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Old March 9th, 2006, 11:55 AM
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LianneCatherine LianneCatherine is offline
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Angry Yorkie Won't Stop Nipping - HELP!!

I have a 20 week old teacup yorkie who has been in obedience training for several weeks now and is coming along very well. She still makes messes in the house occasionally but is getting the hang of using the puppy pad, and when it gets nice out I will start taking her outside.

My problem is that she is constantly nipping at my hands and face. I say "OUCH!" and stop interacting with her when she does it, but nothing seems to get her to stop. I can't even pet her without her reaching her head around and nipping at my hand. She also puts her ears and head down when I go to touch her, like she's afraid or something. I have never done anything to make her afraid of me, and she's fine in every other way.

Does anyone know what this might mean or if it's just a normal puppy thing? She can't seem to sit still unless she's chewing on something. I give her treats and brush and pet her while her mouth is distracted to try and get her used to being touched a lot - I'm not sure if it's working though.

Could it also be that when people come over they let her bite them when she's playing? Or the cat?? They play pretty rough sometimes. I try and tell everyone to do the "ouch" thing, but I don't want to seem strict or overbearing. This is getting annoying!!!
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Old March 9th, 2006, 01:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LianneCatherine
Could it also be that when people come over they let her bite them when she's playing? Or the cat?? They play pretty rough sometimes. I try and tell everyone to do the "ouch" thing, but I don't want to seem strict or overbearing. This is getting annoying!!!
for your puppy's sake, BE strict. Politely explain to your guests that although alot of it is puppy-behavior, it's not something you wish to encourage and are trying to train her to play gently. Your guests should understand.

How old is the cat? I hope the cat has all it's claws, and if so, you may consider trimming the front claws to avoid injury to your small pooch. it only takes one session of "smackdown" to get a kitty claw in the eye. Until your pup learns to play nice and mind his manners, you may want to supervise playtime w/ the kitty and break it up if it gets too rough.

as for biting you... all pups do this. When mine got nippy, and the YELP! didn't work, I'd calmly and quietly place him in his crate for a "time out". (3-5 minutes) when he came back out he was given an appropriate chew toy. also, when he does choose to chew on toys and not your hands, reward her!
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Old March 9th, 2006, 01:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jessi76
for your puppy's sake, BE strict. Politely explain to your guests that although alot of it is puppy-behavior, it's not something you wish to encourage and are trying to train her to play gently. Your guests should understand.

How old is the cat? I hope the cat has all it's claws, and if so, you may consider trimming the front claws to avoid injury to your small pooch. it only takes one session of "smackdown" to get a kitty claw in the eye. Until your pup learns to play nice and mind his manners, you may want to supervise playtime w/ the kitty and break it up if it gets too rough.

as for biting you... all pups do this. When mine got nippy, and the YELP! didn't work, I'd calmly and quietly place him in his crate for a "time out". (3-5 minutes) when he came back out he was given an appropriate chew toy. also, when he does choose to chew on toys and not your hands, reward her!
Thank you for the response! The kitty is 2 years old and I keep his nails trimmed regularly. They usually just chase each other and I've seen kitty swat at her but with no claws out. I definitely watch closely and make sure he's not hurting her (or vice versa!).

I'm not sure if there's ever been a time that given the option, she picks the toy over my hand! Anytime my hand goes near her, her mouth is open and ready! I will try the "time out."

I will also be more strict with guests and hopefully she will learn eventually. Do you think this will subside after teething is complete?
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Old March 9th, 2006, 01:32 PM
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I don't know how feasible this is with such a small puppy, but here goes. When my pup was at the biting stage, I would take her lower jaw in my fingers, put my thumb under her tongue (just behind her lower teeth) and apply slight pressure while saying "No!" Yelping or saying "ouch" isn't usually the way to go. From what I understand, this tells puppy that you are a littermate and therefore subject to whatever play rules apply to other littermates. As the Alpha member of the pack, and the puppy's "Mom", you should be asserting a different set of rules and correcting bad behaviour the way a mother dog would (and mother dog's don't yelp ). I agree that you should be telling visitors what the rules of engagement are. This is your puppy, and you have to deal with all the bahavioural issues. It's the same as with a child. If you know that choclate sends your child into a frenzy and have therefore banned chocolate, would you allow guests to just hand giant Hershey bars to your child? Same idea here. Good luck!
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Old March 9th, 2006, 01:35 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LianneCatherine
Thank you for the response! The kitty is 2 years old and I keep his nails trimmed regularly. They usually just chase each other and I've seen kitty swat at her but with no claws out. I definitely watch closely and make sure he's not hurting her (or vice versa!).
Excellent!

Quote:
Originally Posted by LianneCatherine
Do you think this will subside after teething is complete?
She'll learn, it just takes time - just be sure to have plenty of appropriate chew toys available. frozen rags work well (I'd take a clean rag, tie a knot, wet & freeze) also, you can get a PUPPY kong - it's a bit softer for pups - fill w/ all sorts of yummy stuff and freeze for her to chew on. the KONG comes w/ suggested recipes or search these forums, you'll find some info.
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Old March 9th, 2006, 02:48 PM
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Another possible correction

Hi Leanne:

I have a 10 week old and I am not having a huge problem with the nipping... but was at puppy class last week and they showed me a correction that can be used for either barking or biting. I have already tried the thumb on the bottom of the mouth and the yelping... in my case the yelping worked fine.. simply because my guy is a bit on the sensitive side... but I have been using this correction for barking and it is working like a charm.

