Biting/chewing help desperately needed

[ShowGirlLola]

My puppy is almost 15 weeks old, I've had her for a few days short of 2 weeks. For the past week she's been chewing/biting EVERYTHING. My family has had a lot of dogs and she's the worst of the bunch with this.

She will seriously chew anything; the carpet, hair she finds on the floor, clothes, blankets, curtains, table cloth, wires etc.
I can't lay down near her when she's the slightest bit wound up or she'll chew my hair (pulled back in a bun, she bites the bun or pulls the top part).
There are even little holes in my bathroom floor where the sink was that she tries to chew.

She also loves to bite people, it's almost always "I want something" biting (food, play, attention) or part of playing, it's never vicious.
She usually bites fingers and toes but will bite anywhere she can.

She has 2 hol-ee balls, 3 rubber bones, and a dog teething ring thing, so she's not lacking in toys. I also give her things like ice. She likes all of the above and plays with them often.


When she's chewing something she shouldn't I tell her No! (sometimes I clap too if she ignores the No!), give her something appropriate to chew, and if those don't work I pick her up and ignore her.
The problems are she usually ignores me when I tell her No or clap, ignores the chew toy, and tries to chew on me/my clothes when I pick her up.

When she's biting me I tell her No and then ignore her. It doesn't work.

Everything possible is picked up, and she's usually not out of my sight.

There seriously isn't anywhere I can put her where she won't find something to chew.

[lovespandp]

She sounds like a little spitfire LOL! Well with the training it sounds like you are doing what you are suppose, she just doesn't… seem to listen to you! Do you have a kong for her? The kongs are good because you can fill them with treats or peanut butter and freeze them- then when she is biting/ chewing something she shouldn't you can tell her No take her away and give her the kong. More than likely she is teething and she needs something to chew- so the cold will feel good on her gums. You can also buy Bully Sticks or Himalayan chews. Do the same as above, when you find her chewing take her away tell her No and give her the bully stick.. only let her chew for 10 mins or so- and make sure you are around to watch her.

My friend is having the same problem and the kong/ bully sticks have really helped her.

Good Luck, I know the puppy chewing stage can be frustrating.

[ShowGirlLola]

Thanks
She's defiantly a spitfire.

That's basically what I'm doing with her already with her toys, she's just not interested in stopping what she's doing. Or she'll stop and go chew another bad thing.
I'm planning to get her a kong, hopefully having to work a bit for her treat will keep her more entertained.

I won't buy bully sticks because of bacteria but I'll look into Himalayan chews.

[Bellabean]

I feel your pain! Bella does that, too. She is also being a bit stubborn about potty trading. We are making slow, but steady progress.

[lovespandp]

Hopefully she just needs educational type toys that will make her work that little brain of hers LOL. I don’t use Bully sticks either, but most do- Himalayan chews are great, but Peanut didn't like them LOL He ran around the house with it in his mouth and buried it- that was the last I seen it.

[davidsheppard29]

My 6 years old male dog does the same thing.
No worries just a puppy wanting to play before bedtime.Good luck

[ShowGirlLola]

I already play with her a lot, especially before bed. Most of the biting is play related, but not all of it.
I won't play with her when she bites me, but she hasn't realized that yet.

Sometimes she'll try to grab my hand and hold it between her paws and chew on it, like she chews on her toys.
She'll also find bad things and lay down to chew them.

Sometimes she'll bite my feet and bark at me while I'm trying to do stuff because she doesn't like that my full attention isn't on her. I tell her to stop it, then ignore her.


I've found that hitting my hand with a paper gets her attention better than clapping or my voice.

I bought her the Himalayan chews, she likes them so far, and I got her a plush dragon. She doesn't bite fabric as much now that she has the dragon.
These things have helped, but the biting/chewing is still a problem. I'm hoping she'll learn it doesn't get her what she wants and will grow out of most of it.

Some of the biting has been replaced by kissing, so that's really good.

[alishasmom]

All dogs. despite of their breeds, have such different personalities. The yorkie that I have now, was just like that when I got her, after loosing my well behaved trixie. To me, it was a horrible experience to find my cough, and even my wooden walls ripped apart. However, without any training, other than redirection, she came around, and at about 11 months, she stopped chewing everything. I think that could just be a puppy stage. I knew she was trouble when at 14 weeks, I when to get her from the breeder, and she was ferociously biting, her 3 pound dad (she was already as big as dad)

[gracielove]

Yorkies can be very energetic. More so than most dogs. They are terriers and have an instinct to bite and chew as they were bred to chase and kill rodents.

