# Help! How do I stop the madness?!



## Sisterteacher (Jan 8, 2017)

We just got a 9 week old spoo to owner train for a DAD for me and the problem is, she is chasing and biting our 8 and 11 year old yorkies. It has been forever since I've had a puppy around (the yorkies were rescues at 5 and 8 years old.) I'm not sure how to get Daisy to stop chasing the senior citizens in the house. They bite and growl at her but I don't want them to hurt her but we have to get her to stop before she gets to much bigger. Right now they are all the same size. Any advice or is this just puppy?! Thank you in advance.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Crate her and discipline her. She is an exuberant puppy and needs time out and training. The yorkies will appreciate a rest from her. She will learn to modify her behavior, with your and the yorkies help but having constant access to them is wearing.

Eric.


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

Keep her on leash so she doesn't have the chance to chase them. Reward calm interaction.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I don't recommend using a crate as punishment. As a time out, fine but don't associate it too strongly with the fun ending or the next thing you know, she will balk at going in her crate. A leash is fine but she may still be able to pounce, paw, snap in play. If you have to keep pulling her back, that might frustrate her and get her more riled up, more intense in her desire to get at those dogs. 

I got a Doberman puppy when I had my two adult Chihuahuas quite a few years back. He was extraordinarily exuberant until he learned how to be gentle. Until that time, he needed constant supervision and I mean constant literally when around those little dogs. Your spoo pup could injure your tiny dogs, not so likely the other way around. Your little dogs need a safe place to be when your spoo puppy is on the loose....behind a baby gate. You can teach your spoo pup how to act around the little ones with some one on one practice. But first give your spoo some good, hard romping play outside and some obedience practice...a short little session to tire him out a bit. 

I recommend you do a crash course on clicker training and learn how to mark the behavior you like, then reinforce with something your spoo loves...usually a super tasty treat. The clicker is much more accurate in identifying the exact behavior you're rewarding when it happens, not many seconds later when the dog is already onto something else. You have to be ready and quick. You need to click/treat BEFORE your spoo puppy makes a move toward a little dog...while she's being calm or slow. Show her what behavior you like...all feet on the floor, slow movements, gentle with the mouth. But you have to catch her before she starts acting up. Give loads of CALM praise when she IS being quiet and gentle. If you don't want to fumble around with a clicker, use a marker word, like "Yesss!" Just let her know the exact same second she is behaving nicely. Reinforce frequently...one after the next if she's continuing to act nice. Sit down on the floor and hold a little dog in your lap. Use your gentlest, calmest voice and tell her "Eeeeasy." Use soothing, calm motions and just sit down with them. Pat your little dog and literally show you spoo what gentle means. 

I use to sit with my Dobe pup and just calm him with a slow, boring voice, a tummy rub, and then let him interact with the toy dogs with my holding one of them or all of us sitting right there on the kitchen floor. When we were done or I had something else to do, they were separated. In a month or two (I forget now exactly) he was getting more and more careful...catching on to the idea that he could hurt them with his big, heavy feet and legs, his head. He was a big, male Dobe who grew to be 90 lbs of pure muscle. He had pretty heavy bones as a puppy and could kill or severely injure a tiny dog the way these big ole' puppies play so roughly. 

So, for sure, show your spoo what behavior is rewarding, show her what you want. Help her succeed by wearing her out somewhat first. Never use punishment or harshness of any kind in the presence of the little dogs because you can create aggression that way and the little dogs will have been paired with a rotten time. So, if you're going to take her out of the room for a time out, do it in a matter of fact way, but not a punishing way. If you are on top of things, she won't get a chance to get rough because you'll prevent it in the first place and reward like crazy...frequently that gentle behavior.

All of a sudden, one day, you'll see her approaching the little dogs gingerly and carefully. She'll be careful more and more, but once in a while she'll forget so you'll still need to supervise...until finally, you'll see that she is always careful, always using good sense, always, when they're all running around, she will dodge them if she's about to run into them, she'll dart, jump, she'll do anything to avoid stepping on them. And then you can be pretty sure she's learned. But it doesn't happen over night...it's a process that could take months. So, be patient and educate her. Having a bigger breed puppy with existing toy breeds takes some heavy duty supervision and training. You'll be fine. But don't let her chase after them. That's allowing her to practice that dangerous behavior. Prevent it. Baby gates, safe zones, ex pen?


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

See? They learn. haha. These two were best buds. A little maturity and a little training and good supervision get them there in time.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think supervision is the key - along with letting the older dogs tell him off as firmly as they can. When they do, step in to reinforce the warning, and remove him to somewhere where he can play leaving the others in peace. Baby gates are definitely a good idea, and plenty of play with you and any large pups and dogs you can find. The more he plays with other dogs, the more he will learn to understand that No means No, and be ready to listen when your small dogs tell him they have had enough (and to learn how to self handicap to keep them in the game). And never, ever leave them alone together unsupervised, even for a minute. While they are a similar size he risks being bitten if he won't heed warnings, and as he grows will be more than capable of doing considerable damage while playing. Eventually things will calm down, but reckon on at least 12 months of careful work!


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

Keep a lead on her in the house so you can manage any situations you don't like, including chasing the Yorkies when they don't enjoy it. Reward calm, appropriate behavior.


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