biting, growling and barking - Page 2 - YorkieTalk.com Forums

RoxyLuv · 04-08-2010, 01:22 PM

Bitter Yuck worked for Roxy. It's really nasty tasting. Bitter Apple works for other dogs better. Some dogs bite/chew regardless. They are worth a try though. We had a few wire areas blocked off, she was restricted to only 3 rooms for quite a long time. Now she is fine regardless of what room she is in... but she follows us from room to room, so it's easy to keep an eye on her.

One thing I started doing with my hands was to make a fist, leaving no fingers open to grab onto, and just hold my fist in front of her face. It would make her so mad! I guess I wasn't playing fair.

She would get so frustrated, she'd start grabbing at my clothes. It's going to be awhile before this phase passes, so get used to watching them constantly, saying 'ah ah', 'no bite' yelping, 'leave it', 'drop it' over and over and over... however long it takes.

Collars/harnesses/leashes... just keep trying. These are not natural to puppies, and they have to learn to accept them. Leave them on awhile, remove them, then back on awhile. They will gradually get used to them. It's a learning process. Be sure to reward all successes with praise & tiny treats. Good luck w/your little ones.

Kirby · 04-08-2010, 02:18 PM

Bitter Apple was apparently tasty to Sydney. She would lick it off the surface I would spray. As far as the aggressive behavior, you need to show dominance. Be the alpha. Your family has become her pack. This is very controversial, but it works for me. When Sydney gets out of control, I flip her over on her back, not yelling, but calmly saying, "Settle." She quickly settles. If I set her down and she starts back up, she's on her back in my arms again. By the second time, she stops. You can also try shaking pennies in a can, or my favorite, squirt of water on the butt.

gabbi-and-asher · 04-08-2010, 03:03 PM

My boyfriend does the whole pin him down and say "NO" thing, hasn't quite worked yet. I've also tried pennies in a bottle, he ignores it. Asher's a VERY willful 3 mo. old puppy

Kirby · 04-09-2010, 06:43 AM

I wouldn't pin him down and yell. That might encourage aggression on his part. With Sydney, I would be holding her and flip her over on her back. Then calmly say, "Settle." Try the squirt of water in his mouth or on the butt. It works great for me. It gets to the point where when I pick up the bottle she stops what she's doing.

paris pancake · 04-14-2010, 07:03 PM

Okay I have a trick for the harness, we have found that if we give her a special treat or a toy we keep separate just for things like this while she is chewing it we put the harness on. She thinks it is great. As for the biting etc. Same problem here I have noticed a small improvement in the last few days, but my other dogs are also helping. Plus we have found a tired puppy does not nip. So we have been doing several walks around a small part of the neighborhood and she is so exhausted that she can't nip. If you find any good tips let me know. i am so afraid I will end up with ones of those crazy dogs you see on the dogs shows. I am glad it is not just her it gives me some hope she will grow out of it. Good Luck

DvlshAngel985 · 04-14-2010, 10:39 PM

Do you have an ex-pen? What I would do is as soon as he starts mouthing, whether painful or not is say ouch, and put him in his pen. Not as a form of punishment, but as breather for you. The ex-pen is great because it only has what you put in it, so there is nothing dangerous he can get into and hurt himself with. Put him in, do 1 chore around the house, then try again. It'll keep your mind distracted instead of fuming over the chewing problem, and he'll see that he gets no attention for mouthing. It will take time but he will eventually understand that play time is extended if he doesn't use his mouth on your hands/feet/shoes, etc. I hope this helps!

Rhetts_mama · 04-15-2010, 11:46 AM

I'm having this problem with Rhett (12 weeks). It seems like I am the one he bites (quite strongly), he's much gentler with everyone else. Unless I slather my entire body in bitter apple, I'm afraid I'm going to be in for a long haul.

