Stubborn puppy won't listen... - YorkieTalk.com Forums

manda_panda0502 · 03-02-2009, 09:23 PM

I have a male Yorkie who is about 11 months old. He will not listen to me. He has gotten to where he jumps up on the couch and won't get down when I tell him. Probably the worst thing he does is steal things (the remote, paper....anything he can get hold of), and he'll run up under the couch where I can't get him. If it's paper, he then tears it up and gets it everywhere. HELP!!!

bugsmomma · 03-02-2009, 09:34 PM

Victoria Stillwell from It's Me or the Dog recently did a show where she taught the "leave it" command. That would likely work wonders for you. I checked her website but don't see any info specifically on it. Maybe a good investment to get her book! Gotta love Yorkies!

QuickSilver · 03-02-2009, 10:35 PM

Do you do any obedience training with him? The side effect of the training is that he will look to you for leadership generally. It sounds like you need a command for "off", "come", and "give".

These should all be pretty easy to train. Get yourself some doggy treats and let the magic begin.

ILoveBingoo · 03-02-2009, 11:13 PM

hmmm i use to think that was cute when i was younger until my friend showed me not to give in on him i hated that i had to be stern but it showed he listened and respected me better and that made me even love him more it takes alot of patience dont let him get away with it it can cause him to lead on longer and he will think it is ok like my dog runs out when i open the door ever since he was little i did try to correct him but i guess i wasnt doing it right so he still does it its frustrating but he dosnt do it with me but when others walk out he does so we have to gate him in a area so people can come in and out...

GoodLifeLilly · 03-03-2009, 11:45 AM

Easy fix....Yorkies are greedy and respond to reward in the form of food. When you call him, leave the command short, i.e. Come Jesse. I trained mine by allowing him to sniff my hand that had a piece of beef in it (training treats work well too), stepped back, and then called him to come. Each time he got it right, I stated "good boy" and gave him the treat. Just a few trials and this will be reinforced. You can then leave out the treat and they will response positively to the praise alone. Remember, good behavior must be rewarded for it to stick!

JoeyP · 03-03-2009, 01:29 PM

Sounds like some little pup is in need of some obedience training

If you don't want him up on the couch it needs to become "No-Pup Land"
If he jumps on the couch... down he goes
If he does it again
down he goes and out of the room
If you want to speed the process along
Have him come into the room ... stand in front of the couch and just like a goalie on a hockey rink you block him from going up on the couch

The stealing things is a normal puppy behavior
EVERYTHING needs to be explored and tasted
so you won't be able to stop them experimenting ...
what you can do is make them drop what they have
sit the puppy in your lap or where they cannot run away from you
have treats ready
give him a toy ... or something you know he'd run away with
say .... "Drop it" and show him the treat
when he drops the toy to get the treat ... tell him Good Boy and give him the treat
keep doing this until he's good at it
then do it where he can escape
once he drops his toy reliably you can try it with new things that he doesn't know

ARCHIE · 03-03-2009, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by manda_panda0502

I have a male Yorkie who is about 11 months old. He will not listen to me. He has gotten to where he jumps up on the couch and won't get down when I tell him. Probably the worst thing he does is steal things (the remote, paper....anything he can get hold of), and he'll run up under the couch where I can't get him. If it's paper, he then tears it up and gets it everywhere. HELP!!!

He's just being a Yorkie and yes they want it their way.
It takes lot's of patience with these guys however when they
want they learn fast. Very fast. Give him a time out. Make
him learn that when he does not listen he goes behind a gate.
You;ll see how fast he listens to you. At least it worked on Buddy.
He's still young but he should be listening to some extent at this
point. Hang in there and keep up the training. It will get better but
you have to be consistant and not give up because they are just
too smart for words.

maxmom · 03-03-2009, 01:49 PM

I know they should not jump on the couch, or steal the remote...but aren't they the cutest ?

03-02-2009, 09:23 PM	#1
manda_panda0502 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Greenwood, SC, USA Posts: 3	Stubborn puppy won't listen... I have a male Yorkie who is about 11 months old. He will not listen to me. He has gotten to where he jumps up on the couch and won't get down when I tell him. Probably the worst thing he does is steal things (the remote, paper....anything he can get hold of), and he'll run up under the couch where I can't get him. If it's paper, he then tears it up and gets it everywhere. HELP!!!

03-02-2009, 09:34 PM	#2
bugsmomma Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 92	Victoria Stillwell from It's Me or the Dog recently did a show where she taught the "leave it" command. That would likely work wonders for you. I checked her website but don't see any info specifically on it. Maybe a good investment to get her book! Gotta love Yorkies! __________________ LadybugBellaMistyDaisy MaeWebber Support OKYorkieRescue. org

03-02-2009, 10:35 PM	#3
QuickSilver Thor's Human Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 5,929 Blog Entries: 31	Do you do any obedience training with him? The side effect of the training is that he will look to you for leadership generally. It sounds like you need a command for "off", "come", and "give". These should all be pretty easy to train. Get yourself some doggy treats and let the magic begin. __________________ If you love something, set it free. Unless it's an angry tiger.

03-03-2009, 01:29 PM	#6
JoeyP YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Miami, FL,USA Posts: 1,005	Sounds like some little pup is in need of some obedience training If you don't want him up on the couch it needs to become "No-Pup Land" If he jumps on the couch... down he goes If he does it again down he goes and out of the room If you want to speed the process along Have him come into the room ... stand in front of the couch and just like a goalie on a hockey rink you block him from going up on the couch The stealing things is a normal puppy behavior EVERYTHING needs to be explored and tasted so you won't be able to stop them experimenting ... what you can do is make them drop what they have sit the puppy in your lap or where they cannot run away from you have treats ready give him a toy ... or something you know he'd run away with say .... "Drop it" and show him the treat when he drops the toy to get the treat ... tell him Good Boy and give him the treat keep doing this until he's good at it then do it where he can escape once he drops his toy reliably you can try it with new things that he doesn't know __________________ Mike and Zach's Dadd

03-03-2009, 01:49 PM	#8
maxmom Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 2,307 Blog Entries: 1	I know they should not jump on the couch, or steal the remote...but aren't they the cutest ? __________________ maxmom My belongs to Max and Sophie Mei

03-02-2009, 11:13 PM	#4
ILoveBingoo BANNED! Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: bronx ny Posts: 191 Blog Entries: 9	hmmm i use to think that was cute when i was younger until my friend showed me not to give in on him i hated that i had to be stern but it showed he listened and respected me better and that made me even love him more it takes alot of patience dont let him get away with it it can cause him to lead on longer and he will think it is ok like my dog runs out when i open the door ever since he was little i did try to correct him but i guess i wasnt doing it right so he still does it its frustrating but he dosnt do it with me but when others walk out he does so we have to gate him in a area so people can come in and out...

03-03-2009, 11:45 AM	#5
GoodLifeLilly Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Fort Lauderdale Posts: 106 Blog Entries: 6	Easy fix....Yorkies are greedy and respond to reward in the form of food. When you call him, leave the command short, i.e. Come Jesse. I trained mine by allowing him to sniff my hand that had a piece of beef in it (training treats work well too), stepped back, and then called him to come. Each time he got it right, I stated "good boy" and gave him the treat. Just a few trials and this will be reinforced. You can then leave out the treat and they will response positively to the praise alone. Remember, good behavior must be rewarded for it to stick!