When Gracie was a puppy I seriously wondered if she was vicious! She would roll on her back and growl and show me her teeth. It scared me at first. Actually, her idea of play is a good fight. It is kind of like how kittens will pretend they are hunting and pounce at things and play fight.

You do have to make rules and boundaries. I realize you play with her but play is not going to solve this. It can actually make it worse. Taking her out to run is one of the best things you can do, several times a day. Take her for long, fast paced walks to get rid of some of the energy level. Teach her to play fetch. NEVER let her chew your fingers. That has to be a big "NO." Get her some things she should chew, like some bully sticks. Bully sticks were a big help with our little chewer. She chewed for a full hour when she got her first stick. They helped her to deal with her desire to bite and chew so that she did not try it on things she was not supposed to latch onto.

If she does bite you make a loud, painful sound to let her know she has hurt you and then tell her "NO!" She sees the movement of your hands and feet as a challenge and something to practice her attack mode on. It is a terrier instinct. You need to find ways to keep her calm when you are not in an actual exercise or training session. Try not to move your hands in a way that may attract her attention. Speak calmly and let everyone in your family know that they should not excite her because you are working on teaching her not to chew or bite.

Most people want to excite a puppy and play around with them with their hands but when you have this kind of situation you have to do just the opposite. Never use your hands to attract or excite the pup. Walking and running on a leash are the best way to get her wear her out and make her more docile. Fetch is a thing you can do with her inside or outside. It burns off energy and is a good learning experience. When play time is over give her her stick to chew so she has a chance to change from high energy mode to a more low key behavior.

[Gillykat]

Yes, just a normal lively puppy Perhaps give her a few minutes training session before bedtime to tire her out.....or put a few dry treats around the living room and let her use her nose to scent them out.....that really makes them use their brain and wears them out

What food is she on too? Over here in the UK there's a couple of brands that are well known for driving dogs hyper-loopy because they are full of additives Usually they say go for a food with a lower protein level BUT as your wee girl is still a puppy this may not be an option. I'm sure somebody more experienced than me in rearing puppies will answer this question My last pups were my two jack russells in 1990 - all other folowinmg dogs have been rescued adults aged 16 months upwards.

[ShowGirlLola]

alishasmom- That's basically what I'm going through. I lost my poodles, who didn't chew anything (except wire twist ties, ugh of all the things to like...), and now I have a puppy who wants to chew everything.

~~~~~~~~~
Gracielove- I know yorkies are energetic, Lola is my 2nd yorkie (but he was older by the time I was born) and my family had 3 others that died before I was born. Only one of them was as bad with the chewing, and that was a very long time ago.

I would never describe anything Lola does as vicious. When she growls it’s either like a grumble or quickly followed by a bark.

At this point I can’t walk her. However, I do have a fairly big house with an open floor plan; she can run the length of 3 rooms without stopping or turning.
-she’s getting her last puppy shot on Monday
-there’s a dog/people aggressive dog across the street
-my yard needs a lot of work before it’s puppy ready
-she won’t walk on a leash yet, working on walking her in the house
-I have medical problems that cause severe pain and fatigue, so I can’t do long walks anyway and defiantly can’t run. No one else can do it with her either.
-I’m also having trouble getting a harness small enough for her. The one she has kinda fits but sometimes her paw comes out of it.

A few weeks after her last shot I’m going to try to find a safe place to walk her once in awhile. I won’t be able to do it every day or for very long though.

I’m working on teaching her to play fetch, but she’s not really into it. Right now our play consists of chasing each other or moving a fabric toy around and letting her hunt it.
I don’t let her bite on me, I tell her No and stop playing with her or ignore her, I also crack a paper if I have one. She doesn't respond when I say ouch loudly.

I won’t buy bully sticks due to bacteria; she has her Himalayan chews and toys to chew on.

She has gotten better with the biting; she’s doing it less often when she’s hyper and much less often when she’s calm.

I don’t have problems keeping her calm except when she wants to play, she’s usually happy following me around and sitting with me.
~~~~~~~~~~~

Gillykat- I'm hoping most of this is just her being a puppy. Hiding treats is a good idea, but I might try it with her dry food instead.

I'm giving her merrick puppy food. She gets a tablespoon or so of wet food 2x a day and she has access to dry food all the time.

[Starlette]

Julie has biting issues also. However, it's more of flesh biting with me and my husband. I'd LOVE to have this kind of biting to be stopped also. Along with the biting, she acts like our hands and arms arms are chew toy which they are not.

