Attack Mode
 

Oscar, now 4 months old gets really playful in the evening, his playing eventually turns in to very rough inappropriate behavior consisting of ripping up his pp pads, going at the cat and pinning her down. This type of play was alright when he was a wee bit younger but he is much stronger now. He will also bit hands, feet, legs, you name it, very hard. We discipline him as gently as possible, which is by grabbing his scruff. I know Mama Dogs do this to their pups to get their attention. After I release him, he turns around and lunges to bite me. Anyone have an answer on how to stop or deter this behavior I would greatly appreciate it. Otherwise, he is a sweet, loving pup. I realize he may still be teething, but my hand is not a teething toy.
Much love,
Oscar and Diane
:animal-pa :aimeeyork :animal-pa

Ours get wound for sound in the evening, too! They run, chase and wrestle with each other! I stay out of their play as not to encourage biting and roughhousing. Ignoring the behavior or saying no sharply then turning away and not playing. He is pretty young but should get the idea.

Thank you, unfortunately Oscar does not have anyone to play with...so maybe we will just have to let him work it out himself! Hugs to all your fur babies;
:longyorkie: Oscar and Diane

The most important lesson puppies need to learn is bite inhibition. Google it. And here's a couple links from my favorite dog website.

Puppy Class And Biting, Mouthing Puppies | Dog Star Daily

More On Bite Inhibition (Because It's So Important) | Dog Star Daily

These links and others I've seen suggest using the word "Ouch" when the puppy bites with any kind of pressure. You can even lick your wounds. Follow with praise, toys and/or treats when they stop or do it correctly.

I would lean against grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. Trying to teach non-aggression by using aggression is not something I've seen recommended.

Good luck!

I had one that went helter skelter when he played for a period of time...he would forget and bite a little too hard....I would start by a sharp NO!, and if he continued, I would do exactly what I see my mommas do....I grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pinned him down to the floor and would tell him NO! in a very firm, loud,, low growling voice, for about 30 seconds, and make that low growling noise in my throat several times before I let him up....that stopped the issue during that immediate time, and only had to be repeated 3-4 more times during other play times before he stopped doing it completely....when he started getting too rough, all I had to do was look at him and growl and he would display submissive behavior and stopped biting my hand completely. What works for some, may not work for others....but this worked for me with this baby!

Thank you Yorkie mom. I used to raise Rag Doll cats and that is exactly what the momma cats would do when the "kids" got on her nerves! One time one of my Queens grab a baby that was trying to nurse, she was done with nursing, and laid the kitten on its back and softly grabbed her neck. I was mortified and thought she was going to kill the kitten. But no she was just reading her the riot act. So I agree with what you say. It sounds harsh, but it is actually what the mother would do when she has had it. Thank you for your good advice and justifying that "mom always does know best" Much love to you and your fur babies.
Diane and Oscar
:aimeeyork

I would forego the scruffing, as you're not getting the correct response from it. I am a fan of growling like a mama dog though. You may have to try a few different kinds of growls at different pitches till you hit on one that will stop him in his tracks. Results will be immediate, then you can growl and add a 'no'.... he just doesn't understand English yet, lol. Plus it's his first time away from Mommie, and she was his 'Off' button.

He sounds like a toot of a pup and my Tibbe would probably have been just like that at his age in a family setting if he hadn't been in a cage alone his first 9 months of life, as he's a feisty, aggressive, terrier who loves to push the envelope by nature. When I got him after no socialization and in a state of kennel-craziness, he screamed if he were left alone for an instant, wouldn't come out of his crate willingly and didn't want to go back in it unless he was panicked & dashed in because I opened the refrigerator door in the kitchen or turned on the TV in the den, was fearful of people, aggressive, nippy and scared of everything to do with a house and a total wreck of a dog with no housebreaking or even knowing how to drink out of a bowl or what grass was. He couldn't even run without falling sometimes and his teeth were a wreck at only 9 mos., totally brown.

I realized he had no self-control and did not know what it was to listen to a person tell him what to do or what I wanted of him and if left to his own devices, would grow into an unhappy, anxious little guy who no one could stand to have around. So I started him getting control of his impulses by tiny sessions of obedience training for praise and treats, getting him to wait longer in his sit or lie down for the treat, taught him to "Watch me" and focus in on my eyes for his reward, longer each time, taught him wait, stop in his tracks, sit up and beg, shake paw, wave, go in circles, play dead, rollover and rollover to his back and wait there(great for grooming) and crate up, jump through a hoop and so on.

I taught him "Leave it" so that whatever he was getting into, he'd immediately stop it or drop whatever he had in his mouth in order to get what he knew would be a bigger reward - a series of treats, huge smiles from me and lots of praise - a real celebration. In no time, though, with just the first few things he learned, he had control of himself, wasn't so impulsive anymore and knew how to respond to my voice and would do it for the positive reinforcement in store for him which was evidently made more rewarding than whatever he was doing at the time.

I taught him the meaning of "No", he quickly learned a stern look, a point of my finger or my standing up and perhaps starting to walk toward him staring and pointing meant he was in trouble and he would just stop and lie down and await his discipline, which of course rarely ever came but I would stand there over him until he turned away or left the area if he were especially acting up or into something he shouldn't be. There were a few times early on that I had to say "No" and grab the scruff of his neck and hold it or clamp my fingers down over his neck in a "bite" type hold and hold him there until he relented and lay down, turned away or left the area. But those were only early early on when he was still untrained and unresponsive to me but he soon learned it went easier for him to stop his bad behavior before I ever stood up. And he learned if a word or look would stop his bad behavior, he'd often get a "that's a good boy" and a smile even though he had been misbehaving. He learned stopping bad behavior pleased me and that ultimately gave him his best outcome.

And he's no over-trained, unhappy robot of a dog whose scared to be a dog. No, he's just the opposite - an adorable, happy, feisty, toot of a dog who is always baiting me to train him or play with him, is always up and around the house patrolling his domain and getting his toys, tossing and shaking them and barking out the windows at squirrels and birds and cats and people walking by. Despite his training, he'll stand up to me if he thinks I'm unfairly asking something of him as he's not the least bit afraid or scared of me - he knows I think his attitude is cute. Still, if I have to insist he do something, he'll do it, albeit with a little growl at times and a defiant little look! Melts my heart every time that this well-trained dog is so self-confident and self-assured that he'll go toe-to-toe with me still if he thinks I'm wrong!

The key to getting a dog under control and reshaping its wild tendencies is upbeat, fun repetitive training with lots of positive feedback and always making the dog's doing the right thing more worth it to them than what they are doing that you don't like. Once that dog has learned to listen to and obey your requests/commands, he is happy and eager to do it for what's about to come his way - your pride, happiness and pleasure in him and a lovely treat in the bargain most of the time. And a well-trained dog rarely ever misbehaves. Train your little guy, get control of his impulses and watch him change his ways.

Thankyou SO much for sharing Tibbe's story with me. What a heart warming and inspirational story. My hat is off to you and Tibbe. You both should be so proud and I am sure you are!!!!!! It is wonderful to hear such a positive ending!! Thank you for your advice and sharing your experiences. I am sure Oscar would love Tibbe! Please stay in touch!
Much love,Diane and Oscar :animal-pa :aimeeyork :animal-pa

Thanks. Your young little guy sounds like a lot of hyper dogs that just need continued training and redirection to set him up for success and he'll back off all of those wild deeds and turn into a little prince of a pet.