biting puppies

[megmol]

how can I stop my 13 week old yorkie from biting?

[PurplePixie]

At the moment your puppy needs to bite stuff, your job is to direct it's choppers to something safe and appropriate! Personally I don't think it's a good idea to tell a pup off for chewing by tapping it on the nose, as it will associate hands with something nasty. The method that I've found works for most puppies is to calmly and firmly remove either your hand or your clothing from it's mouth (or whatever it's into!) & pop whatever you'd prefer it to chew into it's mouth & encourage it to play with that instead. If it's your body that's being chewed (!) then you need to behave as it's mother would & sharply pull away...maybe even yelp & then turn your back so the puppy learns that biting gets no attention...but playing with the right thing & not biting gets loads of fuss. The worst thing you could do is to not address it at this stage because a puppy that uses it's mouth & gets away with it may become an adult dog that does the same. There are some great chewy bars & stuff that are on sale now (gentle enough for little teeth) that can save your sanity & your fingers/furniture/shoes!!! 13 weeks is a really fun time too...enjoy yourself!

[FelixtheDog]

when my two boys (G shepherd & Staffordshire) started nipping as puppies, I bit them back harder (tho not that hard to break skin!) & growled loudly at them, showing my teeth. They understood that I was a bigger dog than them and knew best (and I could bite....they understood that too). Equally, they got tonnes & tonnes of love & pats when they were good. They stopped biting after only one or two lessons & became such beautiful well mannered dogs that everyone loves. Remember, you are the dominant species. Dominate them, hold their gaze and their head if you have to & talk to them in "dog", eventually, it will pay off & they will become contributing family members who are happy because they know your rules ...& dogs love nothing more than to please you.

[RogerK]

Felix's answer might sound a bit crazy but its based on sound ideas - I recommend the book "The Dog Listener" by Jan Fennell this explains how your dog is at its most happy when it knows where it fits into your 'pack'

[peps]

I would also recommend the book 'The Dog Listener', however I do not recall the part in the book where it says if a dog bites then bite it back harder?

[RogerK]

No, it doesn't say that but it does say that problems arise if you are not the 'alpha' dog and that dogs like to know the rules and where they fit in to the pack.

[FelixtheDog]

Thanks for your support RogerK (I think). By biting the dog back harder, I mean dont hurt it, just make sure it believes that you are smarter, tougher, faster and the boss.