Had a private trainer come into my home...
 

I wanted to have a trainer make an in-home visit to see Teddy. Although I understand that puppies bite, I wanted to find a way to teach him that it is not OK to bite or growl...well she offered to tap under the chin or grab him by the scruff of the neck and say no! when he bites. He quickly got the hint and stopped biting while she was here and even went to his crate with ears down to lie down. When she was leaving he came up to her to be pet by her and she left. She also suggested to do the pennies in a can bit if he is jumping or chewing on something inappropriate. Since she left yesterday, I've been trying to do what she says except for the first time Teddy is avidly growling at me...and now he even tries biting me when I put my hands in his cage....I don't feel as if I'm being effective because I feel bad grabbing him by the back of the neck or tapping him under the chin...it only seems to aggravate him more and its only making me upset...he's clearly not hurt by what I'm doing (he doesn't yelp or anything) but I don't know if I can continue to correct him this way? I don't feel comfortable and would really appreciate everyone's input on what to expect or what not to expect in dog trainers...:confused:

I'm not comfortable with this kind of physical correction/contact. In my non-expert opinion, it leads to the kind of negative reaction you are getting from Teddy. I believe it destroys trust and sets a bad example, especially with a puppy. If you are physical, he is going to react physically.

I prefer verbal corrections and withdrawing attention. If he nips, say "uh uh uh" as in "no no no" and get up and walk away from him.

Another method, depending on the situation, is to replace the inappropriate object of chewing with a proper one.

Trainers vary widely in their methods. I prefer positive reinforcement training. It is also important that the trainer has experience with small dogs, ideally Yorkies.

I don't feel comfortable with it either...I feel as if it's stopping me from actually enjoying his puppyhood. I do not want to even "tap" him.

You might be teaching him to fear your hands as they now they have negative results (grabbing him, or taping him). Have you tried removing yourself when he gets to bitey? Even if you lightly push him away, he could still interpret it as play. So be boring when he bites, he won't like it when you're boring.

I wouldn't tap him either.

Read the article linked in this post about teaching "bite inhibition":http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/tra...nhibition.html

You are doing a great job jumping on training right away, but as I wrote to you in your other thread, make training fun and enjoyable. Be firm and consistent, but remember this is a puppy.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I'm am guessing that the puppy viewed the trainer as a pack leader because of her confidence and experience. He does not see you as a leader and is therefore challenging you.

This is going to take some time. I suggest getting Cesar Milans books or CDs on how to be the pack leader. Here is a link to some exercises that you can try, to help you to estalish yourself as the leader. More Information

This is an ongoing process and it will take time. Dont give up. As you become more confident the puppy wil begin to look at you differently.

It is good that you are concerned about this an not viewing as a phase or 'oh isnt he cute".

Good Luck

Consider a beginners obedience class where you and your pup can bond and he can learn that he should mind you with no physical stuff on your part.

Welcome to YT!! Good advice :thumbup:

I'm looking for a different trainer...do you guys know if being certified by the CCPDT is a good thing?

Why not do this? Petco or Petsmart have beginners classes.

I went there and the classes don't start until January, which is why I was just looking for some guidance in the meantime...I am so upset by this situation...she was recommended to me by my vet!

This type of training is negative reinforcement and is not the greatest approach.
You never want to physically reprimand your dog, they learn to associate you with bad things and fear you. They then do what you want because they are afraid and not because it makes you both happy and this can lead to worse problems down the road.
Most dogs learn much better with positive reinforcement. You must replace the behavior you don't want with something you do want. For example, puppy is chewing on your favorite shoe- say "no" in a firm manner then give him a proper chew toy then give him a little treat and happy praise "good boy" for chewing on the toy. I took Chibi to petsmart training classes and liked them a lot. I would ask your next trainer if they do "positive reinforcement" training and if not go somewhere else. Your pup should have good expierences learning, not bad ones.

I completely agree. Even though I've never had a puppy before- when it came to doing the "homework" my trainer assigned to me...I just CANNOT do it. I tried and felt terrible (even though it was just a "tap" under the chin). I cried yesterday because I felt as if I was not being the pet owner I wanted to be. I knew that training a puppy would require a lot of work and I am MORE than OKAY with putting in work...however feeling as if I'm doing something wrong made me feel absolutely terrible, and I refuse to ever put my furbaby or myself in that situation again.

