Uh, She is being such a BRAT!

I dont know whats wrong with her! I really really dont.

She is being a brat. It started when I told keely to weave between my legs while I walk.. I had a piece of cheese for her reward and she wouldnt do it when I told her to. She tucked her tail, put her ears back and showed the whites of her eyes. And wouldnt do it. She started shaking so of course i coddled her (I dont normally, but my poor baby was shaking)

So we cuddled on the couch for a few minutes until She started to play with her skinneez toy. So I started playing and when I asked her to get off the couch (She was tugging and digging her nails in, thats not allowed on out leather couch) She did it again. She WOULD NOT get down when I went to guide her with her collar, she stuck her toes in and she wasnt haveing any of it. So I sat on the couch and she tried to get all cuddly. So I got up and sat in another chair. She watched me sit down then ran over and jumped up behind me. So i did it again. And we reapeated that process about 15 times.

So she started playing again. And I told her to sit.. And low and behold, more shaking, ears back, white of the eyes, trying to get cuddles from momma..

Im tryuing REALLY hard not to reinforce this behaviour by cuddling her. But it just came out of nowhere.

Endrant/ And advice and maybe an explaination would be nice.

Does she know the trick to weave between your legs well? Has this been a trick she's been doing for some time? How I trained Lyric to do that was I used a rope toy...something he could get very silly and playful about. I lured him with it and made it into a game. When he'd make a few weaves, I'd reward him with a little tug game. I gradually faded the rope toy as a lure and just used it after he'd weave. But the whole things was fun and games so he loved doing it. We stopped playing that when he grew so tall that he'd high center me and knock me off my feet. LOL. Are you making sure this is all a fun game?

You answered your own question about the coddling (which is praise, affection, attention) for behavior you're not liking.

The refusal to get off the couch is something that needs attention asap. She's not being a brat. It's just that she likes it on the couch and doesn't want to get off. She doesn't know about the leather getting harmed from digging in her nails. She doesn't know that she should get off the couch when asked. At least, it's not worthwhile to her to get off and that's why she isn't getting off. That's as far as it goes in her little brain.

That said, you can play the on and off game. Coax her up, get her all ready for a silly game and coax her off by running the other way, wiggling her favorite toy, squeaking a toy. Get yourself and her revved up like this is the best game ever....and invite her to play so she'll want to jump down after you. As she does, give a cue, "Off" and give her a small piece of chicken or hot dog and her toy. After a few seconds, trade her the toy for another piece of chicken. Coax her back up on the couch. Praise a little bit....no treat. Then repeat.

If you absolutely must, use a leash to help guide her off. If she is going to be on the couch, I recommend having a leash on her so if need be, you can help her off with it. (only when supervised!) But if possible, try to get her to do it without you pulling on the leash. You must not let it continue that she doesn't get off when you ask. She needs to learn that getting off is a beneficial thing to her.

In addition, practice other placement cues. Move here, over there, to the side etc. You can show her what you want, point, toss a toy, coax her over, THEN reward her with something really good when she moves. Use a small throw rug to mark various spots or her dog bed...just something that sort of makes it more clear what you're trying to get her to do. When she is getting off the couch, use the same cue each time.

I taught some of my dogs to "excuse me" when I'm walking and they're standing in the way. I tossed a treat over to the left, said, "excuse me" and then to the right. Back and forth. The dog would come back to the center line looking at me for a treat and then I'd toss it to the side, "excuse me." Now, if they're in the way, if I say, "excuse me," they quickly move to the side. They don't need treats anymore. It's become habit.

Anyhow...it sounds like your dog just needs a little more motivation. Make training exercises like this into a game with big pay offs for small successes. And build up. If you get into a power struggle by trying to use force, as in grabbing her collar, you risk getting a bite. Don't try to out strength her. Outsmart her instead. Brainwash her into thinking the things you want her to do are the greatest things on earth to do. LOL.

Thanks for the lond detailed post Doberluv, but the thing is she already knows all these things. And she ussually listens to everything I say.. thats why its so weird. I do think she was just being a brat for attention, even though I had previously speant 2 hours outside with her playing and a half hour in our chair cuddling and watching T.V. She knows "move over" , "Get down" "Out of the way" And all that stuff, And weaving is well known to her too.

I should have probably mentioned in my first post that it was only happening for about 45 minutes before I posted. She has stopped now, and im pretty sure its because I was ignoring her.

I cant even imagine if she behaved like that in a public setting! :yikes: If i had asked something from her and she acted like she was gonna be abused if she didnt do it!

She is a YORKIE!! what do you expect, lol.

Armani will have times where he acts like all of a sudden he cant remember a single thing he is supposed to do... I just ignore him for awhile and he "gets better". It is usually for attention I find.

You chose to get a stubborn breed... haha!

LOL, that is true,, Im used to her ignoring me and looking at me like "Are you kidding me? You really think im gonna do that just because you told me to"

But this was weird..lol..

MOTIVATION. She is not sufficiently motivated. Without motivation, there is no training. It doesn't matter if she "knows" how to do something or has done something in the past. Behavior regresses. I repeat: No motivation.... no obedience. This is how dogs are. She's not coniving or plotting....working it all out logically in her brain in order to get your attention. That is too complex a thought process for a dog. If your attention is given when she misbehaves or doesn't "obey," it is for one reason and one reason only. IT WORKS. It is a reinforcer for whatever she is doing at that moment. If she performs the behavior and she doesn't get adequately reinforced, it then becomes a behavior that doesn't work for her. And she stops doing it. Either something works for her or it doesn't. That's as far as it goes. Simple as that. Dogs are obedient to the laws of learning behavior.

Most important lines in the thread, imo. I would be willing to bet there are holes in the training and inconsistanties, therefore the dog is unsure and conflicted as to what they can and cannot do.

Agree with everything that Carrie has posted as well.

Absolutely agree. She is not being stubborn. She is most likely confused and/or unmotivated to comply if she does know the trick. You gotta be careful not to project your human interpretations onto dogs. Why they do what they do is not usually from the same standpoint of why we would do what we think they're doing. LOL. How's that for an explanation? :rofl1: