Hi Sandy,
Firstly I am from Ireland so Hi!!
I have a 6 Month old Yorkie (male) and I really have 2 questions if you don’t mind? And by these questions you will probably think I am a bad pet owner. I hope not as I am mad about Darcy (my dog) and love him to bits! Therefore find it hard to do anything that will not make him happy!!
Firstly on house training: (And being left in
the house!)
The problem is that I live in a house on my own and
go to work from 9 - 5 and in that time Darcy is alone in the house! I get
home every lunchtime for an hour to be with him also. One think I know is
bad is that I pretty much give him the run of the whole house but he is very
good in that he does not chew at anything except some papers!
I think I have got him to the stage where he is going to the toilet for No.1s outside which I am beginning to notice but as for peeing he is still doing it in the house and I cannot really be mad because I am leaving him in the house for long periods and he really does not have much of a choice!!!
Is there anything I can do here to train him to just go outside? I have double glazed patio doors so I cannot put in a Doggy door.
He also seems to sleep all day when I am gone -
is this bad?? I could not bring myself to leaving him outside all day!
And only about since last week he is starting to cry
when I leave for work and trys to get out the door!
Biting
The next thing is that he seems more interested in
biting my toes than anything else and when I wask he goes for my toes and starts
biting and growling! But whats great about him is that when anyone else
comes into the house, he does not bite them, he only wants them to rub him and
he is very gentle! So I presumed he is only playing with me and that is
why I find it hard to give out to him even thoug I do but it is obviously not
working!
Can you let me know if I need radical changes for Darcy? One thing I have thought about was whether it was good for him being left on his own all this time but to be honest I could never part with him at this stage!
Thanks
Gary
No, I don't think you're a bad pet owner. You're making some small errors, but as they would say in Ireland, "Tis only a stepmother would blame you.' -:)
Regarding the potty training, he should be in a small crate while you're gone during the day. He will be more comfortable at 6 months if he is confined.
Also you will never potty train him if he is allowed to have accidents in your house. Hopefully you are cleaning up all the mistakes with a pet specific cleaner so that
no odor remains. As you noted, he sleeps all day. This is normal for a puppy. Have him sleep in his own special crate and it will eliminate the accidents and
make your puppy more relaxed. Take him out in the morning before work. Take him out when you come home for lunch and then take him out and give him a good long
walk in the evening and he will be fine.
The growling and nipping problem is more serious. It appears he is trying to establish dominance over you. This will lead to severe problems in the future if you do not
correct it promptly. Read my article on being your dog's leader. It appears you are being overly affectionate to your puppy. He will view this as you communicating your
desire for him to dominate you. Stop it. If you treat your dog like a human, he will treat you like a dog. When he nips at you, tell him "NO". If he doesn't stop immediately,
take him on his leash to a separate area of the house, secure his leash and leave him alone for five minutes. Repeat as often as required. You wish him to associate his aggressive behavior with being ostracized from his pack. This is how puppies naturally learn to curb their biting. If they play too rough then they will be shunned. Also teach your dog to walk on a heel. This will be the quickest way to communicate to your dog that you are the leader and he is the follower.
Good Luck!
Sandy