I contacted another trainer and she said ...
" We offer private behavioral instruction and small group classes for dogs of all types and ages. Our training methods are humane and dog-friendly, and based in scientific learning theory. We do NOT use physical force, intimidation, or threats in our training. This should be an enjoyable activity for you and your dog -- not a power struggle or war of wills. "

I think she sounds like a winner to me. She also has links to Dr. Sophia and a bunch of articles about positive reinforcement on her website. She even sent me a couple of things to read in her response e-mail.

That sounds awesome! If you do work with them, please post a review so people can know whether or not you had a good experience with them.

I definitely will. I've set up for Monday with her and I will let you guys know how that goes. Until then, I will just say no! and give Teddy a timeout if he bites/growls. He's currently sleeping in his "den". LOL He lifted his bed inside the crate and went underneath it and stuffed all his toys underneath it...I guess he doesn't want me to take them away from him?!? LOL I've never taken any away though, I just keep giving him new ones!!!:D:D:D:D:D

This sounds promising. I applaud you for taking these steps early on. Being a pack leader is rather easy, and I think you are the only owner of the dog, so there is no-one else who may let your dog get away with things that you don't want them to do. Believe you me that helps a whole lot, to be the only trainer. :)

You already are the leader! You just need to believe that. Okay one way and a very good one is to start your pup on other training things. Like sit, come, stay, leave it. A few minutes every day will help. You can hand feed the pup for at least one meal every day. He/she must do a command for his "treat" reward.

with the no biting, I have used a really squeaky high pitched ouch, that hurts, and immediately turned my back and walked away from the pup. It does take time, and lots of dedication, which you have.

These rascals can surely try your patience:p We have been working for about a year on Razzle to stay out of the kitchen when we eat. Our two older dogs set a great example for him...but.... here are just a few of his antics to get "into" the kitchen. Sneaks in via the other doorway. When I say out, he play bows and wags his tail, and tilts his head... he looks absolutely adorable, and will stay there even when I say out again. Then I rise from my chair, he backs away paw by paw by paw by paw to outside of the kitchen. Next he will lay down with just his front paws on the threshold, then he will crawl bit by bit to "hide" under a chair. I get up and have to pick him up and take him "out" again. He will whine cry and bark, and stand up and shake his tail. Finally after about 15 minutes of this which is about the amount of time it takes my dinner to get cold, he will settle down with the older dogs outside of the kitchen. did I mention he was STUBBORN? LMAO it's so true. But there is some light shining through, last night was only 5minutes, and who knows maybe tonight will be the red letter night and he will go out and stay out until we finish our dinner.

I have trained two dogs to CDX and currently working on Utility dog title, alas and aleck not yet with my Yorkie though:D

Glad you are trusting your gut and finding another trainer. In the meantime, you might find it effective to ignore the pup when he begins to bite. Turn away for a few seconds, then turn back. If he bites again, get up and walk away. You may see a brief increase in his biting to try and get the attention he's used to. But he will soon figure out that biting means the end of play time.

We got our Westie at 8 weeks old. She was an unbelievable nipper, like you couldn't even touch her without her nipping you.

We fixed it by stopping petting her after hte nip, cry OW! and then handing her this little Elmo doll from Wal-Mart (it's like $12). It talks so would immediately redirect her attention from nipping at you to Elmo.

I have a question, how do you get up and walk away if you are tethering him?

If you are tethered, then fold your arms across your chest and turn your self away. If you are sitting, stand up. You basically want to give him the "cold shoulder" for a minute or two. If the biting continues, untether him and put him in his crate or xpen for a few.

Redirecting was also mentioned in another post. If you suspect the biting is really more teething, then tell him no when he bites and hand him a chew toy instead.

I think I can tell the difference between biting and teething. When he first arrived he was teething and he would kind of knaw on our fingers...and we mistakingly left him. Now when he doesn't get his way he bites (for example when he is being put in his crate he'll bite me. Its still an inhibited bite because i know he is restraining himself, but I still do not like that he is biting when he does not get his way! For example today, we took him out flat out SPRINTING for forty minutes. He got back home and we fed him, he ate a little too fast out of excitement I think and I could hear his tummy was sort of struggling to keep everything down because he wanted to continue running and playing and chasing. I started putting him in his crate so he could relax so that he doesn't throw up and he started to struggle and bite me! I understand that he might have energy left (even after running a lot) but that doesn't mean I'm going to let him play excessively after being fed...

