Female Yorkie Bad Behavior

Question
My Yorkie, Shiloh, is 1 yrs old.  She was fun and playful on up until about 3 weeks ago. Now she will not leave her bed and dominates her toys and her bed area.  She will not leave that spot for hours on end. She bites viciously if you disturb her.  I will say this, she use to have her own room; toys box, bed, you name it. Well I had moved her stuff to the living room corner and she seemed to adjust well to it. Then I guess gradually she adopted this bad behavior then my sister and her husband and 6 yrs old son moved in with us.  Shilohs behavior has only gotten worse. She will whine in her bed and want your attention but its just so she can groul and bite at you if you give her attention.  We love her so much but this stage is not acceptable. My sister is going to be staying with me for a long time so Shiloh is going to have to adjust some how. I will say this we do not let her get by with this bad behavior (well we try).  We swap her with a paper and or we say "NO" and push our hand up against her and do "sush".......she seems to accept that she's lost the battle but as soon as you move your hand she attacks you again.  What to do! Please...........help!  Thanks,

Answer
She clearly feels she is in charge and disapproves of the additional people in the house.  She will see swatting her with the paper as more bad behavior on your part.  Spay her if not already.  Then start obedience training.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.

Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.