A Yokrie pup thinks of biting as play. They were bred to kill rodents. They still maintain that instinct. Never try to play with your puppy by using only your hand. Much like a cat the movement of your hand means play to them. Don't play tug or any game that incites the play instinct if your puppy is an avid biter. Keep the pup calm. Give it lots of exercise to help get rid of that excess play energy. When the pup is old enough start teaching it things like sit, stay, come. Obedience lessons help the pup to realize you are in charge. Teaching the pup to play fetch will also help to run off some excess energy. Always redirect the pup's attention when it tries to bite or go for your hand. Replace your hand with a toy. Bully sticks or other healthy chew toys help the pup to get rid of some of that mouth energy.
Pups that are taken from the mom and litter mates too soon often never learn how to play without hurting others. The social structure of the littler helps the pup to learn boundaries. However, with a terrier we have the added genetic predisposition to bite and shake things. When a terrier grabs a rodent they bite hard and shake the life out of it. When your pup latches onto your hand it also wants to shake it. So when you try to move your hand away that causes the pup to bite harder. It's an inborn instinct for them. They are babies and do not understand their play is hurting you. The best solution is to let your hand go limp. This way the pup is less likely to biter harder or continue to bite. Use your other hand to remove the pup's mouth from your body part. This takes the fun of the game out of it and you are less likely to incur further damage. If you try to pull your hand away it just incites the pup to continue the game.
Gracie was a terror of a terrier as a puppy. She wanted to bite and boss everything in sight. Well, she is still quite bossy but she only fights her toys now. She knows her teeth hurt people and she knows only to bite her toys and chew sticks.(she growls at and shakes the daylights out of her toys) It took time and consistent training but she turned out to be a great little girl.... although she had me worried at first. |