Could he look more pitiful?
 

I took Gus to get some goodies at pet smart and they had the cutest little Santa hats. Well Gus was not too happy when I tried it on him. The drawstring needed to be tightened so the sales lady came up to help me. She fixed it and tried to put it on him when Gus bit her! I was so mad at him. He didn't brake the skin but he left teeth marks. He knew I was upset with him. We came home and he knew I was talking about him when telling my husand. He had the sadest looks I have ever seen. Even more so then when he ran off from me a couple of weeks ago. I tried to capture his pitiful looking face,,,, and did a pretty good job.

Once again there is no way I can stay mad at him. But one way or another I am going to have to break him of snapping. Just the other day my cousin came over and he got a big kick out of pissing Gus off by play hitting me. I mean Gus went at him as though he wanted to do damage. He just hates it when anyone messes with his mamma, but still I have to correct that before he hurts someone.
Monica Martinez

He should be in trouble and have a "pitiful little face."

We have several little dogs in the neighborhood, but the one at the end of the block is a "mean little thing." He bites the other dogs and he is very apt to bite any person who trys to pet him. Well - as you might guess, no one in the neighborhood likes that little dog very much ---and this neighborhood is full of dog-loving people.

I think biting is something that we just can't tolerate in our dogs. If I thought my dog would ever bite, I certainly wouldn't have him out in a public place and let a stranger handle or touch him.

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Just the other day my cousin came over and he got a big kick out of pissing Gus off by play hitting me. I mean Gus went at him as though he wanted to do damage. He just hates it when anyone messes with his mamma, but still I have to correct that before he hurts someone
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I hope you realize that the above is about the worst thing you could have let be done. How can you let your cousin do what he did and in the next breath say ". . . but still I have to correct that before he hurts someone."?

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He had the sadest looks I have ever seen. Even more so then when he ran off from me a couple of weeks ago. I tried to capture his pitiful looking face,,,, and did a pretty good job.
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And, I don't think his potentially serious offense and "pitiful looking face" are exactly "pretty picture time" either. It's not "cute time." It's time to start seriously working with your dog. How to help stop him from biting should be your main concern.

I'm sorry if I'm coming on a little strong. But, I just feel that one of the Yorkies' most desirable traits is its loving, playful personality. And, I think it is a shame when things are done that might encourage it to be otherwise.

Just because a Yorkie is small doesn't mean that he can't hurt someone badly. And you want people to love your Yorkie like you do - not dislike it.

You may get some sympathy from other posters.

Carol Jean

AAAWWW Little Gus knew he was naught! He is so freakin' cute though. He looks tiny! How much does he weigh?

Ahhhh! That's about the saddest I've seen little Gus look! :( He just keeps getting cuter and cuter as time passes, Monica. :)

Awww! How could you ever be mad at that little face! What a cutie!! :)

aww what a cutie Gus is!!! :p So, did you get the Santa hat? :D

HHUUMM well as far as bitting,, Gus has never done this before. I take him everywhere with me. He is well known at the market, walmart and petsmart. He loves the attention. He is not the hated dog on the block. Everyone knows Gus and is loved by them all. I don't know why he bit this lady other then the fact that he just did not want that hat on him. Or maybe she hurt him when putting it on. I don't know. But the lady did pet him after and he was fine with her.

As for the protecting,,, That is my fault for not putting a stop to that. The kids get a kick out of getting him wild up by play hitting my arm or leg. It's just play to them. He does snap at them but it's more like a nibble and not a bite. He was pretty mad at my cousin but I'm thinking it was because he really does not know him. Either way I am going to have to correct that behavior. I don't want him to hurt anyone.

Gus is only 2.9 lbs,,,,, and as for the hat,,, no I did not get it.

Very Serious Problem
 

Folks this is a very serious problem and is not cute for Gus-he could die for it. Are you aware that the salesperson could have put in a report of a dog bite (it doesn't have to break the skin) to animal control. You might want to read up on the laws of Ca but you could be sued and Gus could be destroyed for x amounts of bites. Just because he is small & cute doesn't mean he is protected from these laws. Go walk the pounds and see how many little dogs are in there for biting children or other people and they are on death row. In Arizona it can be 2 or 3 times and they are put down. The judge doesn't care if he is cute or small. The law is the law.

http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/civil.htm

I also don't know if you have had Gus around children but you will need to be extremely careful based on his reaction to your cousin he could go after a child the same way.

I have had 3 dogs come into rescue because of their biting and if I did not take them they would die. I have been bitten more than my fair share and been bitten down to the bone because of their early training or lack of socialization. If I take any of these dogs out in public I always have a muzzle on them because if I didn't and they bit one more time they would be dead. For the most part these 3 dogs never go to public places unless absolutely necessary and I never allow anyone to pet them.

It is your responsibility to protect him from himself. Hopefully you will read up on the proper way to change Gus's behavior or you could escalate the problem.

I wish you all the luck in the world but it is going to take some work.

wow this is a first for me. I feel that I have to defend myself in a forum in which I never had a problem with before.

I know what Gus did was wrong and so does he. I will say it AGAIN,,, Gus has never bitten anyone before. I have 4 kids in the house ages 15 12 9 and 3,, and have never had a problem with him bitting anyone. My only fault is spoiling him a bit more then I should.

He got mad at my cousin because he's only met him once before. And hasn't seen him a quite a while. Manny appeard to be hurting me and Gus reacted. Now as far as being punished for that,,, I guess you can have your own opinion on that.

I'm not afraid of that lil 2.9 pounder! :D

LOL,,,, Most are not.

He looks like such a cutie pie.. He was probably not in the mood for the hat? Or maybe he had a feeling about the lady that was trying it on him... sometimes dogs sense things that we don't?? Good Luck... Just keep an eye on him. You are doing a good job and he will learn not to do that just stay consistant. :)

He is a cutie pie and very smart. And the sweetest dog I have ever had by far. No matter what some make think

What a sad little face!! Sorry, I would just have had to spend some quality time with him snuggling! :) Sounds like he has pretty much been spoiled like Toto ... we don't allow strangers to touch her unless they ask & we say it's OK! I have to agree ... I'm not afraid of a 2.9 pounder either! ;) BTW ... good job on the pic ... I have seen that expression on Toto's face too!

I agree 100%. A dog bite should never be taken lightly.
What livingdustmops and I are saying is that even if it's only one bite, it needs to be taken seriously. But it isn't only one bite, Latuya; there were other bites that did less damage.

You don't have to defend yourself. You said you were going to work on this and I believe you. But, those of us who have seen dogs (or had dogs) that had to be put to sleep for biting react negatively - possibly more than we should - when people respond to a dog's biting behavior by saying how cute he is.

If you're open to it, we could give you some suggestions on how to deal with your dog's aggressiveness.