I don't know. I'm probably way off, but I wonder if he hasn't picked up something from you, such as, he's sensing your lack of confidence in training him. Since he is your first, perhaps you need to be more assertive. Just a thought.:D

I forgot to ask you how old he was.

Also, what are you doing when he does bite (for instance when he bites at you for putting him in his crate)? Has he learned from somewhere that biting will help him get his way?

I got him when he was 12 weeks old. I do not think he used to get away with biting. When he got here, he did not start off by biting. He only used to kind of knaw on my finger as if he was teething. I think that my lack of clarity with what is acceptable may have led him to think he can just bite/chew do whatever he wants and get away with it. Before the trainer, I used to yell "OW" when he bit me, and I'd give him another toy to play with, however he would ignore the toy and keep biting me. Now, I'm back to yelling OW and he seems to be encouraged by the fact that it is hurting me and now he is biting HARDER when I yelp! When he does this, I put him back into his crate where he begs to get out but I ignore him.

I'm sure he picked up on that the first couple of days he was here and just ran with it. I've fed him in his crate and give him treats so that he likes it in there (because he used to cry A LOT) Now, he begs a little bit but gets over it when he's in the crate. The crate is the only thing I've been consistent with. Unfortunately, I used to have a pee pad in here but the trainer said to do away with that too and now I've had two accidents with him in here because while I try to gather my things to take him out instead of him running around crazy in the house looking for the peepad he just squats and pees anywhere because its no longer there. It's not his fault of course, its mine for not being quick enough. I've NEVER punished him for accidents so no worries there. I do praise him when he goes outside of course, and don't say anything when he goes in the house. I think he is definitely confused about the disciplining for doing the wrong thing because that I have defnitely not been consistent with because I've read too many different things on alpha dog theory vs positive reinforcement. When he started biting me a lot, barking, growling etc I thought that I was dealing with an "alpha" and started looking for information to deal with an "alpha dog." I did not go looking for the trainer based on my "suspicions" of an alpha dog. I actually came across her because I went to a vet here for the first time and asked him to recommend me a trainer than can help me with my puppy because I wanted to get on the right foot. He recommended me to her because he takes lessons with her and he SWORE by her. So, she came here and the second he bit her she tapped him under the mouth and he quieted down immediately. He put his ears down and just plopped down and started playing with his chew toy verryyy calmly. I was amazed by this and when she left (yesterday) I tried doing it myself. Well, me trying to tap him under the chin led to him biting me A LOT harder than he used to...got to a point where he started growling at me and I got extremely upset. My boyfriend said that it was because when I did it, it looked like I didn't mean it enough, and I agreed. I just couldn't tap him or grab him by the neck without being upset at what I was doing. He started biting me harder so I just put him in his crate and left him there at a loss with what to do. I assumed that my boyfriend was right and that it was that I wasn't trying hard enough, but when I woke up today I realized that I cannot change who I am to correct an "alpha dog". I can't be harsh, I understand discipline but I absolutely cannot do anything physical. It upsets me too much and the reason I got a Yorkie was because I thought I was in a good place to be able to provide him a loving home, and I felt as if the road that lay ahead of me with this training technique was anything but happy and loving :(

Sorry I do not understand what you mean by what I am doing when he bites?

This probably doesn't have any bearing on your present situation, however, something I have done with all of mine as puppies is:

When I give treats, I get on the floor. I make a game of it. Just an example of what exactly I do is to shoot the treats with my finger and she runs over to them. She likes to play with them first. She comes to sit between my knees at this point. I pick them up and toss them in the air a little and tell her I'm going to get them. I have my face right next to hers. I pick the treats up and I hug her, give her a kiss on the side of the face. It's become a game and she likes to play this game. The point of all of this is to keep her from being protective of food or toys and know that I will not take anything from her ever and she knows that I will give it back. I have always trained mine this way and I never have to worry about face or hand biting or over-protectiveness of food or toys. This is just something you might keep in mind for the future.:)

Thank you for the suggestion, unfortunately we have carpet here and I've tried to play "chase the kibble" with Teddy to get him running but he doesn't seem to be able to see the kibble on the carpet! Either that or he just doesn't have the patience to follow it, I feel as if his attention span is -5!

I have carpet in the room we play in, too. Buy some training treats.:p