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04-10-2017, 05:55 AM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Sunrise, Florida, USA
Posts: 4
| Training Methods and Mouthing/nipping/biting Hello Everyone! My wife and I are brand new humans to a super adorable 3lb, 3 month old yorkie puppy, he's been in our home about 3 weeks now. He's super cute and loving, but his playfulness is over the top sometimes. The purpose of this post is for some background and then we have some questions regarding training methods. So far the only problem we have is when he does what we believe to be play biting. If we are holding him he's easier to control, but if he is on the floor it's impossible. If he's ready to play, we cant walk in the house when he is "free", he INSTANTLY attacks our feet and puts my big toe in his mouth. He can bite pretty hard and even shakes his head as if it's a toy to throw around. Any attempts at no, stop, quit, ouch, yelp, crying, loud noises, do not work and only seem to make him bite harder. His name being Vino, we dont think NO will ever work so we have made our verbal vommand stop or quit. We even tried bitter spray and it only works occasionally. When holding him it's easy to redirect to a toy and he will usually chew it happily, but on the floor it's no use. He has every type of chew imaginable, his favorite are the various nylabones. We also try the stand still/walk away and ignore thing but, he chases after and just continues his mission. The only way to stop him is picking him up and then giving him a chew toy or putting him in his playpen to ignore the bad behavior. He also started nipping sometimes when we go to pet him or pick him up out of his pen. He will sit there and look at us, not coming when we call, until we turn to walk away and he dashes over like a mad man and starts nipping if we reach back in. I tried standing there and not picking him up until he calmed down but instead he started digging at the floor near my feet and then stuck his paws through to play with my toes. That all being said, we need some assistance and direction choosing the best training methods. We went to an orientation for an obedience class and they want him to wear a collar and leash. I've read a lot about trachea problems from collars and when I asked if we could use a harness she said no, only a collar. Their method is to lightly tug on the collar when the dog is doing something inappropriate since their mother would usually tug at the back of their neck in the same fashion. Then the next step is to give praise with your hands when they listen to a command. Their theory is that using the leash and collar will help them to not associate the correction with your hands and allow them to see your hands as a good thing during praise. The trainer said we should start him on the leash and collar this week and give a light tug when he bites at our feet. Well, considering he is about 2 inches from the ground, getting his leash to give a tug downward (since we would NEVER tug up against his throat) doesn't work at all and he just then bites our hands instead. We have our doubts about this method. So, very long story short, what training methods will work best for our little guy and does anyone know of any good places in South Florida? We need help! |
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05-12-2017, 07:26 PM | #2 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: New York
Posts: 19
| Hi! This sounds like me and my family just about a month ago so I feel your pain! Our Niko is now 4 months and 4lbs. We went through the exact same thing, and I honestly did not know what to do, so I did the same thing you did - reach out to the internet, signed him up for puppy kindergarten, bought tons of toys and pulled my hair out! My 5 year old daughter will not get off of the sofa if Niko is loose because she is afraid of being pounced on. Every person that I spoke to said - PATIENCE. It will stop. It hasn't stopped completely, but it isn't as bad as it was last month, so I imagine he is starting to learn good behavior. We started puppy kindergarten 4 weeks ago and have learned a lot of things. I'll note some below: - his biting always means something: - he needs to exercise - he's bored and wants to play - he's hungry - he has to go to the bathroom - he's over-tired We have a doggie playpen (with a peepee pad, toys and food/water bowls) for him in our living room and a crate in our bedroom. At this age, he needs his rest - he is still a baby and needs to nap like one. Although I want him to be loose and learn our home, I found that it isn't always good for him to have free roam of the house for too long - he usually ends up overtired, has potty accidents and starts to nip and bit hard. So I limit to the time he has free roam of the house. An example of our day is: - Niko sleeps in his crate until 6 or 7am and then cries a little to go down stairs to his playpen where his potty pad is. He'll pee and poop and depending on the time - he either comes back up with me and back in to his crate OR I'll leave him downstairs in his playpen and I'll go back to bed - Once I get up, I'll come downstairs and let him out - he'll nip immediately - meaning he's hungry or wants to play (exercise) - I'll make sure he eats and we'll do some fetch for a while until he's done - and then he'll walk around the house and check things out (under supervision of course). When he's done he'll go after our feet - this means he needs a break, so I'll put him in his playpen - not as a punishment, but to calm him down. If that doesn't calm him (still crying and barking) - I'll bring him up to our bedroom and in his crate he goes. He will nap with no problem. I'll leave him in there for an hour or so or until I hear him wimper as he may need to go to the bathroom. - We do it all over again...all day. I am pad training him so I reinforce "going peepee/poopy on your pad and good boy." I train him everyday and during the morning, I'll use his kibble to train him in the AM, but some times he realizes that and will want a real treat, so I'll reward his good behavior with real treats. He loves to train - I suppose he loves the praise and the treats. Bottom line, it's about picking up his cues and he's learning about you and your family. The trainer has recommended certain toys that help with the biting of the ankles (any "chase" toy works wonderfully), they usually look like fishing rods with a toy at the end of it. He loves to chase this and I don't need to run around! So it's a win-win and he gets his exercise. I am starting to know his "witching" hours when he is most active - it's in the morning obviously after being crated all night, but then again in the evening before bed. So I try to run him in some sort of way before bed (either fetch or the chase toy). I'll put him in his playpen and tell him to go pee on his pad so we can go to bed and he is starting to do it! I hope this helps! If I can remember anything else, I will let you know OR if you have questions - ask away....I'm still learning too, but will share whatever I know as I know how difficult it can be. As for the collar - no way - your pup will get hurt - not sure how they can say otherwise. Best of luck and hang in there - it will get better! :-) |
06-01-2018, 04:37 AM | #3 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Sunrise, Florida, USA
Posts: 4
| Hi Mizliz! Sorry I never replied to your response; I read it with my wife and it definitely gave us a lot of in-sight last year! You were right, everything got MUCH better and he is wonderful at home. He takes himself potty, and even goes on command when we need him to go before we go out or before people come over. There is only one rule he has in our house, "No wearing socks".. because they are his.. all of them lol. Thank you again for your response to my post! |
06-19-2018, 02:26 PM | #4 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Hartford, CT, USA
Posts: 5
| Thank you for this post. This is exactly where we are with our pup. He is almost 8 weeks old (yes, young!) and is a ball of energy! We love him and just want to be consistent so that he doesn't think he can bite ALL of the time. Patience is definitely important. You said you got a play pen, what does it look like? Sir Bentley has a crate and a "bed" but am curious about the play pen. Thank you in advance! |
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