Agressive to strangers

[yorkieluver]

hello, I have a question about a yorkie I'm fostering. He is perfect in all respects except that whenever anyone comes in he goes nuts to get at them. He bites at them, but so far he has not bitten skin, only pants, sneakers, etc, from the knee down.
I've tried having everyone hand him a treat when they come in but he only growls and then snaps at them, or takes the treat, growls and snaps.
I've tried keeping him on leash, but that only makes him worse.
I've tried having them ignore him and letting him go to them but that doesn't always work either.
I'm afraid that I've run out of ideas and any suggestions would be appreciated.
I would love to break him of this because, other than this, he is a perfect pet.

[oc_spirit]

How long have you had him and how long have you tried each of these ideas? It is important when trying something new that you try it for at least a month before judging whether or not it's going to work because it takes that long before it starts to have an effect on some dogs.

[Novel]

I agree with oc_spirit. Try a new method for a few weeks at least before you try another.

One thought, try taking your yorkie to a place he is not familar with, and have a friend meet you there. See what the reaction is there. He may greet differently when not on home turf. If he is less distressed and bitey there, keep meeting in neutral areas until you can have him approach a "stranger" without any problems.

How to introduce him for the first time. Make sure your "stranger" has some of his favorite treats and is at his level, this may mean kneeling for a Yorkie. Have him on a leash. Have the at his level, but not facing him head on. That can be intimidating, so approach from the side. Walk up to the "stranger" keeping the lead just tight enough that you can control him if he lunges at the person, and make sure the person knows what you're trying to do. Don't put someone in danger. If he does lunge at the person to bite, YOU must stop him, by pulling him back. Do not have the person move, if they can help it. Dogs are much more likely to bite a moving thing than a stationary thing. Not to mention the injury is usually more severe if they do connect because the skin is pulled from the teeth.
OK, so you're approaching from the side. Have the person kneel, pretty much ignoring your boy. As you approach, try and stay quiet. If he's doing well, just say "Good Boy" a few times, don't make excessive crooning or soothing noises, this often backfires, and the dog will associate the noise with a threatening environment. Again, keep an eye on him, but don't stare at him. Have the person stay still and gauge his reaction as you get closer. If he's acting good, tell him he's good.
Finally, don't push it. If he's good up until about five feet away, and you can see he's starting to get a little nervous, start walking away again. Go do something else for a little while and then come back and try the approach again. Don't push him to the point of biting, always go do something else before he has a chance to misbehave. Treat him when he's being good, praise him, etc. Make it a fun time. Keep working this method until you get closer and closer. When he's comfortable near the person, the person still hasn't moved or talked to him, start having the person leave a hand out, gloved is a good idea, with a treat on it. Do this until he'll eat the treat without thinking about the person, just gentle small steps, until you have the end result you are looking for. Take baby steps and you'll see lasting results.

[yorkieluver]

thanks for the advice, I've only had him since the 5th of June, so I guess I need to keep trying...I didn't give it enough time...thanks again

[Novel]

You are very welcome and are encouraged to let us know how things are going... We LOVE updates!

[flyndog]

Small dogs can easily learn to be afraid of strangers. Strangers very scary. They are big, they bend over (appear very threatening) to pet them, and they tend to try and grab at little dogs to pick them up. All of this is enough to make these little guys fear strangers.
Make no mistake that although Yorkies are in the Toy Group, they are terriers through and through. That means bright, quick, independant (not team players) killers and not easily fooled. They will, however, do just about anything for a high value treat.
If the dog knows some basic commands like sit, down, wait, leave it, etc. you can use that to your advantage. If not, teach him. Have him on a leash when you have visitors to your house so you can better control him.
When you have some control over him through training, begin desensitizing him to strangers like Novel suggests...no closer at first than he can stand. It might be 5 feet, 10 feet or 30 feet. You will have to watch him for signs that he is stressed. You need to remain within his threshold of tolerance to strangers. If he looks scared or growls, he is too close. If he is several feet away and alerts to a stranger, you should divert his attention to you, and then reward for that with a treat. Desensitization is a slooooow process. You must gradually decrease the distance to the scary thing. That's over a period of weeks, not hours. When you are at the stage where a stranger can be close to the dog, I recommend having the stranger drop treats on the ground at first rather than asking the dog take them directly from the hand. That is something they usually need to build up to after gaining some confidence. And keep the session short. Ignore bad behavior. Don't say a thing. Reward tolerant behavior.
Yes, keep us updated.
Kit

[yorkieluver]

Thanks, I will send an update.