Update on Monty :)

[Montysmom2]

Well I am finally back from a very long trip and a long time being away from family and Monty.
While I was gone my hubby stepped up to the plate and had Monty neutered, micro chipped and got his rabies shot for Monty's big adventure. He will be flying home with us on Jan 10/13 to Canada from the UK!!
While he was at the vet he was weighed...wait for it...a whopping 15.48lbs!!!!! He is absolutely huge for a yorkie!! He seems to be doing ok after going through all this but after checking him out when I got home I noticed that his upper fangs are now fully grown in but the baby ones are also there...he looks like a shark with his two rows of teeth. I will have this checked out as well to see if we need to have them pulled. He is getting to be quite an expensive little fellow but I love him all the same
The harness never did work out for us so we have resorted to a collar, I was dead set against this but he gave us no choice
He is still moody and aggressive in certain situations and it worries me, I really just wanted a happy little puppy, not a dog that would bite if things did not go his way...will take any advice any of you can offer regarding this!!!!

That's it for now...time to read and catch up on everything here while I have a few minutes.

[R_Z]

Sounds like things are progressing nicely with Monty. If you are concerned about behavior, I would recommend finding a good trainer who can help you and Monte with behavior modification. Perhaps that would help.

[Montysmom2]

Have had him to puppy obedience, only positive rewards training and he did great, although the teacher did experience his temper tantrum when trying to get a harness on him and her suggestion was to maybe leave the harness on if he doesn't like it on and off
I will look for another class when I return to Canada next month and give it another try I guess

[MandiesMom]

Welcome back! How old is Monty, again? Over 15 lbs? Big fella Mandie retained her top canines, too.

As for the biting...the only thing I can suggest (and you have probably already tried it) is everytime he bites, sternly say "No bite" and then give him something it's okay to bite and say "Good Boy." If that doesn't work, you may want to try "time outs"..everytime he bites, say "no bite" and put him time-out behind a gate or in his crate.

[celstu1]

Being with his family now should also help with his behavior a little bit. He is a big boy!!! Sooooo adorable though! One of my boys is 13.5lbs so I have a teapot too! More to love! Yorkies (or any dog for that matter) are VERY expensive in the first year, neuter, chipped, vaccinations and now dental work, that is all pretty common things that most dogs actually need. Thankfully he does not have LP, liver shunt or Trachea issues... imagine how much that would be! YIKES!

Sounds like you got a good healthy boy there... take him for training or get books on how to train him. Break him of the aggressive behavior as soon as you can.

Good Luck and happy holidays with your baby!

[Montysmom2]

Love Monty to death and he is one of my kids so we will do whatever is necessary to make sure he is healthy!! No worries fellow Yorkie parents
The aggression is bad though, just yesterday he found a stray q-tip on the the bathroom floor refused to allow me near his mouth to get it by snapping, growling and being an all around poo and ended up eating the whole thing...so now I am forced to check his poo to see if he is passing it. He is going to end up eating something even worse at some point so needs to learn not to try and take my hand off. Normally I trade him a treat for whatever he has but alas I do not keep doggie treats in the bathroom...yet!
Monty has been to puppy obedience and I will sign him up again once we are finally home in Canada. I can't wait for him to see our house there and his yard and to meet all our friends and family!! I am so excited!!

[Montysmom2]

Oh...btw Monty is turning 7 months old today!!!

[gracielove]

Has Monty had this temperament issue since he was a little pup or is the behavior something that developed later on? A good obedience class is a wonderful thing if taught properly but is not a lot of help with temperament issues like serious growling and biting. You may need someone who is really good with behavior modification in dogs. There are a variety of different approaches out there so be careful who you pick to help you. I do not agree with the dominating approach especially with Yorkies.

It is really too bad the vet did not remove the baby teeth when he was neutered. It would have saved you money and him having to go under again. The retained teeth can cause problems if not removed.

I guess I can see why you had issues with the harness if he really has a personality issue. I hope you can get some really good help dealing with it.

[Montysmom2]

When we first got Monty at 6 weeks of age he had no temper at all. We made sure we took things from him and praised him when he gave them to us and tried to do all the right things with positive reinforcement. He had the harness on right from the first as well and it was taken off each time we returned home. All of a sudden he started acting aggressively. I have no idea what happened to him. He is with us all the time, barely ever left alone. It is a real mystery to me as to what caused him to start behaving badly.
I will be very careful as to who I go to for help correcting it. I have no intention of scaring him, dominating him or punishing him to make him behave. I just want my lovable, easy-going dog and not to be afraid of him biting me.

[gracielove]

Originally Posted by Montysmom2

When we first got Monty at 6 weeks of age he had no temper at all. We made sure we took things from him and praised him when he gave them to us and tried to do all the right things with positive reinforcement. He had the harness on right from the first as well and it was taken off each time we returned home. All of a sudden he started acting aggressively. I have no idea what happened to him. He is with us all the time, barely ever left alone. It is a real mystery to me as to what caused him to start behaving badly.
I will be very careful as to who I go to for help correcting it. I have no intention of scaring him, dominating him or punishing him to make him behave. I just want my lovable, easy-going dog and not to be afraid of him biting me.

I certainly understand your concern. It would really be heartbreaking to see your pup change like that.

[celstu1]

Try this.... keep a baggy of some special kibble in your pocket all the time, whenever he gets something and you want to trade you have the baggie with you.

Another thing to try is feeding him in a bowl you can take away from him. When he's partly done eating, take the bowl away. Make him sit and give the bowl back to him... do this quickly though so he does not lose interest in his dinner. This basically teaches him to look to you for when it's time to eat. Teach him NO also. When I am prepping dinner and I drop something on the floor my boys can usually snatch it up in 2 seconds since they are always nearby. This worries me because of the toxic ingredients I may use, like onions. They both know that "NO! LEAVE IT" means back off and don't touch it.
When my boys were babies, I used to take away their treats, right out of their mouths. I used to feed them and take their food away mid-meal. I'd give it back in a few seconds and do this a couple times during a treat or meal time. I did this in the hopes that they could trust me to give them back the good stuff, and not get territorial or aggressive. It seems to have worked because now I can just say 'give it' and they drop whatever it is in my hand. My mom has a shih tzu that is aggressive with food or treats BIG time! I always tell my mom that someday she'll get something really BAD for her and she won't be able to get it away from her!

[Montysmom2]

Great advice. I did take Monty's chew sticks and things like that away from him when he was little and he never complained. We still make him 'wait' for his food and he does a great job of showing patience. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't wander through the house wreaking havoc on everyone, most of the time he is loveable and wonderful to be around, he just seems to get aggressive when he has something he is not suppose to have or when it comes to getting the harness on, the rest he is a great personality. Just have no idea where I went wrong with him

[Montysmom2]

I almost always let him trade up for a treat too I love the whole msg behind it, you give me what you're not suppose to have and you get rewarded for doing it with something better. Sometimes now he refuses to trade up though

[celstu1]

Try relating the harness to something HE LOVES!!! A ride in the car, a walk, going to pet store or dog park. Everytime you put on the harness do these things, don't put on the harness otherwise. My boys come running when they see or hear me touch their harnesses because they know this means they get to go somewhere, a walk in the summer, a car ride with me, so their harnesses to them are good things.. GREAT things!