When Do Yorkie Puppies Stop Biting and How You Can Stop It?

When you bring your Yorkie puppy home, there is going to be a lot of excitement for the whole family. Once you get them home though, you may notice that they have started a bad habit that you would like them to stop; biting. Many Yorkie owners will wonder how long the biting will last with their Yorkie puppy.

Yorkies do not stop biting on their own. Many learn the behavior from the other puppies in their litter. Since this is a natural habit, most will continue biting when they come home with you at eight weeks. This is the perfect time to begin training them to stop. While a few Yorkie puppies may seem to naturally stop, most will need your guidance to stop this behavior.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the reasons why a Yorkie may start to bite in the first place and the steps you can take to make this behavior stop.

When Do Yorkie Puppies Stop Biting?

Your Yorkie puppy will not stop biting without the proper training. Many Yorkie owners assume that their dog will eventually outgrow this habit, so they do not do anything to stop it. This may sound like a good plan, but it can make the work harder in the long run. You will need to take the time to properly train your Yorkie not to bite.

Your Yorkie puppy can be trained to not bite very early one. Some breeders may try to do this on their own to help out, but when the puppy is young and with their siblings, it is sometimes hard to do it this way. A better option is to start the training as soon as you bring the Yorkie home. This will help them adjust to the idea that you do not accept the biting and you want them to stop.

By the time your Yorkie is 10 weeks old, they can tell the difference between whether biting is good or whether it is bad. You should start the training before that time. Discipline the dog and work through other methods of training as well so your Yorkie is able to learn what is allowed and what is not allowed in your home so you can avoid some of these problem areas along the way.

Why Do Yorkies Bite?

When you bring your Yorkie home, you may notice that they like to nip and bite. Some will do this to show their dominance and may seem a little bit aggressive when they do it. Others may do it when they play because this is what they are used to doing with their siblings. No matter why the Yorkie decides to bite, it is important to take care of the issue as soon as possible.

Just like other dog breeds, your Yorkie may bite at you on occasion. It is the job of the Yorkie owner to get some training going to prevent this issue. There are several reasons why your Yorkie may decide to bite you including:

• They feel afraid
• They are in pain
• When they think they are being threatened and they bite to keep protected.
• When they have developed it as a habit and have not been trained to stop.

Some puppies seem more prone to biting than others. This may mean they will not naturally stop biting without some of the proper training in place. The good news is that there are some steps that you can use with training that will help your Yorkie stop biting. It is best to get started on these as soon as possible.

Will My Yorkie Bite Out of Habit?

In some situations, your Yorkie may decide to bite out of habit. They may know how to bite thanks to playing around with the other puppies in the litter. This means they are likely to bring the behavior home with them. You will need to teach them that this is not behavior they are allowed to do. Start the training right away when they come home. The Yorkie may be small, but their teeth can be sharp.

Being persistent with your training and not allowing them to ever bite is one of the best ways to get started. When your Yorkie tries to bite you, you should pull back the body part and use a firm tone say “ouch” or “no”. You need your actions and tone to show the dog that biting is bad behavior and that it is going to cause you pain.

If possible, try to get the tone similar to the dog’s yelping. When the puppy plays around with their siblings, one dog will yelp to show they are getting hurt. This sound is associated back to pain for the Yorkie. If you can mimic it a bit and pull back your hand when they bite, it can show them you do not approve of the behavior at all.

Sometimes your Yorkie is biting because their teeth hurt. This is a common issue as they start to grow and the teeth grow as well. When the biting is caused by this, then offer your Yorkie something else to bite on. This can provide them with some relief while keeping your hands safe from the biting.

How Can I Stop My Yorkie Puppy from Biting?

The best time for a Yorkie owner to stop the biting is during the first six months, when the Yorkie is still a puppy. This is the time when your puppy will go through some behavioral formation and it is often the easiest stage to do some of the training.

Using the “no” and “ouch” responses that we talked about earlier will help with stopping the puppy not chewing or biting on you. Giving them some distractions or something else to chew on will work. Remember that this stage likes to have a lot of praise and attention so if you can include that, along with some treats, into the training, it will make a difference.

How Can I Stop My Older Yorkie From Biting?

It is often best to stop your Yorkie from biting when they are young. Sometimes the dog is left undisciplined and will not get the training they need to stop the bad behavior when they are young. This means that the Yorkie may choose to keep biting as a way to show aggression or because they are bored. They may even find that it is entertaining to see what happens when they bite someone else.

If your older dog is still doing this, then it is time to get the training started as soon as possible. While playing, if the puppy starts to do this, then it is time to stop playing with them to show the behavior is not acceptable. Be prepared that they will still want to play with you. Do not provide them attention and do not keep playing. They may try to get you to play, but when you take away the thing they enjoy, they will start to listen and catch on.

In some cases, the Yorkie will use biting as a way to show dominance. It may be time to set up some new rules around the home. If you frequently allow your Yorkie to roam about the home, then it is time to set up boundaries and keep them in one area of the home. Make sure that they do not play around the baby or on the couch. Crate training can be helpful for this as well.

Keep in mind that you need to use the right training methods and positive reinforcement here. You do not want to use negative reinforcement, which includes yelling and hurting the dog. These methods are not going to help train the Yorkie and can make them more aggressive, which could make the biting worse if this was the original cause for it.

Instead, it is best to use positive reinforcement with your Yorkie. This will include the other techniques that we talked about. These techniques correct the behavior without causing aggression or other bad things along the way. Your Yorkie has to be trained on how to behave, not getting yelled out and becoming more aggressive in the process.

Getting Your Yorkie to Stop Biting

Many Yorkie puppies are going to come home with you and try to bite. This is a natural reflex that they have and they spent the first few weeks playing and rough housing with other puppies. Biting was included in that. While it is natural that your Yorkie will try to bite to play with you or to help their teeth when they are sore, this is not a behavior that you should encourage.

The good news is that with some early training, you will be able to get the dog to stop biting. Your Yorkie often needs to be told that it hurts and learn the command “no” and they are set to go. With consistency, redirection, and the right training, you will train your Yorkie to stop biting.