First Time Yorkie/Dog Owner with Problem
 

Hi. This is my first time writing on this board. I'd like to start by saying it is VERY helpful and I'm happy I stumbled upon it a few weeks ago.

Now, I have male Yorkie who is almost 3 months. His name is Louis. He is very cute and I like everything about him, except that he doesn't let me pet him without him biting me.

In the beginning, when I first got him, it didn't hurt and I thought he was just playing.

A few weeks later, it started hurting more when he bit me, but I didn't think it was severe.

Now, today, I've had it. He bit me and made me bleed a little.

This happens every time I try to pet him. I really just want to pet him and like play with him like it should be with any normal dog.

Any help would be very helpful and appreciated. Please :(

I am not an expert but it sounds like he may be in pain. Has he had a vet check?

Would be interested in hearing what others think.

A certain amount of chewing is normal, but normally that subsides with some training.

What do you do when he bites you?

I think some puppies are more 'mouthy' than others. Snoopy has never been much of a biter, but his littermate (my son & DIL have him) was like Jaws as a puppy! ;)

There is a lot of advice on here about what to do with puppy biting, from yelping and ignoring them for a minute, spraying yourself with bitter apple (a nasty tasting spray that you can get at pet stores), to pinning them on the ground to enforce your leadership. I'll let the experts deal with that!

And welcome! Yorkies and YT are the best! :aimeeyork

He has gone to the vet multiple times and they say he is perfect and that he isn't sick or anything.

She told me just to ignore him but it isn't working.

And when he bites me I also stop paying attention but first I yell "NO" at him. And then he barks at me

I agree that maybe he should be taken to the vet to see if this is a reaction to a pain. For a puppy to draw blood.. just isn't right. I hope you get to the bottom of it! Keep us updated ~ also , Welcome to Yorkie Talk!

:welcome4: Manassas, VA?!?! WOW...It is a small world! I just recently moved from there. In any event, you said that he started biting a few weeks after you brought him home. How old was you Louis when you brought him home? Did he have any litter mates? With him "almost" three months old, it sounds as though you may have adopted him at a very young age. And, depending on where you adopted him from, he may have not had a chance to learn that being petted is a good thing. At this point, with him already having been found to be in good health, I would suggest seeking out a trainer and/or puppy classes.

At three months, he should just be going to his new home. I'm guessing his breeder let him go too early and he missed valuable lessons in socialization from his mom and littermates. One of these is bite inhibition.

You will have to teach him yourself. Here are a couple of good links for you:

Dog biting - bite inhibition - weekly pet tips by Pets.ca

ClickerSolutions Training Articles --

:thumbup:

:animal36When Quincy was younger he was a biter. I would yelp like a puppy when he would hurt after a few times he started getting the picture. It took a couple of weeks but he did learn also lots of chew toys when he would start biting at me I would put a chew toy in his mouth. Good Luck!!

Kaylee use to bite my hand when i petted her when she first came home ...she was playing but it hurt...we pulled our hand away and said Kaylee no bite everytime ...now if she does it at all she doesn't bite down hard and if she does and we say no bite she stops and looks at us then plays more gently...I think being consistent with him is the key he will begin to understand what you want him to do and what is not acceptable...they are just like kids..

IMO, I do believe a lot has to do with him being taken away too ealry from his littermates and mother. He did not have enough time to learn propper social skills training at a crucial period of growth and development. now, you are going to need to teach him. When he bites too hard, Let out a High pitch Yelp like a puppy would , instanly pull your hand away , and play time is OVER! Walk away, ignore him. Do not reward him at all for biting you .Do this each and every time he bites. He will soon learn that biting is not acceptable behavior. only when he plays nicely, will you play with him. STOP playing, YELP, high pitch sound, and it's over. You need to do this consistently in order for your puppy to understand and to be taught correctly that biting is not ok.
My Suzi play bites, however, never hurtful like this. In a month or two your puppy will began going through the teething stage. This is different though. He will want to chew on everything. Then you will need to provide safe chewing toys/Bully sticks for your little guy. Also, this may be good for him right now as a distraction. If there are any new teeth coming in at all he is going to want to want to chew and bite on something . Your going to want to be prepared. He is very young at only 3 months, 12weeks old. right now he is just a very playful, little baby puppy.

My Humphrey has been a little biter since we adopted him at 8 weeks (he is 9 months). Ive tried everything but a muzzle...nothing works, i yelp, yell at him, say no and all i get from the brat when i complain is a growl (not an agressive one though). So I just bite him back and most of the times it seems to work.

I got Apple @ 11 weeks old, and she would also bite me when I tried to pet her...I kept telling her "no bites"!!! Someone, on this site, told me to get up and leave her, when she did that, and not to replace it w/a toy, as that would be like rewarding her...I started doing that, and she's starting to get it...She's 5 1/2 months old, now, and she knows what no bites means, but, I think in her excitement of playing, she gets carried away, and I continue to tell her no bites, and leave...Each day is getting better and better...Now, about petting your baby...Apple wasn't about petting, when I got her, and she's still not about petting, if it's play time...However, when she gets tired, and lays on my lap, I pet her, and she likes and accepts it...I think it's just the puppy's personality, and they'll outgrow it...For now, I'm enjoying petting her, when she's all tuckered out, and laying on my lap, or in her bed...I also feel that it takes time to really bond w/some puppies, and until they really trust you, the petting may not be an option right now...The longer I have Apple, the more she is willing to let me pet her...Hang in there, I think the pets will come slowly and more often, as time goes by...Just relax and enjoy her, until she decides that petting is a good thing....
All the Best to You,
Maggie & Apple:aimeeyork
xoxoxo

you might want to consider taking him to puppy class. you will learn a lot of useful information and the puppy will get a chance to socialize with other dogs and dogs owners.

when i took milu to puppy school, they told us to let the puppies bite our hands, because we have to teach them their strength and teach them to have soft mouth. you let the puppy bite your hand, and it's completely fine if they bite REALLY soft. and if it hurts your hand at ALL, you yelp and make a very big deal out of it. and then you play with them again, and if they still bite hard again, you yelp, and then you stop playing with them for a couple of min.

this way they learn their own strength and learn to nibble really gently. one of the puppy in the puppy class was a big poodle, but she was SOOOO cUTE, and she would put her own lips around her teeth and then bite your hand... she wants to make sure she doesn't hurt you. it was SOOO adorable!!!!

we were also taught to put our hand in their food, and hand feed them as much as possible, that way they learn to be very careful with people's fingers.
the puppy class really helped me, i recommend that you look into them. :)
(i went to sirius puppy class)