Puppy biting until bleeding

He is ADORABLE!

This is what's known as "resource guarding." If you do a search on the forums, it'll turn up tons and tons of responses for how to deal with it. There's a book called "Mine!" that lots of people on this forum recommend.

It's generally a bad idea to stick your hands in a dog's mouth. I understand why your mom did it, but hopefully she understands why that could be dangerous. The dog doesn't know that you're concerned for his safety, only that you're trying to take away something that he believes is rightfully his. He feels like he's defending himself against an aggressor. Trying to forcefully open his mouth is just never a good idea... imagine if someone 100 times bigger than you tried to pry your jaws open to get something you had in your mouth. Wouldn't you be upset too?

For the future, both you and your mom (and anyone else in the household) can work on preventing this sort of behavior by teaching things like "trade" so that your dog feels like giving you one of his prized posessions, like a bone, will lead to you giving him something even better in return.

Even though he is a small, cute,  little thing, he still must learn manners.  He should never lay a tooth on anyone.  Have you done any obedience training at all with him so far?  He may be cute, but he sees himself as an assertive canine adult and if you don't assert yourself and your mother as his leaders, protectors and providers, he will take over this position.

You should make some rules for him to follow (must sit first to eat, only allowed on couch when you say it's OK, etc. and make it clear that you and your mother are the source of everything that he needs. 

I suspect that he sees your mother as a subordinate.  She is probably very gentle and kind to him and allows him to do just about everything that he wants.  Get her involved in his training and teach her to follow through with whatever training, routine or rules that you set.   

Tell mom to stop prying things from him - it will just make him more aggressive.  Instead, tell him "trade" and offer him some meat.  Chances are, he will drop the item, and take the meat.  What you are actually doing is teaching him to give things back nicely when he hears the word "trade".
There is a book called "Mine!" that can help you train him not to be nasty around food.
http://www.dogwise.com/search.cfm

I think that "drop it" or "leave it" is more important, here.  You can first lure him with a great treat and then make the treat a reward.  But ultimately you want to be able to tell your dog to drop something, even if you don't have something to trade it with.

I can understand a dog snapping because someone has her hands in its mouth but, Chi's have a rep for being pretty assertive.  I've seem tiny little dogs that rule the roost and who will not tolerate handling.  At the animal clinic, there was an elderly couple intimidated by two chi/rat terriers.  These poor people had bite marks  all over their ankles and hands!  They were afraid of these dogs. 

I say that they still need to play be the rules, and a very important rule is "No teeth on the leader". 

this has nothing to do with "leadership". To dogs, possession trumps dominance. Forcibly removing things from a dog's mouth is incredibly rude in dog-speak, and if you get bitten while doing that it is exactly what you deserve. Dogs who frequently have things forcibly pried out of their mouths tend to get more and more aggressive over time. Just quietly and calmly teach your dog to drop things on command or to play the trade-game, and problem solved.

I know that this is off the subject but I just had to ask because this "mouth handling" subject has come up a number of times.  I'm really not being contentious here.  When you bring your dog to the vet and the vet opens the dog's mouth to look in it's mouth, or if you are showing a dog in conformation and the judge handles a dog's mouth to look at teeth, is that considered rude?

I've honestly never had a dog that bit me when I went to remove a piece of food that it should have.  I do, however, teach my dogs "drop it" and tell them to do this first, but none of my dogs would ever threaten or consider biting me. 

Physically trying to remove something from the dog's mouth is still a bad idea. That's completely different from opening the mouth to look at teeth.

I do, however, teach my dogs "drop it" and tell them to do this first, but none of my dogs would ever threaten or consider biting me.

Don't you think that teaching the "drop it" might have something to do with it? [] If you take a young dog who doesn't have any idea what's going on, and try to literally reach into his mouth to remove something that he feels is his, especially if you haven't established yourself as a "leader" in other ways (like Nothing In Life Is Free), then I think the chances of a bite are quite high.

Diane, as good as your dogs are, I bet if I went up and tried to pull their jaws open while they were chewing something they valued they would *not* be thrilled.

The key is to get the dog used to removing items and mouth handling gradually.

Cita, thanks for your articulate post - I agree with you. 

If you take a young dog who doesn't have any idea what's going on, and try to literally reach into his mouth to remove something that he feels is his, especially if you haven't established yourself as a "leader" in other ways (like Nothing In Life Is Free), then I think the chances of a bite are quite high.

