What do I do about the biting?!!?!?
 

Esme is a biter. Until today, usually she was biting us when we were playing with her, or she was biting our toes while we walked by her... Anyhow, this morning, my husband was putting her harness on her and she growled, bit him and actually made him bleed with her sharp puppy teeth! He was really upset about it, but I gave Esme the benefit of the doubt and figured she was trying to bite the harness and accidently got his fingers... WELL, tonight when I was giving her a bath, she growled and bit ME! I can't try to pretend she didn't mean it. She bit me out of anger... Somehow, my tiny adorable puppy thinks SHE is in charge of US and has permission to bite when she doesn't like what we are doing to her! :( So, what do I do??? How do we regain the role of the ALPHA'S in our home??? I mean, other than this, she is a wonderful smart puppy... But this aggresive biting has got to stop!
HELP!

just like with children yorkies hate time outs....... put her somewhere where she is ignored, she cant play or have fun, and she has no human attention for a few minuits..... but first and foremost tell her NO!!!

GRacie had a problem with the biting. Well she would bite when she should be playing but to her it was playing also she would bit my feet when I was walking, my hair when I was laying on the floor with her....she really just grew out of it!! She also hates her collar she would get so angry she would show her teeth and bite...now she puts up a fight with it but she runs from me rather than biting....

I did for about a week try ignoring her and having no playtime but it never worked!
I would say..if she is only acting aggressively to things such as a bath and a harness introduce it slowly let her sniff the harness and see its not harmful maybe associate it with something fun or praising(a small treat if after she lets u put it on) as for the bath maybe let her stand in the sink or tub without water and then slowly introduce things sometimes they get freightened and that sometimes is a natural way to act they feel they are protecting themselves.

Lucy used to bite a lot when she was a puppy, we had a puppy gate put up in the kitchen so when she was naughty she was put in there and ignored. We live very close to the lady who owns her half brother who is a similar age, just letting them play together gave her some boundaries to work out that biting hurts! In the end she grew out of it, it seemed as if one day she was biting and the next day she stopped!! :)

I may get criticized by saying this, but this is what I did to Trevor when he started showing signs of growling and wanting to bite. I quickly put him on his back and held him down and told him no.... I am the momma! After about 4 times of this, he never growled or attempted to bite again. He's 4-1/2 months now and if he does start to nip at fingers, all I have to say is NO BITING! And he immediately lets go.

Cyndie
Trevor's Mom

I'm so happy I found this thread. My Cordelia has a major biting problem. At first it was playful, but now she growls and is biting pretty hard. I didn't know if it's because of her teething or just being a puppy. I do tell her no, and stick her in her crate, but that just seems to make her more hateful.

I agree. It sounds like this biting was a bit more than just playing. I also had a BIG problem with my chihuahua ....she got to where I could not do ANYTHING she did not want done..I mean serious bites and blood. Fortunately I found the "Dog Whisperer" show and learned alot (!!!)...I do the same....anytime Apple or Lil Bit gets too 'bossy' I flip them on their back and hold for a few seconds....or hold firmly to their backs and keep them in "down" position briefly......I don't mess around with the biting stuff. Too many dogs end up in shelters or out on the road because their people did not teach them who is the boss...it can easily get out of control!!!!

And remember....if they did that to their 'dog mom' she would QUICKLY snarl and snap and get the lesson straight. Be the momma.....be the boss!

Trevor's mom -- I do the same thing when Stewie is biting me. He never bites aggresively, but if he's playing and it hurts I tell him no. If he doesn't stop, I flip him over and hold him down until I can feel that his heart stops racing as fast.

I squirt Milo with some water. It surprises him and he stops I also tell him No Biting. It seems to be working.

you need to be the boss
 

I now I am new to this forum here, but not new to dogs in genral. We have had large dogs almost my entire life(dobermans to be exact)The one thing we were always told is that the dog must know who is the boss. Once you let it slip it can be very difficult to get it back. One of the smartest things to do is put the dog on their back, hold them there (I have even growled at them) and let them know who is boss. It shows that you are the dominant species. In all animal life there is a pecking order, and the strong are the ones that take lead (alpha). I have even seen others that have lost control do thiese steps and then take it a step further and grab, or litly bite the dog on the underside of the neck. It just shows them that if and when you are the boss and you can control them, they end up respecting you more.
Just as a side note. I know many people thing bitng is ok, or just a stage that your dog is going through need to be very carfull. Yes puppies do bite and teeth, but letting them bite you can lead to bigger problems later. It isnt mean to show them who is boss, it is just something at times we as their loving mommies and daddies need to do.

good luck
Brandi