Biting and chewing - Help please!

[Erinmay]

We just came home on Friday afternoon with our new puppy and the more confident she gets with us the more she bites - those puppy teeth are really painful! I want to nip this in the bud - no pun intended - so it doesn't become a bigger problem later.

I say NO firmly but it doesn't mean anything to her...I need to be trained!

Can anyone offer some suggestions?

[Marc]

Originally Posted by Erinmay

We just came home on Friday afternoon with our new puppy and the more confident she gets with us the more she bites - those puppy teeth are really painful! I want to nip this in the bud - no pun intended - so it doesn't become a bigger problem later.

I say NO firmly but it doesn't mean anything to her...I need to be trained!

Can anyone offer some suggestions?

Hi there. I am NO expert but I just got a Yorkie a couple a weeks ago and this is what I am doing. (got this idea on Youtube).....

If she nips/bites you....YELP LOUDLY or say "Ouch" really fast and loud. Act hurt. Then either stay put or walk away. She will stop and look at you.

The reason this makes sense to me is because when two dogs or cats are play fighting and one bites the other just a little too hard....the dog will yelp loud and the game is done. That dog will either start playing again and the game becomes more "gentle" or the hurt dog will walk away indicating that his "friend" went too far for his liking and the "game" is done. So by you yelping or screaming "ouch" you stop the dog with a little verbal "shock" and he/she will catch on that you will not play if he/she continues to be so rough.

We are just starting this here as well. For some reason my son has an affect on animals that is very strong. They LOVE him and will seek him out to snuggle and to play for loads of fun. Our yorkie saught him out from day one and loves to take the play fighting too far. I have just instructed all family members to yelp or say "ouch" if our pup nips at them.

[Lynn WDW]

Good luck, We've had Baxter since Feb. 21. This behavior started 2 weeks after we got him. I have tried all suggestions here and nothing works. I am just hoping it will stop when he stops teething. He has all manner of chew toys and still chews, bites, on me and anything else he get his teeth on.

[jfalz73]

Originally Posted by Marc

Hi there. I am NO expert but I just got a Yorkie a couple a weeks ago and this is what I am doing. (got this idea on Youtube).....

If she nips/bites you....YELP LOUDLY or say "Ouch" really fast and loud. Act hurt. Then either stay put or walk away. She will stop and look at you.

The reason this makes sense to me is because when two dogs or cats are play fighting and one bites the other just a little too hard....the dog will yelp loud and the game is done. That dog will either start playing again and the game becomes more "gentle" or the hurt dog will walk away indicating that his "friend" went too far for his liking and the "game" is done. So by you yelping or screaming "ouch" you stop the dog with a little verbal "shock" and he/she will catch on that you will not play if he/she continues to be so rough.

We are just starting this here as well. For some reason my son has an affect on animals that is very strong. They LOVE him and will seek him out to snuggle and to play for loads of fun. Our yorkie saught him out from day one and loves to take the play fighting too far. I have just instructed all family members to yelp or say "ouch" if our pup nips at them.

We are doing this also and it works with Brooklyn (12 weeks old). My husband thought i was nuts when i told him to do it, but he did and it worked. I read about this in a training magazine. Good luck!

[Erinmay]

Thanks for all the advice! I had tried the yelping it didn't work on Maggie...she is persistent Yesterday afternoon my husband bought a couple of water guns - success! I only had to squirt her twice with a firm "no" and that stopped her - it also taught her the meaning of the word no which is great. Anytime she lunges for my ankles or pant legs I say no and she runs for a toy.

...my husband's "no" isn't so firm so she's still biting him but she'll learn...

[Marc]

Originally Posted by Lynn WDW

Good luck, We've had Baxter since Feb. 21. This behavior started 2 weeks after we got him. I have tried all suggestions here and nothing works. I am just hoping it will stop when he stops teething. He has all manner of chew toys and still chews, bites, on me and anything else he get his teeth on.

Are you really yelping though, lol. I know it sounds odd...but at first my son was just "saying" it with a small amount of "hurt" in his voice. I told him he needs to REALLY yelp. I know, sounds funny....but I think it does work for most.

[MyDuke]

Hi everyone,

I found that the water spray or penny in the bottle are great, but Duke who is now a bit over 6 months, only reacted to these methods the first couple times. He grew out of it though, a lot of people told me that but I didn't believe them until he just grew out of it. Try what you can but your puppy will too grow up and out of the biting phrase.

Good luck.

[I Miss Shelby]

For those who's yorkies are biting/nibbling on you: are they the only dogs that you have or do they have another dog to play with and learn that biting hurts. My little man also likes to bite and I was thinking/hoping that when his new sister comes next week she will help him learn some socialization from her. I think that when they are puppies and bite their siblings or their mom, they hear the "yelp" from them and sometimes get a nip back. I guess this is another good reason to let the puppy stay with the mom longer than 8 weeks.

[Erinmay]

Well...I was sooo proud of myself thinking that the squirt gun was our answer to the biting! It worked for two days!! It still kinda works - she'll get annoyed that she was squirted and stop for a minute but them come back and do it again and again and again...

She's too adorable to get mad at and I'm a grown woman who can handle a nip and a bite but I can't have her doing this to people! Any idea how long before she grows out of this phase? She's 12 weeks now...

[Aliza]

My baby is almost 6 months old and he has gotten WAY better with the nipping. At first i tried the ouch thing but he was COMPLETELY unphased by it. I just say No firmly and then give him a toy and praise him when he plays with it. Puppies chew on everything... i think its MOSTLY a phase and they grow out of it- we hope! He is teething really badly now and i know it. He tends to nip most when he is really excited but generally when i play with him i can tell he is careful to avoid nibbling my hands when he grabs the toy. I have decided he is a genius.

[Samurai]

hi , Sam is 10 weeks old and we have had him since 7 weeks. He play bites all the time, you cant even pet him. I have tried the yelping and walk away and i have the can with the penny's. ( which he barks at ) any idea's? my husband is getting tired of it...

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Just keep saying No and then give them a chew toy instead. They need something to chew on and they need know what they can chew on. Good luck.

[Erinmay]

I have been saying 'no' and sticking a chew toy in her mouth when she bites but sometimes I'm not near a chew toy and when she's chewing my pant leg, she gets dragged into the room with the toy...not ideal...

I'm sure she's teething but I think her bites when I'm trying to leave the room are not teething bites but more like 'Don't leave me' bites...

Is there anything you can rub on their gums while they're teething - just like you would a baby?

[kezza]

I would cut chunks of carrot and freeze them for pixie when she was teething.

[Mamie]

Apparently, loud noises scare Honey. So everytime she is doing something she is not suppose to, we either shake a can of coins or make some loud noise. She has began to associate the noise with the act and has eliminated alot of the bad acts, such as biting.