Yorkie behavior

Question
We have a 2 1/2 yr. old male Yorkie, he has got to be hands down the most lovable dog we have ever had.  But, unfortunately he has become aggressive.  It's so bad we can no longer take him to "Bark Park" to interact with other dogs or people.  He turns into a totally different dog biting, growling , barking, chasing.  He turns into the yorkie from HELL.  It's embarrassing and sad at the same time I know we have created this but what can we do to correct it?  It is no longer cute puppy behavior. The worst problem is, he HATES small children we now have a three week old granddaughter and it has become a nightmare.  I don't want to keep swatting at him and yelling, at the same time I don't want our granddaughter hurt.  PLEASE HELP.
P.S. No he has not been fixed but will be April 23

Answer
Lisa,

The behavior you are describing could be related to many things.  If he is spoiled and has no real discipline at home then when he is in public he will behave the same. While his behavior at home is acceptable when he goes out in public it becomes amplified and then is no longer cute. While getting him fixed is a good idea I do not think that his not being fixed has any bearing on his aggression.

Yorkies are small dogs but they are also fierce.  They have no clue that they are little and I have seen them try to take on a dog that is much bigger than they are without hesitation.  This behavior is usually just posturing and trying to show who is the boss but when they start to actually bite then it becomes a problem.

Yorkies are usually territorial when it comes to their human companions.  They attach themselves to a particular human and then they will not allow anyone or anything to get near them.  They are protecting you from potential harm whether perceived or real.  If they are not brought up with small children they will usually not like them.

There are several things that you can do to stop this behavior.  There are a lot of factors involved when deciding which method is best for you and your dog.  Because his bad behavior has progressed to the point of biting I think that drastic measures are in order.  You do not have the luxury of time where you could take him to discipline classes.  What I am going to suggest is a quick solution that will work well and give you additional time if you decide to attend discipline classes.  Keep in mind though that discipline classes do not always work and they give no guarantees.

Shock collars are given a bad name by animal rights groups because they are considered cruel.  I disagree.  There are instances where it is necessary and I think that your situation is one of them. I was one of the people who used to think that they were cruel but have since changed my mind.  I had an aggressive dog that we loved to death and I didn't want to have to get rid of her.  She had attacked one of my Yorkies and almost killed her so we had to do something fast.  She was the sweetest, most loveable dog and we still have no idea why she became aggressive.

We bought the shock collar and tested it on ourselves before we used it on her.  I shocked myself first because I wanted to make sure it wouldn't really hurt her.  To my surprise it didn't hurt as much as it shocked or startled me.  Startling is the purpose of the shock collar.  When the dog shows inappropriate behavior you say NO loudly and if they do not stop then you shock them. The shock startles them and they stop the behavior.  They have shock collars that make a warning sound when you push the button.  I only had to shock my dog twice over a period of seven days and I have not had to shock her since.  Now when I say no she stops the behavior and if she hesitates I push the button and it makes the warning sound which is sufficient to stop her.  

The shock collars usually start at $75.00 and go up from there.  Behavioral classes or discipline classes can cost hundreds of dollars and take months to complete.  There is no guarantee that the classes will work.  I have never had to shock her since the original two times and I now use the collar just for the warning sound.  We no longer have problems with her being aggressive.

I wish I could give you more options but in my opinion the shock collar is the best solution for an aggressive dog.  If you cannot bring yourself to use a shock collar your only other choices are dog training classes or taking your chances with the hundreds of books out there that tell you how to discipline your dog.

If you decide to go with the shock collar I suggest you read the directions carefully.  If you are brave enough you should shock yourself before using it on your dog.  Keep in mind also that as with anything there is the potential for abuse when using a shock collar.  Never let anyone else use the collar on your dog because they could make the settings too high and that would really hurt the dog.