help with my dogs bad habits - Page 1

Hi,

I am looking for any tips. i do have two very good gsd's but i also have a yorkie who is very naughty, he is coming up 3 year old. this is just a list of what he does, if anyone can give me tips to stop them. we have always have gsd's which were brill dogs but yorkie is proving hard to train

• barks in the house at any tiny noise.
• barks at anything all the time when in the garden
• no stop crying when in the car
• on walks when we stop to cross the road he barks and crys until we start walking again
• on walks barks when he see anyone or any dog
• wants to walk next to the other two dogs then my mother and then me and if he doesnt get to do what he wants he either stops and slips his collar or crys and pulls

its getting to a point where we dont wanna take him anywhere.

we are due to be getting a new gsd puppy in july and dont want his bad habits to rub off, so need to sort these problems out.


PLEASE HELP

Lauren

I have never worked with yorkies, but maybe you could try teaching him the command "look at me"  when you see something that you are sure will cause the little one to bark, put him under the "look at me" command so that he turns his attention to you and is under a command that is not bark at the _______(whatever it is).   Once he has that eventually he may start to look at you before making a judgement call to bark.
It may even work on the whole stopping to cross the road.  When you stop you can put him under the command and he is doing something so it may distract him from the barking and crying.  He sounds like he is just a hyper little one and needs little activities (jobs) to do to distract him from focalizing.
In the car:  My puppies always cry when I first start to take them places, but if I am persistant and take them to training often they eventually learn that being in the car in the crate gets them to the place where they can "play" (train) and have fun so they A. run to the truck to get in their kennel and B) settle in easy for the trip because for me training is a great distance away.
I am not professional or nothing, but I just wanted to offer some tricks that have worked for my dogs in the past.  Good luck with him and I hope the new puppy works out.  I would wait to get him until you have corrected any habits with this little one that you don't want you puppies to pick up. Puppies are like a blank canvas and pick up any old colorful thing.

Good luck!

Maybe your dog learned to bark to get you to do what it wants? AKA trained you? Not trying to put you down, but I've seen it many times.
Teach your dog the quiet command. Does your dog bark or whine at feeding time? If so then make the dog go quiet, then put it's food down, mark first with quiet, (dog eventally stops), good quiet, then put down the bowl. Soon the dog will learn the command.

On walks have some treat with you, quiet command, (dog eventally stops barking), mark with good quiet, then give treat.

NEVER give the dog what it wants when he barks!!!

Also keep new puppy away for other dogs for a long time. Or the puppy will bond to the other dogs and you will become second fiddle. You can't compete with the other dogs for fun etc.

I don 't understand why someone would want a little S*** dog when they have smart, loyal, loving, energetic, awesome, fantastic, brilliant, protective, understanding, obedient, no problem to train, GERMAN SHEPHERDS!!!!

Darn, treat the little Yorkie like a big dog and train it...most people think that they train themselves, they spoil them cause they are so cute. They don't train themselves...
Just my idiot 2 cents worth...
STeph

hi thanks guys. i am going to take him to obedience classes. do you think that will help?

Decker- if thats your answer then i dont see why you on this dog forum, as every else on here loves dogs.

Krazy Bout K9s- I totally agree with you that he has been spoilt, think it was because he is the little one.

fasteddielv- He doesnt bark when its feeding time, he isnt even bothered about his food, he doesnt even get out of bed for it.

He doesnt really bark at me. he just finds barking at things fun. he will bark at other people and dogs walking past but if any of them came anywhere near him he trys to hide.

Lauren

Barking at everything and anything is a little dog syndrome. Get used to it...

 Just remember to tone any corrections you do with a Yorkie after training a GSD way, way down.  You can really injure a little dog's neck if you pop it with a leash.  

To correct barking, get a plant misting bottle filled with water, put it on stream, and nail the little yapper, preferably in the ear, as you give the command, HUSH! If, being a terrier, he ignores the plain water, put some lemon juice in it and squirt him in the mouth.  Don't forget to praise him as soon as he stops yapping.

Yorkies are smart, but they're terriers.  They benefit from exercise, just like a working GSD is a better companion if it gets enough activity.

Hi Micky D

That sounds like a good idea. will try that on his walk 2nite.

he does go for a walk everyday, has a massive garden that he plays in all day with my two gsd's and then goes to the beach on a sunday aswell. i dont know of any activitys he could do being a yorkie.

All we have ever had is gsd's so trying to train him has prove a bit hard. he sits and gives you his paw

Lauren

Keiflyn,

It sounds like your Yorkie is extremely insecure.  When you have a soft natured dog, and then you baby it and hold it, and shower it with attention, you can create a little bundle of nerves.
When your dog starts barking at other dogs your response needs to be " I have this under control ,  and you need to stop" - I have a feeling that you have been "Oh baby its OK , mommy is here , you don't have to bark" all while patting or picking it up .

Dogs see Baby talk as "whining" , and if they feel that you are insecure , they will feel even more insecure. By baby talking your dog you also are putting yourself into a submissive position, the dog will have no choice but to take control and try to protect you - even if it does not want to- because it may feel you are weak. A dog that is trying to control you by barking while outside and demanding to come in ( or showing anxiety ) may feel that you are so weak that you may die without it.
Just because the Yorkie came in a small package does not mean that it is less of a dog than the German Shepherd. If your letting it sleep in your bed , stop .. make it a bed next to your bed. If the dog is being carried all over , stop. They are not toys or handbags. 
With already 2 large German Shepherds and a little dog , I would not add any more dogs to the mix until you know one of the older GSDs are close to passing away. The chaos in one house would be a little much and it could cause a rift in the pack.

I am just assuming that you have been babying your dog, so let us know if that is not true.


(sorry had to spell check that)