Starlette

[gracielove]

Originally Posted by ShowGirlLola

alishasmom- That's basically what I'm going through. I lost my poodles, who didn't chew anything (except wire twist ties, ugh of all the things to like...), and now I have a puppy who wants to chew everything.

~~~~~~~~~
Gracielove- I know yorkies are energetic, Lola is my 2nd yorkie (but he was older by the time I was born) and my family had 3 others that died before I was born. Only one of them was as bad with the chewing, and that was a very long time ago.

I would never describe anything Lola does as vicious. When she growls it’s either like a grumble or quickly followed by a bark.

At this point I can’t walk her. However, I do have a fairly big house with an open floor plan; she can run the length of 3 rooms without stopping or turning.
-she’s getting her last puppy shot on Monday
-there’s a dog/people aggressive dog across the street
-my yard needs a lot of work before it’s puppy ready
-she won’t walk on a leash yet, working on walking her in the house
-I have medical problems that cause severe pain and fatigue, so I can’t do long walks anyway and defiantly can’t run. No one else can do it with her either.
-I’m also having trouble getting a harness small enough for her. The one she has kinda fits but sometimes her paw comes out of it.

A few weeks after her last shot I’m going to try to find a safe place to walk her once in awhile. I won’t be able to do it every day or for very long though.

I’m working on teaching her to play fetch, but she’s not really into it. Right now our play consists of chasing each other or moving a fabric toy around and letting her hunt it.
I don’t let her bite on me, I tell her No and stop playing with her or ignore her, I also crack a paper if I have one. She doesn't respond when I say ouch loudly.

I won’t buy bully sticks due to bacteria; she has her Himalayan chews and toys to chew on.

She has gotten better with the biting; she’s doing it less often when she’s hyper and much less often when she’s calm.

I don’t have problems keeping her calm except when she wants to play, she’s usually happy following me around and sitting with me.
~~~~~~~~~~~

Gillykat- I'm hoping most of this is just her being a puppy. Hiding treats is a good idea, but I might try it with her dry food instead.

I'm giving her merrick puppy food. She gets a tablespoon or so of wet food 2x a day and she has access to dry food all the time.

Fetch has helped us a lot for when we can't go out due to weather. Maybe try a softer ball to gain her interest? Gracie has a couple of hacky sac balls that she loves. We also have some 2" balls that fit in her mouth nicely. When we are done playing I have to take the fuzzy balls away or she will chew them. The Himalayan chews are just as useful for chewing if your pup likes them. Either are going to have bacteria on them.
Gracie was never really vicious but her idea of play is a good play fight. Although she is much better than when she was a pup she still likes a good game of chase at least once a day as well as the walks and playing fetch. I don't think all Yorkies are like this but it is an inborn instinct for many of them. It is part of the terrier gene and they just need to learn their boundaries. They truly have that desire to rip and tear like a terrier normally would so we have to direct that desire to another outlet. As babies they just don't understand yet what to do with those instincts.

[Starlette]

Allow me rephrase:

Even at seven months old (or whatever age), our puppy should:
-Not bit our hands
-Direct their biting instincts to something else as chew toys
-Tire them out with walking, playing fetch, etc.

Correct?

[gracielove]

Originally Posted by Starlette

Allow me rephrase:

Even at seven months old (or whatever age), our puppy should:
-Not bit our hands
-Direct their biting instincts to something else as chew toys
-Tire them out with walking, playing fetch, etc.

Correct?

At seven months you are still dealing with a puppy that may still try things, but your right in that you should not allow your pup to chew on your fingers or hands, ever. Don't play with your pup using your hands. If your pup is highly excitable try not to get the pup into any rough and tumble games that involve your body parts.
Lot's of walks, running, fetch and things that use energy but do not involve you wrestling, tugging or generally inciting the fight instinct.

Remember that they are instinctually little ratters. In their play their instinct is to sharpen that ratting skill. Redirect. Find something your pup likes to chew that is safe in order to use up some of that chewing desire on appropriate objects.

There is a video on YouTube that shows 3 terriers in a barn killing rats. When they catch the rats they shake the daylights out of them and they are dead in seconds. If your pup gets a hold of your hand or fingers do not move them. Hold still because moving your hand just causes the pup to hold tighter and possibly try to shake it. Let your hand go limp. That takes the challenge out of the play. Use your other hand to remove your pup's mouth from your hand gently. Just keep in mind that these darling little dogs have a genetic background that causes certain behaviors. A terrier is different than other types of dogs because of what they were bred for and it runs deep in many of them even today. Consistent training will teach your pup that your hands are not appropriate toys.

My little girl still "kills" her toys on a regular basis. Just like the terrier video shows, she shakes the daylights out of her toys and even growls at her "play prey" which is fine with me. I'm just glad she knows not to go after my hands anymore!