Help! Baxter bit my kids! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

justjayma · 06-21-2011, 01:47 PM

I am beside myself...I would get rid of my dog in a heartbeat if I thought he was a danger to my children....that being said...

Yesterday, he was teasing my 9 year old, and my 9 year old was teasing him back. He jumped and bit my son on the arm, drew blood and left teeth marks.

Today, my daughter picked him up, surprised him, and as she was lifting him, he bit her on the face!! He drew blood!

I don't know what to do. Obviously, he seems himself as dominant over the kids. I see that. But how can I change him??

His stats: he is 6 mos old, I have had him since he was 7 weeks old. He currently weighs 7 lbs. He is very smart, well trained, easily trainable, too.

horsnaround · 06-21-2011, 02:03 PM

Well maybe make a rule of no picking him up. And no teasing him. Sounds like both times where accidents. But next time it could be an eye or the dog getting thrown. I would set some rules for the kids. And teach him no bite and not play aggressive with him. He is thinking it's okay to bite and you want to teach him it is not. So if he is biting while playing with you ignore him and tell him to be nice. He is young and can learn this.

MaddiesMommie · 06-21-2011, 02:17 PM

At 6 months old, your Yorkie is still learning how to play. Getting him at 7 weeks, he missed some valuable time with his mom and littermates where they would have learned how to interact during play. Sometimes kids are a bit aggressive for these little breeds without meaning to be. These little guys will do what they have to when they feel threatened and cannot be blamed for that. I would make it my responsiblity to make sure the kids are engaging in play that does not make the little guy feel threatened.

Maddie is very cautious around small children because my niece got too rough with her when she was a pup. Totally, my fault. Maddie snapped at her, but she felt she was in danger. I hope you are able to resolve this and it doesn't come to rehoming you little guy.

Baroness · 06-21-2011, 02:51 PM

I surprised Teddie when I picked him up a month ago, he bit my nose and tore through the cartilage a wee bit. He was still learning about bite inhibition being under 6 months and showed me he didn't like a quick, surprise, swoop pick-up. My best advice would be to work with your pup on bite inhibition and realize that teasing and picking up by young kids is a possible trigger for him. Set some ground rules with your kids and get him learning and hopefully you guys can move past this stage of his learning and puppy-dom. Good luck to you!!

RachelandSadie · 06-21-2011, 03:10 PM

puppies bite. that's pretty normal you'll just have to work extra hard to train NO BITE commands. when playing don't play rough, don't use tug of war and other fighting style games. when he goes to nip or nibble on hands replace hand with a toy (chewy is better) and say NO BITE. it took almost a year to train Sadie these things because like you we got her at 7 weeks and didn't wait to 12 weeks so she did not learn bite inhibition (basically that biting others hurts) from the littermates and mother. it's hard to train them when they have no experience with not biting siblings but can be done. Sadie plays rough but rather than bite down now she licks me instead. i trained her to be that way.

good luck

marcie · 06-21-2011, 03:45 PM

He is still a pup. You need to train the "no bite" command. And the children must learn not to tease or any rough play. [ I'm not implying that they do.] It will work out your pup just needs time to grow up.
Gloria Stillwell has some great tips for this.

lillymae · 06-21-2011, 06:39 PM

Before you assume that it is a behavioral problem , a vet visit would be a good idea to rule out a medical problem. Is he allowed to jump on & off the furniture ? If yes it could be that he has hurt himself or he could have an ear infection or any number of things making him cranky.

justjayma · 06-21-2011, 07:11 PM

The kids DO tease and rough house with him...my hubby does sometimes too. I didn't realize that it was such a no no to do...it is apparently teaching him to be aggressive, and that is NOT good.

Thank you for the advice, everyone. I think I will take him into the vet, have him fully checked out, to eliminate that as potential problem. I did tell my husband the other day that the dog seemed "grumpy."

Thank you all. He is my baby, and I love him, but would put my kids safety before him, if it HAD to come down to it.

