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09-15-2017, 06:29 AM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 5
| Urgent Help Needed! Good morning friends! I'm a newbie so please forgive me in advance for bringing up problems that I'm sure have already been discussed and dissected before! I have a 13 month old Yorkie named Ricki who incessantly bites and scratches feet, ankles, toes and shins. He is not an aggressive dog and does this purely for attention. Ignoring him is out of the question because it is extremely painful and must be stopped because l live with my Mom who has diabetes and Ricki has often made her feet and legs bleed which is very dangerous to her health. An infection in her legs and/or feet could eventually lead to amputated limbs!!! My Mom can barely walk and has no means of controlling Ricki once he starts nipping and scratching her. Ricki is rarely punished (unless you count ignoring him) l prefer to use positive reinforcement, but in this case, l need something immediate to stop him. I use the loud NO followed by my quieter DON'T TOUCH command while Mom is yelling OWWWWW! He usually pays attention to DON'T TOUCH but not in this case. How do people feel about using a water bottle in this case? I've always been against this method of training considering it harsh punishment, but I'm at my wits end! I've tried rubbing tea tree oil on her feet and legs, I've tried pennies in a can, I've tried time outs - nothing has worked so far! Please help me with your experience because this is my little boy that l love dearly, not having children of my own! But l may have to rehome him if l cannot fix this problem because, of course, l will not put my Mom's health in jeopardy! |
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09-16-2017, 08:09 PM | #2 |
♥Love My Puppies!♥ Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: US
Posts: 5,786
| Hopefully someone can give you some help with this but I was just wondering if your mom could wear socks and slippers and long pants like jeans to cover her legs until you can get him trained since this is so serious to her health.
__________________ RIP My Sweet Darling Angel Daisy 08/09/03 - 10/02/15, RIP My Sweet Baby Boy Teddy Bear 02/01/04 - 02/11/16 Photos HERE |
09-17-2017, 03:49 AM | #3 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Florida
Posts: 35
| A spray bottle worked good for that sort of thing with our puppy. Also, try "yipping" in a high pitched voice. Dogs recognize that noise from when they were with their littlwrmates, which means "owww that hurts!" in dog. Hope this helps! |
09-17-2017, 04:46 AM | #4 |
Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: E.Stroudsburg, Pa.
Posts: 67,915
| I would get a dog behaviourist in to see your dog in action, this can be corrected but with professional help.
__________________ Joan, mom to Cody RIP Matese Schnae Kajon Kia forever in my A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog |
09-17-2017, 09:49 AM | #5 |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| My oldest did this and we used the squirt bottle and it worked great.
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! |
09-17-2017, 09:51 AM | #6 |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| It actually is common for dogs to grab pants legs and shoes especially young dogs. Callie did this as a puppy and the squirt bottle worked amazing. Honestly if it's not done aggressively there is no need to spend several hundred bucks before trying the squirt bottle.
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! |
09-17-2017, 10:53 AM | #7 |
Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Alabama
Posts: 17,674
| Positive Reinforcement/Training Welcome to the YT family! You have come to the right place to get answers to hard questions! I would opt for proper training over punishment. I have raised many Yorkie pups and yes, we have done the "yorkie shuffle" when a pup latches on to a shoe or pants leg. As you mentioned, Ricki is 13 months and the ankle biting is no longer a cute puppy behavior, but a potential health threat to your mom. Please consider training with positive reinforcement, NOT negative consequences for behavior he has never been taught was wrong in the first place. The problem with Yorkies is that they are so small that minor bad behavior is often ignored and is unintentionally reinforced until there is a big problem in a little dog. Personally, I am very much opposed to using squirt bottles. It is aggressive and disrespectful and totally uncalled for - especially in a dog that hasn't been given the benefits of proper training with positive reinforcement. If he has actually been trained to NOT be an ankle biter and had a relapse, well even then I would opt for other methods that were not negative. Ricki needs to be given opportunity to learn his behavior is not acceptable. I would strongly advise to keep Ricki away from your mom until he is properly trained to avoid injury to your mom and to stop reinforcing bad behavior in Ricki. Clicker training/conditioning works wonders. You can teach Ricki that walking around your feet without touching them will get a reward in the way of a tasty treat. If you are consistent with training/treating he will soon learn that NOT being an ankle biter is better. Training with positive reinforcement will give you the opportunity to build a stronger relationship with Ricki, rather than give him a reason to fear negative responses from you. |
09-17-2017, 11:03 AM | #8 |
Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Alabama
Posts: 17,674
| Corina, if you opt for positive reinforcement training I would gladly do all I can to help you come up with ideas specific to your situation. Perhaps others can come up with other positive reinforcement ideas as well. PLEASE don't give up on Ricki. There is a fix through positive reinforcement training. It may take some trial and error - remember training is simply two way communication - we communicate through words and dogs through body language. The biggest problem with training is simply learning to communicate on a level that both human and dog can understand and are comfortable with. |
09-17-2017, 11:08 AM | #9 | |
Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: E.Stroudsburg, Pa.
Posts: 67,915
| Quote:
__________________ Joan, mom to Cody RIP Matese Schnae Kajon Kia forever in my A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog | |
09-17-2017, 11:12 AM | #10 | |
Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: E.Stroudsburg, Pa.
Posts: 67,915
| Quote:
__________________ Joan, mom to Cody RIP Matese Schnae Kajon Kia forever in my A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog | |
09-17-2017, 11:49 AM | #11 | |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| Quote:
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! | |
09-17-2017, 11:57 AM | #12 | |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| Quote:
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! | |
09-17-2017, 03:03 PM | #13 | |
Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Alabama
Posts: 17,674
| Quote:
I want to help my critters learn the correct responses through their trial and error. I want learning to be fun for both of us and more importantly I want my furred and feathered family members to look forward to training sessions and learning. Teaching a tiny yorkie to not pull on pants legs or be an ankle biter surely doesn't require a huge human to aim a weapon (squirt bottle) and fire away. | |
09-17-2017, 03:46 PM | #14 | |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| Quote:
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! | |
09-17-2017, 04:08 PM | #15 |
Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Alabama
Posts: 17,674
| An apology and an offer Taylor - I apologize if my last post seemed a bit harsh. I just get frustrated when people resort to "quick fixes" with training. I know that most of us have our dog's best interests at heart and we do the best we can with the skills and resources we have. Corina, I would love to help you find a positive reinforcement type solution to Ricki's ankle biting problem. Please PM me if you are interested in swapping some ideas that may help you with his training. |
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biting feet, biting toes, nipping, scratching legs |
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