 Positive Reinforcement/Training
Welcome to the YT family! You have come to the right place to get answers to hard questions!
I would opt for proper training over punishment. I have raised many Yorkie pups and yes, we have done the "yorkie shuffle" when a pup latches on to a shoe or pants leg. As you mentioned, Ricki is 13 months and the ankle biting is no longer a cute puppy behavior, but a potential health threat to your mom.
Please consider training with positive reinforcement, NOT negative consequences for behavior he has never been taught was wrong in the first place. The problem with Yorkies is that they are so small that minor bad behavior is often ignored and is unintentionally reinforced until there is a big problem in a little dog.
Personally, I am very much opposed to using squirt bottles. It is aggressive and disrespectful and totally uncalled for - especially in a dog that hasn't been given the benefits of proper training with positive reinforcement. If he has actually been trained to NOT be an ankle biter and had a relapse, well even then I would opt for other methods that were not negative.
Ricki needs to be given opportunity to learn his behavior is not acceptable. I would strongly advise to keep Ricki away from your mom until he is properly trained to avoid injury to your mom and to stop reinforcing bad behavior in Ricki.
Clicker training/conditioning works wonders. You can teach Ricki that walking around your feet without touching them will get a reward in the way of a tasty treat. If you are consistent with training/treating he will soon learn that NOT being an ankle biter is better.
Training with positive reinforcement will give you the opportunity to build a stronger relationship with Ricki, rather than give him a reason to fear negative responses from you. |