How To Stop Yorkie Biting & Nipping: 8 Pro Tips That Can Help You

If you’re dealing with a Yorkie biting, then we pretty much know how you feel.

Whether your pup is nipping at your fingers, biting on items, or barking too much, it’s important to address these habits early.

Understanding Yorkie Biting Behavior Through Life Stages

Before we jump into training tips, let’s understand why Yorkies bite. Biting and nipping are natural behaviors for dogs, and different life stages bring different challenges.

1. Puppy Teething Phase

Yorkie puppies often bite due to teething. Just like human babies, they go through a phase where their gums hurt, and biting provides relief. During this stage, your Yorkie biting on items (like shoes or furniture) is common. This is the stage when your puppy needs to release pain in their gums so the best thing you can do is to provide it with chew toys. Chew toys that are made of rubber and that feature rubber pins will gently massage the jaw and prevent them from destroying home items.

2. Exploratory Nipping (8 Weeks to 6 Months)

At this age, Yorkies explore the world with their mouths. Your pup might nip at your hands or feet out of curiosity or to get your attention. During this period, you should determine the boundaries and show your pet who’s the boss in the house.

3. Adolescence (6 Months to 1 Year)

As Yorkies grow, biting can become a play behavior or a way to assert dominance. If not addressed, these habits may carry into adulthood. This is the key period when you should stop your dog from doing this. Otherwise, your Yorkshire terrier will continue biting and destroying things.

4. Adult Yorkies

Adult Yorkies biting on people or items is usually a sign of stress, fear, or boredom. If a behavior persists into adulthood, it’s likely because it wasn’t corrected earlier. If this continue to happen, then you’re going to need the help of a professional. A behavior specialist will perform training classes several times a week and you’ll be able to see an improvement in a month.

How to Prevent a Yorkie From Nipping: Step-by-Step Guide

Stopping your Yorkie from biting requires consistency, patience, and positive reinforcement. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Understand the Triggers

First, figure out why your Yorkie is biting. Are they teething? Feeling stressed? Playing too rough? Common triggers include:

• Teething pain.
• Seeking attention.
• Fear or anxiety.
• Overstimulation during play.

Identifying the root cause will help you address the problem effectively. Dog owners often forget on the fact that our dogs can suffer from separation anxiety. It’s a condition where a dog goes through a huge stress while spending time alone. He/she is suffering for the owner’s absence and tries to distract his/her mind by biting, or chewing on things. Some dogs can even try to escape just to find their owner. 

In case your furry friend suffers from a severe type of separation anxiety, then we recommend you search for the help of a professional.

Step 2: Provide Appropriate Chewing Alternatives

If your Yorkie is biting on items due to teething or boredom, give them something more appropriate to chew on.

• Chew Toys: Invest in puppy-safe chew toys that are soft but durable.
• Frozen Treats: Freeze a wet washcloth or a puppy teething ring to soothe their gums. Cold compresses will help them easier deal with pains
• Rotating Toys: Keep a variety of toys to prevent boredom. We recommend you check our assortment of Yorkie toys to find items that will suit your pooch.

💡 Pro Tip: Whenever your Yorkie starts biting on items, redirect them to their chew toy immediately and praise them for using it. You can reward your pooch with snacks or some fruits (occasionally).

Step 3: Teach Bite Inhibition

Bite inhibition teaches your Yorkie how to control the force of their bite. It’s a skill they naturally learn from their littermates, but you can reinforce it.

1. Yelp Like a Puppy
   When your Yorkie bites too hard, let out a high-pitched “ouch!” or “yelp!” to mimic how another puppy would react.
2. Pause the Play
   Stop interacting with your Yorkie for a few seconds. This teaches them that biting ends the fun. Turn the back to your Yorkie. That’s how he/she will realize that he/she done something bad. 
3. Resume Play Gently
   If they bite again, repeat the yelp and pause. Consistency is key. You should act like you’re angry at your dog. Don’t let him/her trick you with those ‘’sad puppy eyes’’. If you don’t show your Yorkie who’s the pack leader, then you can’t expect him/her being an obedient pet.

Step 4: Use Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement works wonders for discouraging Yorkie biting and nipping. Instead of punishing your dog, reward good behavior.

• Treats: Give your Yorkie a small treat when they play nicely without biting.
• Praise: Use a cheerful tone to say “Good job!” 
• Playtime: Extend play sessions as a reward for gentle behavior.

Step 5: Teach the “Leave It” Command

Training your Yorkie to respond to commands like “leave it” can help stop unwanted biting.

1. Hold a treat in your hand and say “leave it.”
2. Wait for your Yorkie to stop trying to grab the treat.
3. The moment they stop, reward them with the treat and say “good leave it!”
4. Practice this daily until they understand the command.

Step 6: Avoid Rough Play

Roughhousing might seem fun, but it encourages biting behavior. If you wave your hands or tug at toys too aggressively, your Yorkie might interpret it as an invitation to nip.

💡 Quick Tip: Stick to gentle games like fetch or hide-and-seek. Do not play tug-of-war games because it can induce Yorkie biting behavior.

Step 7: Socialize Your Yorkie Early

Proper socialization helps prevent fear-based Yorkie biting on people or other animals. Expose your pup to new environments, people, and other dogs in a controlled and positive way. Every dog needs to go through socialization lessons to grow into a confident pet.

• Puppy Classes: Sign up for puppy training sessions.
• Supervised Playdates: Let your Yorkie interact with well-behaved dogs.
• Controlled Introductions: Gradually introduce your Yorkie to new people, always rewarding calm behavior. Let him/her sniff and investigate his environment.

Step 8: Provide Mental and Physical Stimulation

A bored Yorkie is a nippy Yorkie. These dogs are highly intelligent and need regular stimulation.

• Puzzle Toys: Keep their minds busy with interactive toys.
• Daily Walks: A tired dog is a well-behaved dog. This doesn’t mean that your pup should feel exhausted but pleasantly tired. 
• Training Sessions: Use 10–15 minutes a day to teach new tricks or commands.

How to Prevent a Yorkie From Barking and Biting

Yorkies are notorious barkers, which can sometimes be linked to biting behaviors. Here’s how to handle both:

1. Stay Calm: Never yell at your Yorkie, as this might excite them further.
2. Teach “Quiet”: Use a command like “quiet” or “enough,” rewarding them when they stop barking.
3. Ignore Attention-Seeking Barking: If your Yorkie barks to get your attention, turn away and only reward them when they’re calm.

Combining this with bite-inhibition training ensures your pup learns to behave in various situations.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Dealing With Yorkie Biting

1. Using Physical Punishment
   Hitting or shouting at your Yorkie will only make them scared or aggressive. Stick to positive reinforcement.
2. Inconsistency
   If you sometimes allow biting (e.g., during play), your Yorkie will get confused. Be consistent with your training.
3. Ignoring the Problem
   Biting won’t magically disappear. The earlier you address it, the better.

Yorkie Biting & Nipping: Patience Is Key

Stopping a Yorkie from biting is a process that requires time, effort, and lots of love. By understanding their triggers, teaching bite inhibition, and rewarding good behavior, you’ll have a happy, well-behaved Yorkie in no time.

Remember, Yorkies are tiny but full of personality. Training them might take some patience, but with consistency, you’ll build a strong bond and a bite-free relationship.