Nikkilou · 04-16-2010, 03:19 PM

We had Poppy from 7 weeks old which I now know was way to young. She also used to dive for your feet and sink in her teeth as you walked accross the room and to this day isn't really interested in play for more than a couple of minutes. All I can say is that I thought that she was never going to grow out of it, But eventually she did when she stopped teething. As for the harness disapproval.... Hmm.. are our dogs related??? My top tip is pop it on whilst they are eating their breakfast, they are so interested in their food that they are not interested in what you are doing to them ( it works for me lol!! )

gabbi-and-asher · 04-17-2010, 05:46 PM

Nikki, I've had Asher since he was 7wks as well. He's 13 wks now, and teething pretty badly. He's got tons of toys and a house shoe shaped like a dog that he plays with. But he never stays interested for long. I even got him a puppy Kong that he's given up on. Its like he doesn't even want the treats! I've resorted to just picking him up and putting the harness on him. He tries to eat it, but after its on, he leaves it alone now.

Angel, I don't have a pen, but as far as ignoring him to get him to stop biting, it doesn't seem to work. I throw my hands up in the air and stop looking at him, and he bites me on the side, or my upper arm. And if I get up and walk away, he just attaches himself to my pant leg.

Kirby, when you flip the puppy on its back, how do you know that they've "surrendered"? Is that when they turn their head away from you? I've done it a few times now, and that's what Asher does. As soon as I let him go, he's fine for a few minutes and then goes back to whatever he was doing.

paris pancake · 04-17-2010, 06:37 PM

Trick for the harness, find the favorite treat and give it while you are putting the harness on, it distracts the dog and then they will associate the treat with the harness, my puppy is 11 weeks old and figure it out and now my daughter can put the harness on etc. Good luck!

emchelle · 05-01-2010, 09:41 AM

I don't know if this will work if all yorkie or not, but you should try holding her own on her side for a few second after she mouth on you. Don't hold her for too long in the begining. Let me know if it work. Teri mouth me all the time too, I think she's still in that stages.

04-08-2010, 01:22 PM	#16
RoxyLuv Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Michigan Posts: 982 Blog Entries: 1	Bitter Yuck worked for Roxy. It's really nasty tasting. Bitter Apple works for other dogs better. Some dogs bite/chew regardless. They are worth a try though. We had a few wire areas blocked off, she was restricted to only 3 rooms for quite a long time. Now she is fine regardless of what room she is in... but she follows us from room to room, so it's easy to keep an eye on her. One thing I started doing with my hands was to make a fist, leaving no fingers open to grab onto, and just hold my fist in front of her face. It would make her so mad! I guess I wasn't playing fair. She would get so frustrated, she'd start grabbing at my clothes. It's going to be awhile before this phase passes, so get used to watching them constantly, saying 'ah ah', 'no bite' yelping, 'leave it', 'drop it' over and over and over... however long it takes. Collars/harnesses/leashes... just keep trying. These are not natural to puppies, and they have to learn to accept them. Leave them on awhile, remove them, then back on awhile. They will gradually get used to them. It's a learning process. Be sure to reward all successes with praise & tiny treats. Good luck w/your little ones. __________________ June ~ Roxy LUV LUV

04-14-2010, 10:39 PM	#21
DvlshAngel985 Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Los Angeles, California, USA Posts: 12,693	Do you have an ex-pen? What I would do is as soon as he starts mouthing, whether painful or not is say ouch, and put him in his pen. Not as a form of punishment, but as breather for you. The ex-pen is great because it only has what you put in it, so there is nothing dangerous he can get into and hurt himself with. Put him in, do 1 chore around the house, then try again. It'll keep your mind distracted instead of fuming over the chewing problem, and he'll see that he gets no attention for mouthing. It will take time but he will eventually understand that play time is extended if he doesn't use his mouth on your hands/feet/shoes, etc. I hope this helps! __________________ Littlest JakJak We miss you Kaji

04-15-2010, 11:46 AM	#22
Rhetts_mama Donating YT 4000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Georgia Posts: 5,959 Blog Entries: 1	I'm having this problem with Rhett (12 weeks). It seems like I am the one he bites (quite strongly), he's much gentler with everyone else. Unless I slather my entire body in bitter apple, I'm afraid I'm going to be in for a long haul. __________________ Don't get your knickers in a knot. Nothing is solved and it just makes you walk funny.

