Advice needed on biting? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

YorkieMollie · 04-15-2012, 02:08 AM

As some of you may know, i bought my 9 month old yorkie just 3 days ago. Well everytime i go to stroke her she keeps going for me. My 20 month old daughter bent down to her level this morning to give her a stroke and she also went for my daughter. I have tried being firm and say ''NO'' when she bites, but so far it hasn't worked. I'm scared incase she really does bite one of my children. Does anyone have any advice please?

Rachael x · 04-15-2012, 03:07 AM

Hi there, it's nice to see a UK member! I'm from Newcastle so not far from you, welcome to YT.

Where did you get your Yorkie from? was it a rescue or were her old family just looking to re-home her? Have you asked if she has had problems with biting in the past? She is probably just nervous as you have only had her for 3 days and everything is very new to her. Give her time, approach her slowly and let her sniff your hands before you go in to stroke her so that she feels calmer about the situation. Is she play biting or is it more of a nervous bite?

gracielove · 04-15-2012, 03:18 AM

Does this happen when she has been playing or just when ever you get near her? A dog that has not been properly trained may think this type of behavior is play. Does she try to chew at your hands as well?

Keep her calm. No excited play. Practice a tone of voice that is far different than your normal voice that she will recognize as your boss voice. She needs to learn that you are her boss and she has to listen. Try clapping your hands loudly at the same time you say no or have something near by that you can use to make a loud noise. Learning how to communicate with your dog will go a long way toward having a well trained dog. Start teaching her basic obedience commands like sit, down, stay, etc. This will also help her to realize that she must listen to you and that you are in charge. Have you ever trained a dog? There are lots of ways to punish misbehavior but usually learning how to train a dog is the best way to deal with issues like this. Training establishes who is in charge. A dog that feels it is in charge can cause all kinds of problems. Sometimes Yorkies can be a bit different in the way you approach them than other dogs. They are terriers and some retain some terrier traits. Does she growl or appear angry when she does this or is she jumping at your face? Is she snapping like she is trying to bite you?

YorkieMollie · 04-15-2012, 07:05 AM

Rachael, thank you!...I bought her from a lady who just wanted to rehome her. Her reason for wanting her re-homed was because she had moved to a new house, and she just didn't have time for her, and she didn't have the time to take her on walks, and give her the attention she needed. She hasn't mentioned anything about her biting in the past, but i did send her a message after i had bought her just to ask how long she actually had mollie, and to ask if she got her from a baby. She did not reply!

YorkieMollie · 04-15-2012, 07:11 AM

gracielove, sometimes during play time she will playfully try to bite at me, but i try and stop her by distracting her with something else. My husband and I have never owned a dog before mollie, so we are clueless on how to properly train her. She have done some research on the internet and so far we have managed to train her to sit, but at the moment that is the only thing she will do. We are trying to be persistent but as we've not had a pet before, we're unsure if we're actually doing it right as she just looks confused. She doesn't growl before she goes to bite but she turns real quickly and snaps at us. I was just a little concerned as if she bit any of my children, i would feel responsible. I've noticed she barks at everything, i think she definitely needs some training and obedience lessons, but i just don't know where to go from here..

Rachael x · 04-15-2012, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YorkieMollie

Rachael, thank you!...I bought her from a lady who just wanted to rehome her. Her reason for wanting her re-homed was because she had moved to a new house, and she just didn't have time for her, and she didn't have the time to take her on walks, and give her the attention she needed. She hasn't mentioned anything about her biting in the past, but i did send her a message after i had bought her just to ask how long she actually had mollie, and to ask if she got her from a baby. She did not reply!

It sounds as though it is more of a nervous bite than a playful bite, and this could well just be down to the fact she has only been with you a few days. Everything is brand new to her now and she is in a totally different enviroment, so she is bound to be a little bit nervous. Don't worry, she will soon learn that she can trust you, but in the mean time I would suggest you warn your children not to approach the dog, they can call her and hold out their hands but let the dog approach them first. Tell them to let her sniff their hands, not to just reach out and touch straight away as this could frighten her... you are strangers to her and if she hasn't been well socialised she will be nervous as she dosn't know your (or your children's) intentions yet. Don't worry though it's early days and as I say she will soon learn that she can trust you. But you should keep trying to get some more information from the previous owner.

