ANSWERS: 1
  • The Yorkshire Terrier was bred in the mid 1800s in England to be an avid ratter in the mines and woolen mills. This breeding gave the yorkie its natural instinct to bite, chew and nip. Unfortunately, the owner of the mouthy yorkie often receives painful nips and bites from the tiny needle-sharp teeth of the puppy. The yorkie is wonderfully bold, inquisitive and active which makes them bite in play. However, there are a few ways that an owner can control the biting and lessen the painful nips.

    Before Purchase

    Leave the new puppy in the company of his mother dog and litter mates until he reaches 12 weeks of age. Many people purchase a puppy immediately at 8 weeks, which means the tiny yorkie does not have a chance to learn valuable lessons from his mother and litter mates. One of the first lessons a yorkie that is allowed to remain with his mother longer learns is to not nip and bite. The mother dog will not tolerate painful nips and bites. She will immediately put the tiny yorkie puppy in his place and so will the puppy's litter mates. By holding off taking your puppy home and allowing the mother dog to teach the puppy for a longer length of time, he will learn that biting is unacceptable.

    Exercise

    Exercise your yorkie every day. Provide a morning and an evening walk. Biting is often a way for a yorkie puppy to burn off excessive energy. Your puppy will be all wound up and want to play, which may mean chewing on her owner. Allow your puppy ample exercise to discourage her need to chew through playing.

    Toys

    Provide ample toys for your yorkie to play with. Any time your yorkie nips or bites you, place a toy in his mouth and let him chew on the toy. Hold on to the end of the toy while your yorkie chews. This helps satisfy his need to chew and also helps the pup to associate the toys with a positive way to chew.

    Cease Playing

    Cease playing with your puppy immediately if she nips or bites you hard. Simply get up and leave the room after saying, "no bite." This lets your puppy know that if she bites or nips then the fun interaction will promptly end. Yorkies are extremely bright little dogs and will easily learn that for the fun play to continue, there will be no biting of the owner.

    Puppy Kindergarten

    Enroll your yorkie puppy in puppy kindergarten. This will allow him to socialize in a controlled setting with other puppies so he can learn valuable dog rules. It also gives the owner a chance to teach the puppy basic obedience which will help lessen biting and nipping behavior.

    Source:

    Best Of Yorkshire Terriers: Training Yorkie Puppies

    Yorkie Info Center: Yorkie Biting

    Yorkshire Terrier World: Yorkie Biting And Nipping

    More Information:

    Elvis Yorkshire Terrier: Dog Training Tip Biting

    Dog Owners Guide: No Bite

    Aspen The Yorkie: Biting Dogs

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