04-16-2010, 03:19 PM	#23
Nikkilou Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kent England Posts: 48	We had Poppy from 7 weeks old which I now know was way to young. She also used to dive for your feet and sink in her teeth as you walked accross the room and to this day isn't really interested in play for more than a couple of minutes. All I can say is that I thought that she was never going to grow out of it, But eventually she did when she stopped teething. As for the harness disapproval.... Hmm.. are our dogs related??? My top tip is pop it on whilst they are eating their breakfast, they are so interested in their food that they are not interested in what you are doing to them ( it works for me lol!! ) __________________ My Little Girl Lights Up My Life Totally Owned By My Furbaby

04-08-2010, 02:18 PM	#17
Kirby YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 618	Bitter Apple was apparently tasty to Sydney. She would lick it off the surface I would spray. As far as the aggressive behavior, you need to show dominance. Be the alpha. Your family has become her pack. This is very controversial, but it works for me. When Sydney gets out of control, I flip her over on her back, not yelling, but calmly saying, "Settle." She quickly settles. If I set her down and she starts back up, she's on her back in my arms again. By the second time, she stops. You can also try shaking pennies in a can, or my favorite, squirt of water on the butt.

04-08-2010, 03:03 PM	#18
gabbi-and-asher Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Kennesaw, GA Posts: 28	My boyfriend does the whole pin him down and say "NO" thing, hasn't quite worked yet. I've also tried pennies in a bottle, he ignores it. Asher's a VERY willful 3 mo. old puppy

04-09-2010, 06:43 AM	#19
Kirby YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 618	I wouldn't pin him down and yell. That might encourage aggression on his part. With Sydney, I would be holding her and flip her over on her back. Then calmly say, "Settle." Try the squirt of water in his mouth or on the butt. It works great for me. It gets to the point where when I pick up the bottle she stops what she's doing.

04-14-2010, 07:03 PM	#20
paris pancake Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Michigan Posts: 58	Okay I have a trick for the harness, we have found that if we give her a special treat or a toy we keep separate just for things like this while she is chewing it we put the harness on. She thinks it is great. As for the biting etc. Same problem here I have noticed a small improvement in the last few days, but my other dogs are also helping. Plus we have found a tired puppy does not nip. So we have been doing several walks around a small part of the neighborhood and she is so exhausted that she can't nip. If you find any good tips let me know. i am so afraid I will end up with ones of those crazy dogs you see on the dogs shows. I am glad it is not just her it gives me some hope she will grow out of it. Good Luck

04-17-2010, 05:46 PM	#24
gabbi-and-asher Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Kennesaw, GA Posts: 28	Nikki, I've had Asher since he was 7wks as well. He's 13 wks now, and teething pretty badly. He's got tons of toys and a house shoe shaped like a dog that he plays with. But he never stays interested for long. I even got him a puppy Kong that he's given up on. Its like he doesn't even want the treats! I've resorted to just picking him up and putting the harness on him. He tries to eat it, but after its on, he leaves it alone now. Angel, I don't have a pen, but as far as ignoring him to get him to stop biting, it doesn't seem to work. I throw my hands up in the air and stop looking at him, and he bites me on the side, or my upper arm. And if I get up and walk away, he just attaches himself to my pant leg. Kirby, when you flip the puppy on its back, how do you know that they've "surrendered"? Is that when they turn their head away from you? I've done it a few times now, and that's what Asher does. As soon as I let him go, he's fine for a few minutes and then goes back to whatever he was doing.

04-17-2010, 06:37 PM	#25
paris pancake Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Michigan Posts: 58	Trick for the harness, find the favorite treat and give it while you are putting the harness on, it distracts the dog and then they will associate the treat with the harness, my puppy is 11 weeks old and figure it out and now my daughter can put the harness on etc. Good luck!

05-01-2010, 09:41 AM	#26
emchelle Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 33	I don't know if this will work if all yorkie or not, but you should try holding her own on her side for a few second after she mouth on you. Don't hold her for too long in the begining. Let me know if it work. Teri mouth me all the time too, I think she's still in that stages.