Please remember you are dealing with a terrier. Terriers and Yorkshire's in particular, were bred to kill rodents and that genetic predisposition lives on in them today. Training them not to bite is not complicated but you do have to be careful not to actually stimulate their minds into more biting.
If your dog sinks it's teeth into your hand don't react. Let your hand go limp and use your other hand to remove the teeth gently while giving a firm "NO!" No physical punishment is necessary. If you want to use a time out you can but a dog that knows it has crossed the line with it's human has usually been punished enough.
When you move your hand while the dog is biting you it stimulates the pup's hunting instincts to shake. Terriers shake their prey. When you try to dislodge your hand from it's mouth it naturally clamps tighter and tires to go to into a shake. This isn't because it is mean. It is just an instinct. You think you are not prey? An untrained terrier sees a moving hand as 'time to practice killing a rodent.' Just like any young animal they "practice" their inborn skills as they are growing. Just because we buy them does not stop the process of maturing their inborn instincts.
I didn't know much about terriers when Gracie was a puppy. She would growl and bare her teeth when she was "playing." I thought we had some kind of psyco puppy! When we learned to redirect her inborn instincts toward more suitable targets we no longer had bitten fingers and hands.
We started giving her more exercise and making sure we didn't let her biting instinct get stimulate by inappropriate play or movements that she would construe as a challenge.
We also got her some 12" bully sticks. They were and still are bigger than she is but that means nothing to her. Dogs, and puppies in particular, are driven to use their mouths. They can't help it. It is instinct and they have those darn teeth bothering them as well
When Gracie got her bully sticks she was able to get the mouthing thing out of her system by chewing the sticks and she no longer had so much desire to chew on people and other objects around the house that she consistently was seeking out. The sticks are 100% natural, baked and totally digestible. They are hard so it takes some chewing to soften them. She has never been able to actually bite a piece off but enjoys trying really hard. Once the one end is softened she has usually had enough chewing for the time being. If you buy them don't buy the cheapest because many times they are too soft.
I have heard from various trainers that the licking thing can be learned from the mother dog, especially when she has been confined for long periods of time. Giving a firm "NO!" and then redirecting the dog's attention can help break that habit. Some dogs that don't have humans to lick will lick themselves. Continually breaking that cycle with a firm "no" and then redirecting will help set up new patterns in the brain. When they have started licking they usually really need someone to help them to stop because of the pattern set up in the brain. Rewarding the correct behavior will also reenforce the training. |