Need some advice please
 

I have to Morkie puppies they are 3 months old. The other night my little Lola had something in her mouth and when I tried to get it out, she growled and went to bite me. Any advice on how to discipline for that?

Hi, I assume your dogs are a Maltese x Yorkie, so have the temperament of both that breed. They are both on the list of the two most highly strung little fellas. They are Terriers and as such are plucky, vocal, active etc etc. Lola may have thought quite rightly you were going to take something yummy off her! she is defending her catch/find. I would suggest being firm, but not harsh, she is a puppy finding her feet in the big world, bless. I start by learning my pups that I can give them something, but will take it away, I do it in play times with toys and give little treets as a learning tool. The first few times I bathed KiKi she nipped the brush when I was combing her, but with a little patience she realised I wasn't going to hurt her, so it was small step for trust. You must be able at anytime to look into your dogs mouth, what if it was something dangerous. Use the search tool, I am sure other members have had the same probs, and there are alot of experienced Yorkie people on here. Good Luck with your two new pups.:aimeeyork

I am not a fan of 'disciplining' puppies but rather showing them alternatives.

There's a few approaches you can take in a pup this young. She is testing the limits.... and has learned along the way that growling is an effective way to get what she wants...ie: this is working for her. You need to show her that it will not work on you.

My 1st preference is 'laugh' therapy. When she growls, you respond by laughing, you silly puppy, hahaha. Keep up a playful, fun dialog. This will relax you and she will sense that in you. Ignore the growl and gently manipulate her mouth. When you are done, give her a treat, even if it didn't go as perfectly as you had planned.

My 2nd preference is to act shocked, your feelings are hurt, you don't believe she would growl at her Mommie!:eek: Do this until she feels bad enough to try to comfort you with tail wags and kisses. Cry if you must, to get through to her.

Then everyday, play vet. Touch her ears and hold each one and look in it. Praise her. Lift her lips up to see her gums. Praise her. Open her mouth. More praise. Lift each foot, touch each toe and toenail. Praise after each foot. Touch her tail..etc. Work this until she allows you to do anything you would need to do in any situation. Give her a back rub. Feels good and allows for a stronger touch than regular petting. Fluff her, tell her good girl and give her treats when done.

Once she sees that growling has no effect on you, she won't do it anymore, because it doesn't work.

If none of this works, play the Mommie dog and growl back at her. You may have to try different growl sounds to find the one that will stop her in her tracks. :D This has always worked for me, especially with pups that aren't attuned to the English language yet. They only speak dog.

Thank you both so much for the advice. I truly appreciate it.:)

Have you tried teaching her to "Leave It"? That's worked pretty good for mine. It took a while but they do it, of course I do have to be going after a treat and when they see where I'm going, they leave it and I can get whatever they aren't supposed to have.