Ankle Biter... is this normal?

[Jilliebeanz96]

My Alfie is a ankle biter...

You can't walk any where with out him hitching on for a ride with his teeth.... I think he is doing it playfully but I can't get him to stop and bite his toys instead... he is very young so I was thinking Teething maybe..

What can I do?

[BiffsMama]

Biffy was like that when he was little and still does it sometimes at the age of 1. Bites toes, ankles, socks on your feet, pant legs etc. It's so annoying! What made him do it less I think was that we got him hooked on these corkscrew looking chewies I think they're made by Red Barn. We get them at Petsmart and honestly he ALWAYS has one in his mouth now. He goes through one in a few days. They're kind of big for a little yorkie pup, but try it out. I think Biff used to do it for attention too. So even though it's painful sometimes we'd just stand there, not look at him and ignore the whole biting thing and he'd stop because we weren't scolding him, picking him up or whatever to make him stop. In other words he wasn't getting what he wanted by biting. As soon as he stopped biting we'd tell him what a good boy he was and then make a big fuss.

[chachi]

Chachi did that too and what we did was put bitter apple on our feet After a couple times of tasting that he didnt do it anymore. You are right He is doing it because hes teething

[Jilliebeanz96]

I guess it could have something to do with being picked up... because sure enough when he does it he gets carried around and put up on the couch to sit or brought into the kitchen..all areas where he isnt allowed on his own. He is so cute because he hooks on and puts up such a fight.

With his teeth coming in its starting to hurt a lot.. I will going to look into those Corkscrew chewies... He hasnt really found out of his Million toys anything that he loves to chew on more than my shoes or my feet and ankles... so hopefully something like that will help.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by BiffsMama

Biffy was like that when he was little and still does it sometimes at the age of 1. Bites toes, ankles, socks on your feet, pant legs etc. It's so annoying! What made him do it less I think was that we got him hooked on these corkscrew looking chewies I think they're made by Red Barn. We get them at Petsmart and honestly he ALWAYS has one in his mouth now. He goes through one in a few days. They're kind of big for a little yorkie pup, but try it out. I think Biff used to do it for attention too. So even though it's painful sometimes we'd just stand there, not look at him and ignore the whole biting thing and he'd stop because we weren't scolding him, picking him up or whatever to make him stop. In other words he wasn't getting what he wanted by biting. As soon as he stopped biting we'd tell him what a good boy he was and then make a big fuss.

[Jilliebeanz96]

I was thinking that sinking his teeth into flesh must feel a lot better on his gums.. . I even bought him child teethers that have the pure h2o in them just in case... put them in the freezer and he was only interested one night... Now he can't be bothered.

Originally Posted by chachi

Chachi did that too and what we did was put bitter apple on our feet After a couple times of tasting that he didnt do it anymore. You are right He is doing it because hes teething

[donnarod]

Tricksie is almost 2 and she still does it but she doesn't bite hard, just playful.

[keokis mom]

Keoki does it when he wants to get my attention- I say " Ouch" in a high pitched voice and he gets scared but he continues to do it when he needs mommys attention. Wish I could help more

[kriston]

Candy did it until she was about 5 mos old then she just quit on her own. She was doing it playingly though. She eventially reduced it to only when we were wearing socks, then she just quit all together. I just chalked it up to it being a puppy thing.

[katelin]

This may be unconventional, but it should work for you.

Binaca is a spray breath freshener that you can find in your drug store. It's small and fits into your pocket, there are generic brands also. Give the command to stop or "no" and if he doesn't comply, give a little spritz in his direction. You don't want to spray him in the eyes, but anywhere around his mouth or nose works. Its a very fine mist, and doesn't hurt them. After a few sprays, just the sight of it makes them stop, and finally the command works.

It also works for barking. Good luck.

[nycyorkieowner]

My little guy is a biter too! No matter what I've tried (ignoring him, shouting NO!, etc) he still does it. I'm hoping he grows out of it also (he's almost 4 mos old), or that training will help to reduce it. Most of the time, his biting doesn't hurt, but it's annoying!

I think i'm going to try spraying him also... I bought a small water gun the other day, and he doesn't like it when I squirt him, so hopefully that will get him to stop.

[YorkieMother]

Google bite inhibition. He is playing around but it could get worse.

JL