Ashley V · 06-21-2011, 07:17 PM

I agree with the others, he's still a puppy and needs to be taught how to play nicely. He's a dog and if he were playing with other dogs, he would be biting them. He needs to be taught that biting humans is not appropriate. As for when you daughter picked him up and startled him, that is because he was startled. I've accidentally startled one of my dogs and he turned around and bit me. He's not a biter at all, but he was in la-la land somewhere barking in protection mode at the people walking on the other side of a field and a four lane road when I picked him up to try and distract him, which in turn startled him and he bit me. Have you taken your dog to a puppy class? Maybe taking him to a puppy class and having your kids involved, would be beneficial to all of you, not just him. He will learn to respect your children and your children will learn a few things too.

Cha Cha · 06-22-2011, 06:39 AM

Definitely put a stop to the teasing. Otherwise, sometimes, I don't think kids realize their own strength or don't realize that the way the pick up an animal may startle it or actually hurt it (pinch its skin, pull its hair, or a muscle, etc.) and the dog's ONLY defense is to bite to get out of the situation. Just like dogs need to be trained, so do kids. Even my DH, a grown man and loves our dogs, gets snipped at sometimes when he picks ours up wrong. He simply doesn't realize how hard his grip is when he picks them up sometimes, and they are not rag dolls. I am ALWAYS getting on to him to be careful...probably too paranoid. Also, maybe your dog has an extra sensitive spot that may be sore. He will definitely protect it if that is the case so be on the look out for something like that.

143julz · 06-22-2011, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cha Cha

Definitely put a stop to the teasing. Otherwise, sometimes, I don't think kids realize their own strength or don't realize that the way the pick up an animal may startle it or actually hurt it (pinch its skin, pull its hair, or a muscle, etc.) and the dog's ONLY defense is to bite to get out of the situation. Just like dogs need to be trained, so do kids. Even my DH, a grown man and loves our dogs, gets snipped at sometimes when he picks ours up wrong. He simply doesn't realize how hard his grip is when he picks them up sometimes, and they are not rag dolls. I am ALWAYS getting on to him to be careful...probably too paranoid. Also, maybe your dog has an extra sensitive spot that may be sore. He will definitely protect it if that is the case so be on the look out for something like that.

Maybe get a BIGGER DOG your kids can tease and keep the Yorkie all to yourself

lillymae · 06-22-2011, 09:24 PM

You should Not allow children to tease a dog of any size. It is basically the same as letting them bully other kids. The diff is that the dog bites out of fear or because they are sick of being terrorized & then the poor dog gets thrown out for trying to defend itself. I'm sorry but if you terrorize my dog & get bit, Oh Well you should have been taught better. If you can not make your kids & husband stop terrorizing the dog then for the sake of the dog, find him a new home as dogs only live to please & Love & he feels like his people are betraying him daily & basically he's rite.

justjayma · 06-22-2011, 09:55 PM

In my defense, I would NEVER allow my kids to bully the dog. They TEASE like they tease a sibling. Playing keep away with him, or tug of war. It was playing, not bullying. I'm sorry, but I turned to here for some suggestions, not judgment. I am new at this little dog stuff, and thought I could find some suggestions here. Notice, I did NOT say, who wants my dog, he bit my kids. I said HELP. They are NOT terrorizing him, and I have made very firm and clear rules from this point forward that they are not allowed to play roughly with him any more. I myself am guilty of playing roughly with him, playing tug of war, etc. But we don't anymore. I didn't realize how wrong a message it is sending to the dog. But I do now. Thanks for all your advice.

KazzyK810 · 06-22-2011, 10:23 PM

Don' t get discouraged by some of the responses. Sometimes its just hard to express yourself so that the situation is clear to all that read it, and is interpreted as you intended. Some words have slightly different connotations to different people based on their personal experiences. YT has alot of great members with lots of experience, and is a great place to learn more about the yorkie breed and to share your love of these amazing little dogs. I, myself, have been around yorkies for over 33 years, but yet still learned something new just the other day.

Cha Cha · 06-23-2011, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KazzyK810

Don' t get discouraged by some of the responses. Sometimes its just hard to express yourself so that the situation is clear to all that read it, and is interpreted as you intended. Some words have slightly different connotations to different people based on their personal experiences. YT has alot of great members with lots of experience, and is a great place to learn more about the yorkie breed and to share your love of these amazing little dogs. I, myself, have been around yorkies for over 33 years, but yet still learned something new just the other day.

I agree with this. Please don't be discouraged. You are in the right place for learning and if you stick around I think you will find it a great resource for your family and Baxter. We're glad you are here.

