. Lastly, and not my favorite way to go, is to show her something else she wants like the other toy or treats and when she drops the toy giving them to her.

This is a last resort IMO because, if done too often, it can create a dog who does not trust he will get a reward without seeing it first. So that on the rare occasion the dog has something dangerous and you have nothing to trade because you are on a walk or something and you tell the dog to drop it there is a good chance he will not do that, he does not trust he would get anything out of that deal. A dog who did trust you would give a reward without him seeing it would drop the item and expect his reward. Unfortunately he would not get any more than happy words and petting but so long as you do enough training sessions where he does get the reward on faith (even do practice sessions on walks) it shouldn't be a problem.

Another thing I have taught Phoebe is that it's not possible for her to take anything I drop. I will drop a piece of food and if she moves to get it I'll step on it (so I choose to drop food I can step on) if she stops I remove my foot, if she moves I step on it, etc. until she stays while I pick it up. Then I give her something else to eat for staying still. I repeat and repeat until she doesn't move when I drop something, she always gets some food (from my hand, she cannot be allowed to get the thing I dropped off the floor) for staying still. Staying still the first time I drop something means she gets her reward faster than if she moves to get the thing I dropped. it is important that the dog NEVER gets anything you drop while this training is going on or it could set you back drastically, she'll learn that if she just keeps trying it will pay off sometimes. if you have to, put her away during meal preparation and eating so it never happens until she understands that she can't do it. Set her up frequently, pretend to prepare food and drop a piece, practice walking to the table with a plate and drop something as you walk. Eat lunch and drop something as you eat. Make sure to always drop something you are prepared to step on. Always give her food (from hand to mouth) when she stays put. If you already had a severely food aggressive dog I would not do it (for fear of damage to your foot) but at this point I would not worry.

For being rough with other dogs I'd supervise but let them sort it out, dogs need to tell other dogs how to behave with them and they need to form their own communication, learn how to read each other. Only intervene if someone is obviously being harassed (to the point where the other dog is trying to flee and hide), a dog grabs hold of the other, someone screams (more than one yelp) or blood is being drawn. Luckily I doubt anything that severe is happening, they both just need to learn how they should interact, what each dog is willing to tolerate and how to read each other.

Also remember that your dog is not growling out of anger, in fact your dog probably has no idea why she is growling, all she knows is that when you are near her stuff she feels really uneasy and this feeling causes her to growl. She has a deeply embedded urge to guard, it's instinct. She is not thinking about controlling you or being "alpha", she is not thinking about being angry, he's not aware of how it makes you feel. All she knows is that she is WAY more comfortable if people stay away from her stuff. If she was living outside, wild, this feeling would keep her alive, without it she would get all her food taken and be kicked out of territory, after territory. Dogs do not need to learn this behavior, they come with it, it keeps them alive in natural situations. Your job is to overcome instinct with logic, you have to feel her urge to guard, then think, realize there is a better deal waiting for her if she gives up her things, and let her uneasy felling be put to rest. She needs to learn to use her head and eventually that instinctual uneasy feeling will subside or will at least be under HER control so she can feel it but always use her logic before acting on it.

Well I've written far too much, hopefully it's not too confusing. Good luck with your pup!!

[Cathy Jensen 15]

Miely will now be 4 months old on the 26th. I'd like to make it very clear that I have never used any physcial punishment with her, or scruff her up ever. I believe it is her temperment that she has that makes her a bit more on the fiesty side. SInce starting this thread Miely has grown . I am thinking she is about 5 Lbs at least .My yorkie ANd Miely do play a little rough at times, however their is never yelping or any horrible fighting between them. Miely runs back to play all the time with Suzi.

I do see that I have to work on training Miley more then ever .With the drop it commands, primarily with her own safety. It is not about taking her toys or treats away, it is when she finds something she can't have, that I have to take away! She found a plastic wrapper yesterday and ran away with it in her mouth, once I went to pull it out of her mouth she bit down hard on me, and drew blood. "resource gaurding behavior" It surprised me and also hurt. That was the firt time she bit me hard , in a few places, and their was no growling or warning. Miely can be the most sweetest, loving , pup, jumping all over me, giving me kissess and wanting to be pet , but , then she will even turn om me if I try to stop he from licking my face!

I have a lot of work to do. No My Yorkie is more skiddish then anthing else. If she does not want to be brushed she runs and hides. Never has she bit me . She barks at people now, and is the protector of the house, however is none aggressive . SHe loves having a new friend to play with now . They do well together . I am certain Miely is going to grow bigger then her.

[RedyreRotties 1]

Keep little treats in your pocket. Anytime you need to get something from her, offer her a treat. As she is dropping whatever she has to take the treat, say "drop it".

You can also let her drag a very light cord when she is in the house with you. Make it long enough so you can get the end of it without chasing her. Slight upward pressure on a buckle collar will cause a dog to spit out whatever it has in it's mouth.

Same drill if you use the collar method. As the object is released, say "drop it", praise and treat.

Baby gates can also help you keep the dog in the room with you in case you need to intervene or take something from her.

It can help to play the "trade for a cookie" game a lot, especially when she has objects that are not so high value to her. This will teach her that when you come to get something from her, you are always bringing something in return.

:kicking: