Tough time getting him to stop bitting...

[K927]

I am very sorry if perhaps I shouldn't be on this page, I don't have a "purebred" Yorkie, I have a Yorkie/Maltese mix ("Morkie"). I thought this would be the best page for me to speak about this. He is 2 months old, I know he is still VERY young and perhaps I just need more time in order to "train him".

He's a great puppy and I love him very much, he can be the sweetest little thing, and has moments in which he's very calm, when he first began getting playful it was pure joy and fun with him! Lately though he is growling and barking and bitting harder than "normal".

I can tolerate the way he is biting though, but he is doing it quite hard. I have marks all over my hands, part of my arms, and my lower leg area. I've never had a dog before so I am having a little issue with managing this.

How do I let him know when something is "wrong"? I say "No!" very loudly or I would do hand gestures as I say "NO" but for some reason this seems like a "game" for him, I try stomping when he's biting me on my feet, he will back off for a while and jump at me and do it all over again.

What can I do?

[Ladymom]

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/tra...nhibition.html

[MaddiesMommie]

No advice, just wanted to say Hello and Welcome to Yorkie Talk. We love all kinds here

[Rachael x]

I am having this problem too, I will check out the link another member gave you good luck.

[margaritaville]

Welcome to YT. Those little teeth sure do hurt.

[MorkieMom11]

I've visited this site before, but never joined the forum. Today is my first post. My Morkie is 9 months old and still likes to play bite. She used to really hurt, causing bruising and scratches on my hands and arms with those sharp puppy teeth. She has recently figured out not to bite so hard. She still play bites, but at least my hands and arms are in one piece. If she gets too rambunctious with her biting, I stop playing and walk away. I think she's getting the point. She seems to know when she upsets or hurts me, because she immediately begins to kiss my face as if she's saying she's sorry. Of course, I'm putty in her arms after that. She's cute and she knows how to use it!

[Her Name Is Rio]

You should never let your puppy "mouth" your fingers, hands, or any part of your body, as they will assume it's ok. When my 5 month old Bullet tries to bite my hands I tell him "NO" in a firm voice and immediately turn my back with my hands tucked away. After he's settled down, I'll face him and pet him and if he tries it again, I'll repeat putting my hands away. I also will give him an alternative to bite - any of his toys. He has curbed his biting almost completely and now knows to only bite his toys (or occasionally his sister Rio!).

[nikkipoop]

i'm having this problem too.. :-( if I tell him no, he thinks that's part of the "game"..

[lucyaboo]

I agree with 'Her Name Is Rio' about giving the pup toys to bite on instead of your hand. When I got Lucy at 4 months, her teeth were SO sharp, they actually sliced the end of one of my fingers by accident. I kept putting the toys in the middle of the playing & she finally got it that she wasn't suppose to bite her mama.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by K927

I am very sorry if perhaps I shouldn't be on this page, I don't have a "purebred" Yorkie, I have a Yorkie/Maltese mix ("Morkie"). I thought this would be the best page for me to speak about this. He is 2 months old, I know he is still VERY young and perhaps I just need more time in order to "train him".

He's a great puppy and I love him very much, he can be the sweetest little thing, and has moments in which he's very calm, when he first began getting playful it was pure joy and fun with him! Lately though he is growling and barking and bitting harder than "normal".

I can tolerate the way he is biting though, but he is doing it quite hard. I have marks all over my hands, part of my arms, and my lower leg area. I've never had a dog before so I am having a little issue with managing this.

How do I let him know when something is "wrong"? I say "ah ah" very loudly or I would do hand gestures as I say "NO" but for some reason this seems like a "game" for him, I try stomping when he's biting me on my feet, he will back off for a while and jump at me and do it all over again.

What can I do?

WELCOME TO YT!!!
All dog lovers are welcome here. I do think the bitting has to do with your puppy having been separated from his mother and litter mates too soon. Mom and litter mates teach bite inhibition along with other dog manners. Since he doesn't have mom or litter mates anymore, it's now your job. As soon as your pup puts his teeth on you, correct him by saying "No" in a firm tone (no yelling) and stop all play. Become uninteresting so he knows playtime is over. You're basically going to pull away and ignore him. After much repetition, he will understand that it was his putting his teeth on you that caused play time to end.

Since he is so young, and I'm assuming he isn't potty trained. The safest place to put him would be in his ex-pen/crate. In that case, calmly pick him up, be unemotional about it, and gently put him in his ex-pen/crate.

[fifeandshaffer]

i was told that if you yelp like a puppy, like his her littermates when they bite this would stop the action then also say no,, this did work for me when i had my puppy. I was also told substitute your hand for a toy or chewy I like merrick chews bully or flossie to keep them busy and teeth in good order,, yorkies have pretty bad teeth, and while i brush and use gel and other things i like the chews to help also to keep teeth in good shape.

[Rhetts_mama]

I found with Rhett that his biting would increase exponentially if he was hyper stimulated. What helped with him when he got like this was to pick him up and move to a quiet spot in the house. If he continued, he got a brief "time out" in the crate (just a minute or two) then back out to play.

He's 6 months now and almost never mouths any of the people at home. Once in awhile we do get a little nip, but it's always because we've gotten our hand in the way while he was playing with Scarlett.

[Sweet Apple]

I had this problem w/Apple, when she was 3-4 months old...Someone on here, told me to say no bites and get up and leave the room every single solitary time she did it...Don't leave for long, or they'll forget why you left...I would leave for about a minute or two...Never let it go, even one time...It, totally, worked for me...She didn't like me leaving her, and realized that when she bit me, I would leave...Good luck!

[spalione]

Hi and welcome to yorkie talk! I know I am going to get yelled at for this advice, but it worked! My yorkie, who is the love of my life, is 3 now and never bites anymore. She did the same as a pup and actually was a little vicious, it wasn't always playing. I did get her at 2 months old. I was afraid to let kids pet her, as they always want to do, because she would nip at them. A trainer told me to take a rolled up newspaper and everytime she nips - wack her (she said anywhere, but I wacked her on her bottom) - she said never use your hand, always the newspaper roll. I hated doing this, but you know what? It worked! It worked after about 4 times. Then all I had to do is show her the newspaper during a growl and she would calm down. She knew very quickly that was bad behavior. The trainer said you have to stop the biting early or it can be a very bad habit not to mention dangerous. Bailey doesn't nip people anymore (but she saves her agression for other dogs - afterall at 4 lbs. she feels she is the alpha dog!) Good luck.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by spalione

Hi and welcome to yorkie talk! I know I am going to get yelled at for this advice, but it worked! My yorkie, who is the love of my life, is 3 now and never bites anymore. She did the same as a pup and actually was a little vicious, it wasn't always playing. I did get her at 2 months old. I was afraid to let kids pet her, as they always want to do, because she would nip at them. A trainer told me to take a rolled up newspaper and everytime she nips - wack her (she said anywhere, but I wacked her on her bottom) - she said never use your hand, always the newspaper roll. I hated doing this, but you know what? It worked! It worked after about 4 times. Then all I had to do is show her the newspaper during a growl and she would calm down. She knew very quickly that was bad behavior. The trainer said you have to stop the biting early or it can be a very bad habit not to mention dangerous. Bailey doesn't nip people anymore (but she saves her agression for other dogs - afterall at 4 lbs. she feels she is the alpha dog!) Good luck.

You're right, that is horrible advice. Depending on the yorkie's personality, or in this case a little baby morkie, it might "work." Why the quotes? Because you don't teach the dog anything other than fear. For a submissive dog, a whack will let him know you're displeased and to fear you and your moodiness. They'll stop a behavior because you snapped them out of it, and redirected their attention to the awful creature that smacked them. Did they learn not to bite? No. Would they dare bite you? No, but they wouldn't want to come near you either because you're scary to them now. 1/2 an hour, to an hour later they might, but they've already learned to fear you.

For a more dominant dog, after a while the rolled up newspaper is going to get it, and to an extension so will you. It may work for now, but one day your dog is going to snap and attack that which hit him, and if your hand is there, your hand will be attacked too. It will build up.