Lovetodream88 · 04-15-2012, 07:36 AM

I would say no and then squirt her with a water bottle.

YorkieMollie · 04-15-2012, 08:04 AM

Thank you rachael, i will take your advice. I think it is a nervous bite though. She adores getting snuggles from us, and when she is falling asleep she will either come to my husband or me and she will rest her head on our lap and fall asleep or she will roll on to her back while we tickle her tummy. It seems when we stroke/pet her on her back she will snap more. Sometimes when we bend down to her level to give her snuggles or to talk to her she will cower a little. I said to my husband it seems as if she may have been treat wrongly by her previous owners. I hope not, as it breaks my heart to even think about it. When we first got her, her owners didn't have a lead for her, we went out and bought one immediately so we could walk her and she didn't seem to like it on the lead. She was trying to bite at the lead and fight against it. I have suggested to my husband that we look in to maybe taking her to some obedience classes. Thank you to everyone who bothered to comment or leave advice.

Rachael x · 04-15-2012, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YorkieMollie

Thank you rachael, i will take your advice. I think it is a nervous bite though. She adores getting snuggles from us, and when she is falling asleep she will either come to my husband or me and she will rest her head on our lap and fall asleep or she will roll on to her back while we tickle her tummy. It seems when we stroke/pet her on her back she will snap more. Sometimes when we bend down to her level to give her snuggles or to talk to her she will cower a little. I said to my husband it seems as if she may have been treat wrongly by her previous owners. I hope not, as it breaks my heart to even think about it. When we first got her, her owners didn't have a lead for her, we went out and bought one immediately so we could walk her and she didn't seem to like it on the lead. She was trying to bite at the lead and fight against it. I have suggested to my husband that we look in to maybe taking her to some obedience classes. Thank you to everyone who bothered to comment or leave advice.

Yeah it sounds like for now it will be best if you let her approach you first, that way you know she is confident and feels safe to approach, she hasn't been caught off guard or anything like that. It's hard when they have had a previous home because although we don't like to think of anyone being cruel or mistreating them, we will never know what has happend in their past. The fact that the previous owner didn't even have a lead speaks volumes.

Maybe she just didn't get that much attention from her previous owner so she now finds it hard to understand why everyone wants to stroke her. It sounds like she hasn't been walked on a lead before (if she was walked at all) so it will be like having a puppy and starting all over again with the lead, they don't like it at first but once they realise the lead is positive because it means they are going for a walk they learn to love it. Good luck, and just take things slow.

gracielove · 04-15-2012, 09:23 AM

It does sound like she is nervous. You have no idea of what she has been exposed to and how much training she has already had. There is a general training area here on YT. You could look through some of the threads. I'm posting a link to a site called Dog Star Daily. It's done by a veterinarian who is an expert in dog training. There is a lot of good reading there and also a lot of good videos on training. The page I am posting has a multitude of problems that are addressed.
DSD Training Videos | Dog Star Daily

04-15-2012, 02:08 AM	#1
YorkieMollie Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: County Durham, UK Posts: 30	Advice needed on biting? As some of you may know, i bought my 9 month old yorkie just 3 days ago. Well everytime i go to stroke her she keeps going for me. My 20 month old daughter bent down to her level this morning to give her a stroke and she also went for my daughter. I have tried being firm and say ''NO'' when she bites, but so far it hasn't worked. I'm scared incase she really does bite one of my children. Does anyone have any advice please?

