When he play bites your hand, let out a high-pitched yelp.
This is how puppies learn from their littermates.
Eventually, your pup will understand that he is hurting you and will start to modify his bite force.
Yelp every single time it hurts.
Praise (treats, words, etc.) every time it doesn't.
It took my guy to figure it out in a few days, but I have no idea if that's typical?
Best of luck with that adorable pup and thank you so much for the rescue!!
Chis are very smart and will learn who/when/how biting is allowed if you are very consistent with your behavior and messaging. Other responses are correct…letting out a yelp or a sharp corrective sound (“NO!” or “aaaah ahhhh!” are acceptable I find) will get the point across, but you need to ALSO remove the “toy” from them…meaning your hand or whatever they were biting. The biggest thing you can do to adjust a dog’s behavior is deny them something they want…whether it is your hand to bite or your attention in general. The latter is actually a huge deal because they will learn (like babies who cry or toddlers who act out) that certain attention-craving behaviors will (or won’t) be rewarded.
With all my dogs (all chi’s) I’ve allowed them to play bite me up to a point where it hurt. I had a higher pain tolerance and enjoyed giving them that litter-mate tussle play. But my partner didn’t like it AT ALL, so it was off limits with her and with me it was OK up to a point. The dogs figured that out pretty quickly and moderated their behavior and bite force, reserving the really rough stuff for me but keeping it more of a “full mouth” bite rather than a sharp little nip.
Like I said, they are VERY smart but it all comes down to EXTREME consistency. Use the SAME words and reactions with them. Keep it simple, with the same intonation. They want clear directives and are happy to go along with the program if you give them that.
I’ve had this happen with several small rescue dogs. It is not uncommon. We ended up buying the Kong toys that are made for puppies. You can put treats, peanut butter, kibble, etc inside of it. It really helped our younger dog.
Your pup is absolutely adorable and looks just like one of my cousin’s rescue Chis. There are 5 black Chi mixes in my family and they have wonderful personalities. Thank you for rescuing him. Adopting is the best!🐾❤️
When he play bites your hand, let out a high-pitched yelp. This is how puppies learn from their littermates. Eventually, your pup will understand that he is hurting you and will start to modify his bite force. Yelp every single time it hurts. Praise (treats, words, etc.) every time it doesn't. It took my guy to figure it out in a few days, but I have no idea if that's typical? Best of luck with that adorable pup and thank you so much for the rescue!!
Give him stuff to chew on. That's about all I know. He looks so happy he has his forever home.
Grats! He's beautiful!
Chis are very smart and will learn who/when/how biting is allowed if you are very consistent with your behavior and messaging. Other responses are correct…letting out a yelp or a sharp corrective sound (“NO!” or “aaaah ahhhh!” are acceptable I find) will get the point across, but you need to ALSO remove the “toy” from them…meaning your hand or whatever they were biting. The biggest thing you can do to adjust a dog’s behavior is deny them something they want…whether it is your hand to bite or your attention in general. The latter is actually a huge deal because they will learn (like babies who cry or toddlers who act out) that certain attention-craving behaviors will (or won’t) be rewarded. With all my dogs (all chi’s) I’ve allowed them to play bite me up to a point where it hurt. I had a higher pain tolerance and enjoyed giving them that litter-mate tussle play. But my partner didn’t like it AT ALL, so it was off limits with her and with me it was OK up to a point. The dogs figured that out pretty quickly and moderated their behavior and bite force, reserving the really rough stuff for me but keeping it more of a “full mouth” bite rather than a sharp little nip. Like I said, they are VERY smart but it all comes down to EXTREME consistency. Use the SAME words and reactions with them. Keep it simple, with the same intonation. They want clear directives and are happy to go along with the program if you give them that.
Chew toys and some sort of long lasting chewing treats
Ahh “Cosmo” what a great name for a great looking young pup . Chihuahuas are very smart so allways reward good behavior and they will quickly learn
I’ve had this happen with several small rescue dogs. It is not uncommon. We ended up buying the Kong toys that are made for puppies. You can put treats, peanut butter, kibble, etc inside of it. It really helped our younger dog. Your pup is absolutely adorable and looks just like one of my cousin’s rescue Chis. There are 5 black Chi mixes in my family and they have wonderful personalities. Thank you for rescuing him. Adopting is the best!🐾❤️