hi everyone xx...this is my 1st post. I have a 6month old yorkie bitch, who for most of the time is well behaved. But when she is naughty...boy is she naughty! But what concerns me is sometimes it puts her in a dangerous situation i.e running out of the house and won't come back.Or getting something that isn't hers and refusing to drop it. In this case she act's like it's a game for me to chase her. Eventually the only way i can get the item back is by giving her a treat as a bribe, but i'm sure she does it on purpose sometimes to get the treat! Which i don't want her to do ...i wan't her to obey my command out of respect. what can/should i do?

Unfortunately your little yorkie will see this as a game. Shes bored, she picks up a covetted item of yours, you chase her (fantastic), she gets a treat (even BETTER)!! Why WOULDNT she want to do it again!?!

Best thing to do it not to allow her to do something that will endanger her life - no open doors so she can run onto the road, nothing toxic left out that she might decide to play with etc etc. When she picks something up that you dont want her to have, as hard as it might be, just ignore her! Then theres no reward. If its something that you REALLY dont want her to destroy then bribe her with a treat but NEVER chase her. You should also be teaching her what she CAN and CANT chew - make sure you help her play with her toys so that she knows they are fun and its ok to carry them around. If you can get her to drop forbidden things by playing with one of her toys and looking like youre just having the best time ever, then thats the ideal solution - youre showing her that she cant play with the forbidden thing but look how much fun this scraggley bit of rope toy can be!!! :D

Yes...i do all that!!...She will take something she's not allowed even during playtime!.She get's lots of attention as there is 2 adults and 2 teenagers who play constantly with her, but surely she has to learn there are times we can't? At the moment she is ruling the house, cos if we don't play on her demand constantly she will be naughty to get attention. On rarer occasions when she takes something because possibly she is bored..and IF she drops it...i ignore her for a few mins...then play with her.All iread about puppies has said to reward good behaviour NOT punish bad. But it doesn't seem to be working for us?!

If she drops the forbidden thing then you should praise her immediately (along with removing said item!! :)) If she's being naughty all the time then try teaching her that she cant get what she wants and even worse, she'll get what she DOESNT want. When I go home and my pup greets me, he can get a bit mouthy because he's excited - I say "ouch" and warn him once, if he does it again then I storm out of the room (no shouting - just leave in a huff!) and then go back in again 60 seconds later. The act of you leaving them because of their bad behaviour will shock them - isolation isnt meant to be a punishment, just a shock tactic that should get her to listen.

If youre trying to get her to play with a toy and shes going for something else instead, throw the toy down and leave the room so that she knows that she either plays with the toy YOU have or not at all. As for her wanting to play ALL the time, Im not really sure whether this is just pup behaviour which you should ignore - if its not destructive, Id just give her some time to calm down. Difficult when you have a hyperactive fuzzbutt, I know! :)

You say you ignore her for a few minutes if she drops it..... maybe she thinks the ignoring is because she dropped it? Have you tried ignoring while she is holding whatever-it-is, then as soon as she drops it, praising her? So she can tell the difference.

Your post made me smile, it reminded my Yorkie that passed a year ago this month. She was the "naughtiest" ever - and a delight and joy to me every day of her life.

Your Yorkie is a puppy and behaving like a puppy. Others have posted about picking up things and running .. and a great game it is if you allow it to be for her. In terms of running out of the house, try calling her name once and let her see you running back into the house. Most of the time dogs will turn around and run after you to see what is so darn exciting - and they love nothing more to chase (and be chased.)

You should also begin to teach her the recall command so she learns to come back when called.

Stacey

Please remember she is not only a puppy but a terrier, if she is really domernating your life then shut her in the kitchen for an hour to give yourself a rest.

What sort of things does she steal?
If it's mainly remote controls, try and get hold of an old one from somewhere and leave it lying around. When she picks it up expecting a game, you can ignore her in safety!
If it's socks, get all your odd socks out and leave them somewhere she's can get it.
Try and move all valuable items out of her reach (shouldn't be too hard for a dog that size) and replace them with unimportant things. When she's given up on that game, you can get your life back and leave the remote on the coffee table or whatever it is she likes to take.
Make sure she is getting enough good games as well. If you combine that with playing lots of fun games with raggers and squeaky toys, she'll soon realise that stealing things is boring, but toys are great.
To combat the running away thing, get a long line so that you can control her, and open the door to let her rush out. Because of the long line she will be safe. Practice calling her back to you, giving her a treat and some fuss when she comes back, and then taking her for a walk (the ultimate reward - she will learn she has to be good to get what she wants) If she doesn't come back, reel her in with the long line, go back into the house without saying anything (don't punish her at all) and try again later.
Also, practice teaching her not to rush out the door. Open the door (an internal door for safety) very slowly, as soon as she starts to try and rush out close it (careful not to hurt her) and repeat. When she steps back when the door opens, you can give her a release word 'ok' works well, and she can go through. Do this whenever you take her out for a walk so she learns a bit of self control.
Remember that she's becoming a teenager now, so will be testing the water to see how naughty she can become! Make sure you prevent her from learning any bad habits during this time, and grit your teeth until it's over!
Jo

ok..it seem's i have the most intelligant dog ever...cos i have tried everything u all have advised!..to the point today...whilst she had been in my handbag and retrived a pack of hubba bubba...i ignored that...and got her favourite toy...she had no interest wotsoever..so there is me and my daughter playing wiv this rope..still no drop...we r in fits by this time..still no drop...she just sat wiv bubblegum in her mouth watching avidly...she did eventually drop it..but thru her choice...!!...i praised instantly ...she responded by jumping on my lap..nicking my fag box and runnin off!...i will follow all advice ty xx...and keep u posted

You haven't tried keeping things out of her reach until she finds a better game yet have you? ;)
You have to ask yourself, how is she being rewarded by that. Ignoring doesn't mean not chasing, waving a toy around and laughing is a reward for the dog, it's attention.
Put everything she can steal out of her reach, and initiate games with toys. She may need to learn to play with them, in which case you will have to take things slowly and teach her.
Bringing the toy out after she has stolen something is a reward, you want her to think that NOTHING happens when she steals (as long as it isn't food, that's self-rewarding, but it wont be hard to keep that out of her reach) don't even look at her, dont say anything.
When she is behaving how you want, being calm or chewing nicely on a toy, then you can start a fun game with her.
What games are you playing with her at the moment?
Jo

I think you are going to have to break her of this habit by making it impossible! Don't leave anything available for her to take! With my breed being medium sized, even kitchen worktops have to be clear while the pup is still at this stage. Either that, or the dog isn't allowed in that room.

Apart from the annoyance of having your pup stealing things, did you realise that, if she chewed and ate any of your cigarettes, they are likely to poison her? For her safety, keep things out of her reach!
:)