04-15-2012, 03:07 AM	#2
Rachael x Poppy's Mamma ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: England Posts: 3,751 Blog Entries: 3	Hi there, it's nice to see a UK member! I'm from Newcastle so not far from you, welcome to YT. Where did you get your Yorkie from? was it a rescue or were her old family just looking to re-home her? Have you asked if she has had problems with biting in the past? She is probably just nervous as you have only had her for 3 days and everything is very new to her. Give her time, approach her slowly and let her sniff your hands before you go in to stroke her so that she feels calmer about the situation. Is she play biting or is it more of a nervous bite? __________________ Rachael & Poppy

04-15-2012, 07:36 AM	#7
Lovetodream88 Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md Posts: 23,247	I would say no and then squirt her with a water bottle. __________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart!

04-15-2012, 03:18 AM	#3
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	Does this happen when she has been playing or just when ever you get near her? A dog that has not been properly trained may think this type of behavior is play. Does she try to chew at your hands as well? Keep her calm. No excited play. Practice a tone of voice that is far different than your normal voice that she will recognize as your boss voice. She needs to learn that you are her boss and she has to listen. Try clapping your hands loudly at the same time you say no or have something near by that you can use to make a loud noise. Learning how to communicate with your dog will go a long way toward having a well trained dog. Start teaching her basic obedience commands like sit, down, stay, etc. This will also help her to realize that she must listen to you and that you are in charge. Have you ever trained a dog? There are lots of ways to punish misbehavior but usually learning how to train a dog is the best way to deal with issues like this. Training establishes who is in charge. A dog that feels it is in charge can cause all kinds of problems. Sometimes Yorkies can be a bit different in the way you approach them than other dogs. They are terriers and some retain some terrier traits. Does she growl or appear angry when she does this or is she jumping at your face? Is she snapping like she is trying to bite you?

04-15-2012, 07:05 AM	#4
YorkieMollie Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: County Durham, UK Posts: 30	Rachael, thank you!...I bought her from a lady who just wanted to rehome her. Her reason for wanting her re-homed was because she had moved to a new house, and she just didn't have time for her, and she didn't have the time to take her on walks, and give her the attention she needed. She hasn't mentioned anything about her biting in the past, but i did send her a message after i had bought her just to ask how long she actually had mollie, and to ask if she got her from a baby. She did not reply!

04-15-2012, 07:11 AM	#5
YorkieMollie Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: County Durham, UK Posts: 30	gracielove, sometimes during play time she will playfully try to bite at me, but i try and stop her by distracting her with something else. My husband and I have never owned a dog before mollie, so we are clueless on how to properly train her. She have done some research on the internet and so far we have managed to train her to sit, but at the moment that is the only thing she will do. We are trying to be persistent but as we've not had a pet before, we're unsure if we're actually doing it right as she just looks confused. She doesn't growl before she goes to bite but she turns real quickly and snaps at us. I was just a little concerned as if she bit any of my children, i would feel responsible. I've noticed she barks at everything, i think she definitely needs some training and obedience lessons, but i just don't know where to go from here..

04-15-2012, 08:04 AM	#8
YorkieMollie Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: County Durham, UK Posts: 30	Thank you rachael, i will take your advice. I think it is a nervous bite though. She adores getting snuggles from us, and when she is falling asleep she will either come to my husband or me and she will rest her head on our lap and fall asleep or she will roll on to her back while we tickle her tummy. It seems when we stroke/pet her on her back she will snap more. Sometimes when we bend down to her level to give her snuggles or to talk to her she will cower a little. I said to my husband it seems as if she may have been treat wrongly by her previous owners. I hope not, as it breaks my heart to even think about it. When we first got her, her owners didn't have a lead for her, we went out and bought one immediately so we could walk her and she didn't seem to like it on the lead. She was trying to bite at the lead and fight against it. I have suggested to my husband that we look in to maybe taking her to some obedience classes. Thank you to everyone who bothered to comment or leave advice.

04-15-2012, 09:23 AM	#10
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	It does sound like she is nervous. You have no idea of what she has been exposed to and how much training she has already had. There is a general training area here on YT. You could look through some of the threads. I'm posting a link to a site called Dog Star Daily. It's done by a veterinarian who is an expert in dog training. There is a lot of good reading there and also a lot of good videos on training. The page I am posting has a multitude of problems that are addressed. DSD Training Videos \| Dog Star Daily