06-21-2011, 01:47 PM	#1
justjayma Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: WA Posts: 20	Help! Baxter bit my kids! I am beside myself...I would get rid of my dog in a heartbeat if I thought he was a danger to my children....that being said... Yesterday, he was teasing my 9 year old, and my 9 year old was teasing him back. He jumped and bit my son on the arm, drew blood and left teeth marks. Today, my daughter picked him up, surprised him, and as she was lifting him, he bit her on the face!! He drew blood! I don't know what to do. Obviously, he seems himself as dominant over the kids. I see that. But how can I change him?? His stats: he is 6 mos old, I have had him since he was 7 weeks old. He currently weighs 7 lbs. He is very smart, well trained, easily trainable, too. __________________ 3 kids, 3 step kids, 2 step grandkis, and a loving husband...and it's my YORKIE who is on my screensaver. =)

06-21-2011, 02:03 PM	#2
horsnaround ♥Trained by my pups♥ Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: with my yorkies Posts: 11,706 Blog Entries: 1	Well maybe make a rule of no picking him up. And no teasing him. Sounds like both times where accidents. But next time it could be an eye or the dog getting thrown. I would set some rules for the kids. And teach him no bite and not play aggressive with him. He is thinking it's okay to bite and you want to teach him it is not. So if he is biting while playing with you ignore him and tell him to be nice. He is young and can learn this. __________________ loving life with my furry friends

06-21-2011, 02:51 PM	#4
Baroness YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: San Antonio TX Posts: 350	I surprised Teddie when I picked him up a month ago, he bit my nose and tore through the cartilage a wee bit. He was still learning about bite inhibition being under 6 months and showed me he didn't like a quick, surprise, swoop pick-up. My best advice would be to work with your pup on bite inhibition and realize that teasing and picking up by young kids is a possible trigger for him. Set some ground rules with your kids and get him learning and hopefully you guys can move past this stage of his learning and puppy-dom. Good luck to you!! __________________ I 'ses my Teddie Monster

06-21-2011, 07:11 PM	#8
justjayma Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: WA Posts: 20	The kids DO tease and rough house with him...my hubby does sometimes too. I didn't realize that it was such a no no to do...it is apparently teaching him to be aggressive, and that is NOT good. Thank you for the advice, everyone. I think I will take him into the vet, have him fully checked out, to eliminate that as potential problem. I did tell my husband the other day that the dog seemed "grumpy." Thank you all. He is my baby, and I love him, but would put my kids safety before him, if it HAD to come down to it. __________________ 3 kids, 3 step kids, 2 step grandkis, and a loving husband...and it's my YORKIE who is on my screensaver. =)

06-21-2011, 07:17 PM	#9
Ashley V ♥ Chip ♥ Smokey ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Leesburg Posts: 3,835	I agree with the others, he's still a puppy and needs to be taught how to play nicely. He's a dog and if he were playing with other dogs, he would be biting them. He needs to be taught that biting humans is not appropriate. As for when you daughter picked him up and startled him, that is because he was startled. I've accidentally startled one of my dogs and he turned around and bit me. He's not a biter at all, but he was in la-la land somewhere barking in protection mode at the people walking on the other side of a field and a four lane road when I picked him up to try and distract him, which in turn startled him and he bit me. Have you taken your dog to a puppy class? Maybe taking him to a puppy class and having your kids involved, would be beneficial to all of you, not just him. He will learn to respect your children and your children will learn a few things too. __________________ ~~ Chip ~~ Smokey ~*~ My heart is wrapped around their little paws Karley Marissa born 1/20/12 weighing 8 lbs 11 oz and 21.5 inches long

06-21-2011, 02:17 PM	#3
MaddiesMommie LoveMy2 Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: East Tennessee Posts: 4,060	At 6 months old, your Yorkie is still learning how to play. Getting him at 7 weeks, he missed some valuable time with his mom and littermates where they would have learned how to interact during play. Sometimes kids are a bit aggressive for these little breeds without meaning to be. These little guys will do what they have to when they feel threatened and cannot be blamed for that. I would make it my responsiblity to make sure the kids are engaging in play that does not make the little guy feel threatened. Maddie is very cautious around small children because my niece got too rough with her when she was a pup. Totally, my fault. Maddie snapped at her, but she felt she was in danger. I hope you are able to resolve this and it doesn't come to rehoming you little guy.

06-21-2011, 03:10 PM	#5
RachelandSadie No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 5,748	puppies bite. that's pretty normal you'll just have to work extra hard to train NO BITE commands. when playing don't play rough, don't use tug of war and other fighting style games. when he goes to nip or nibble on hands replace hand with a toy (chewy is better) and say NO BITE. it took almost a year to train Sadie these things because like you we got her at 7 weeks and didn't wait to 12 weeks so she did not learn bite inhibition (basically that biting others hurts) from the littermates and mother. it's hard to train them when they have no experience with not biting siblings but can be done. Sadie plays rough but rather than bite down now she licks me instead. i trained her to be that way. good luck

06-21-2011, 03:45 PM	#6
marcie and Lucy too Donating Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 6,325	He is still a pup. You need to train the "no bite" command. And the children must learn not to tease or any rough play. [ I'm not implying that they do.] It will work out your pup just needs time to grow up. Gloria Stillwell has some great tips for this.

06-21-2011, 06:39 PM	#7
lillymae YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Idaho Posts: 4,544	Before you assume that it is a behavioral problem , a vet visit would be a good idea to rule out a medical problem. Is he allowed to jump on & off the furniture ? If yes it could be that he has hurt himself or he could have an ear infection or any number of things making him cranky.

06-22-2011, 06:39 AM	#10
Cha Cha Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Where the deer and the antelope play Posts: 7,069	Definitely put a stop to the teasing. Otherwise, sometimes, I don't think kids realize their own strength or don't realize that the way the pick up an animal may startle it or actually hurt it (pinch its skin, pull its hair, or a muscle, etc.) and the dog's ONLY defense is to bite to get out of the situation. Just like dogs need to be trained, so do kids. Even my DH, a grown man and loves our dogs, gets snipped at sometimes when he picks ours up wrong. He simply doesn't realize how hard his grip is when he picks them up sometimes, and they are not rag dolls. I am ALWAYS getting on to him to be careful...probably too paranoid. Also, maybe your dog has an extra sensitive spot that may be sore. He will definitely protect it if that is the case so be on the look out for something like that. __________________ Shelly and the girls Moka Mylee

06-22-2011, 09:24 PM	#12
lillymae YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Idaho Posts: 4,544	You should Not allow children to tease a dog of any size. It is basically the same as letting them bully other kids. The diff is that the dog bites out of fear or because they are sick of being terrorized & then the poor dog gets thrown out for trying to defend itself. I'm sorry but if you terrorize my dog & get bit, Oh Well you should have been taught better. If you can not make your kids & husband stop terrorizing the dog then for the sake of the dog, find him a new home as dogs only live to please & Love & he feels like his people are betraying him daily & basically he's rite.

06-22-2011, 09:55 PM	#13
justjayma Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: WA Posts: 20	In my defense, I would NEVER allow my kids to bully the dog. They TEASE like they tease a sibling. Playing keep away with him, or tug of war. It was playing, not bullying. I'm sorry, but I turned to here for some suggestions, not judgment. I am new at this little dog stuff, and thought I could find some suggestions here. Notice, I did NOT say, who wants my dog, he bit my kids. I said HELP. They are NOT terrorizing him, and I have made very firm and clear rules from this point forward that they are not allowed to play roughly with him any more. I myself am guilty of playing roughly with him, playing tug of war, etc. But we don't anymore. I didn't realize how wrong a message it is sending to the dog. But I do now. Thanks for all your advice. __________________ 3 kids, 3 step kids, 2 step grandkis, and a loving husband...and it's my YORKIE who is on my screensaver. =)

06-22-2011, 10:23 PM	#14
KazzyK810 Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Michigan USA & Sheffield UK Posts: 4,119	Don' t get discouraged by some of the responses. Sometimes its just hard to express yourself so that the situation is clear to all that read it, and is interpreted as you intended. Some words have slightly different connotations to different people based on their personal experiences. YT has alot of great members with lots of experience, and is a great place to learn more about the yorkie breed and to share your love of these amazing little dogs. I, myself, have been around yorkies for over 33 years, but yet still learned something new just the other day. __________________ Karan & ZoE (Chelsea )