Let's see if I can describe it correctly:

with one hand you grab onto your dog by the scruff of the neck... not agreesively just firmly

With the other hand you cup their mouth...and hold firmly (palm of hand under their chin and fingers curling up. You squeeze just so you have a firm hold but not to hurt.

As you have them in this hold you calmly say "Name... No Bite" a few times. If they resist... which I have seen some of the puppies in the class put up quite the struggle... hold firm and keep repeating the command in a calm voice. As the puppy quiets watch for an opportunity that they have stayed calme for at least 5 seconds and then release and praise by saying "Good No Bite"

I have used it for my dog Sam with Barking and last night in the yard it worked like a charm... he is a talker but after two corrections we played out in the yard for another 45 mintues and he was quiet.

The one thing I was advised of though was that you must be able to follow through with the correction no more than 3 seconds after the bite or bark or they don't tie together what they are being corrected for. I am not sure if this is true... I would think that as long as the correction comes before they do something else they would tie it all together... but I am sure some of our experts can set us both straight on this one?

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Old March 9th, 2006, 03:08 PM
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Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I will try the freezing of chew-items and also the "no bite" training method if you all agree with it. She seems like maybe kind of a slow learner....are some dogs a little slower than others? I'd imagine. Her brain has to be the size of a pea! haha

Thanks again, I'll let you know how it turns out!
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Old March 9th, 2006, 03:35 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LianneCatherine
Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I will try the freezing of chew-items and also the "no bite" training method if you all agree with it. She seems like maybe kind of a slow learner....are some dogs a little slower than others? I'd imagine. Her brain has to be the size of a pea!
it's not whether WE agree with that "no bite" method, it's whether or not YOU agree with it, and whether or not it works with your dog. Personally, I wouldn't hold onto my dog's muzzle - it's not part of the training I practice. I'm not saying it doesn't work, I just choose not to do things that way. there are many different training methods, as you'll see on this board.

she's probably a very smart little dog, she just needs time and lots of practice to learn her manners. all pups do!
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Old March 9th, 2006, 03:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jessi76
it's not whether WE agree with that "no bite" method, it's whether or not YOU agree with it, and whether or not it works with your dog. Personally, I wouldn't hold onto my dog's muzzle - it's not part of the training I practice. I'm not saying it doesn't work, I just choose not to do things that way. there are many different training methods, as you'll see on this board.

she's probably a very smart little dog, she just needs time and lots of practice to learn her manners. all pups do!

What I meant was if everyone else has used and accepted that method. Like in a previous post where someone was talking about putting their puppy's face in its mess to teach it a lesson - that's cruel and VERY out of date. I don't want to damage my puppy in any way, or make her distrust me. The "muzzling" method seemed a little harsh, but since the verbal command hasn't worked, maybe that one will. Just getting some opinions is all.

Thanks for your help!!
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Old March 9th, 2006, 04:40 PM
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Tenderfoot will hopefully reply to this post, but if not, you can search this forum for nipping/biting behavior. Tenderfoot has some great training tips to offer.
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Old March 10th, 2006, 10:02 AM
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suebruce suebruce is offline
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No bite method

I understand that everyone has their own methods... but unless I have explained this No Bite method incorrectly... it is the most gentle correction I have ever seen that requires physical touching. I must be clear that none of the holds are to hurt.. they are simply firm. In fact in this book that I am reading about dog body language talks about how the mother corrects her little one by putting her mouth around the puppies muzzle...its interesting to me that the mother would use a gesture that is so similar...

Not to push my way on anyone... but Jessie made me worried that I explained this method as being a harsh cruel method and let me very clear that your dog should not be getting hurt while using this method or you are using it incorrrectly.

Last edited by suebruce; March 10th, 2006 at 10:07 AM.
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Old March 10th, 2006, 10:39 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by suebruce
... but Jessie made me worried that I explained this method as being a harsh cruel method and let me very clear that your dog should not be getting hurt while using this method or you are using it incorrrectly.
oh goodness... I didn't mean to come off that way, really! I think it's great you're training, and have found a method that works for you & your dog. I never said it's cruel or harsh, just that it's something I wouldn't do (there are many different methods out there), w/ my dog, it's not something I'd want to try.

What worries me more is people trying this method without being SHOWN just how gentle to do it (as you've been shown).

In the end, it's just about what works for you and your dog.
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Old March 10th, 2006, 11:08 AM
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Better to be shown this correction

Your absolutely right Jesse.. it probably is better someone pysically be shown this correction. I was shown by a trainer at puppy class and to be honest I don't know if I would have done it correctly just reading it...

Maybe Lianne you should try enrolling you and your little guy in a puppy socialization class?
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Old March 10th, 2006, 11:38 AM
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LianneCatherine LianneCatherine is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by suebruce
Your absolutely right Jesse.. it probably is better someone pysically be shown this correction. I was shown by a trainer at puppy class and to be honest I don't know if I would have done it correctly just reading it...

Maybe Lianne you should try enrolling you and your little guy in a puppy socialization class?

Oh we are about halfway through puppy obedience school, I plan to talk to the trainer about it this week. Thanks for your suggestions!!
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