I've taught my dogs to be handled from an early age.  When my old lady dobX (passed away at 17) survived hemolytic anemia, I regularly went into her mouth to check her gums and mouth. She had to tolerate much "rudeness" from doctors during her treatment.  She was a very noble dog.  We called her the Dowager Queen because she considered herself domonant, just under my husband and me.  She hated to have her nails clipped and wasn't thrilled with bathing, and, yes, there were a few times when we had to get a peice of chicken away from her, but would never ever consider laying a tooth on either of us.   

I believe that you have to have a holistic approach and teach your dogs from an early age that they must respect you because there will be times in their life when they will have to tolerate rude behavior from humans (vets, judges, etc.) I'm not convinced that "trade" is a good thing because sometimes the dog will have something that it wants way more than what you have to trade with.  To learn "drop it" the dog has to defer to you. You don't have to be cruel or harsh, but they have to understand that all the things that they need come from you. 

Thank you guys all for your comments.
I have told mom not to forcefully take away bone or etc. from Bomtall when he is biting onto it and told her to try the trade.
Now she is worried about rabies and she wonders whether or not she sould get the rabies vaccination. Bomtall has never been in a contact with other dog except for 11 yrs old maltese in my house. The maltese got rabies vaccination but he has been exposed to other dogs since we walk him. However neither Bomtall or Chapong (the maltese) got a bite from other dog or animals. Should my mom go to doctor and get a shot for the rabies?

ORIGINAL: diane303

I know that this is off the subject but I just had to ask because this "mouth handling" subject has come up a number of times.  I'm really not being contentious here.  When you bring your dog to the vet and the vet opens the dog's mouth to look in it's mouth, or if you are showing a dog in conformation and the judge handles a dog's mouth to look at teeth, is that considered rude?

I've honestly never had a dog that bit me when I went to remove a piece of food that it should have.  I do, however, teach my dogs "drop it" and tell them to do this first, but none of my dogs would ever threaten or consider biting me. 

"Leave it" is normally a command that is taught so that you can prevent a dog from picking up an object.  "Drop it" is really the same as "trade" if you teach it with food.  I have never had trouble with any dog not giving me whatever it has in its mouth using the "trade" method.  I do know plenty of people who get bitten trying to force things out of dogs' mouths.  If you successfully taught your dogs to drop with the method you used, that's great.  I think that what mudpuppy and I are saying is that, for most dogs, trading is the safest thing for people to try, since some dogs can be very possessive right from the get go. And, we need to remember that there are some dogs that will let you take their dinner right out of their mouths, but then draw the line when it comes to a pig ear.
Safety first, especially when giving advice sight unseen, is my thought on the matter. 

ORIGINAL: leenayoo2

Thank you guys all for your comments.
I have told mom not to forcefully take away bone or etc. from Bomtall when he is biting onto it and told her to try the trade.
Now she is worried about rabies and she wonders whether or not she sould get the rabies vaccination. Bomtall has never been in a contact with other dog except for 11 yrs old maltese in my house. The maltese got rabies vaccination but he has been exposed to other dogs since we walk him. However neither Bomtall or Chapong (the maltese) got a bite from other dog or animals. Should my mom go to doctor and get a shot for the rabies?

Rabies is carried in the saliva of affected animals.   If your dog has not been exposed to a rabid animal's saliva, it's doubtful that your mom would need the prophylaxis.  But, if you think exposure has taken place, contact your physician for advice.

I'm not convinced that "trade" is a good thing because sometimes the dog will have something that it wants way more than what you have to trade with.

 
ah, but once the dog understands the concept of "drop it" you don't even need to have anything to trade, just praise is sufficient. It's like any kind of training-- you do need to start out with lots of wonderful rewards, but then you switch to variable reinforcement. And aside from the first few "trades" you never ever show the dog what you're planning to trade him for whatever he's got. He starts to "play the odds" and hopes whatever you're going to trade is better than what he's got, because sometimes it is.

Yes, I can see where offering the dog a better trade would have worked in this case.  I think that it is so very important, though, to continue training this little guy (and any dog really) to "drop it" and to tolerate handling.  General obedience, daily handling and socialization is important for all dogs.

I've seen so many people with little, "cute" dogs not work on training or manners because the dog seems so managable without training...until the owner or vet or groomer is required to handle the dog more that it feels comfortable being handled.  Good manners and tolerance of handling should be an everyday part of a dog's life, and it comes from the owner setting the perameters.  Momma could participate in this training. 

One of my pet peeves are owner that have snarling, snapping, untrained little Yorkies, Maltese, Chi's, MinPins, etc., and actually tell me that they think that this behavior is "adorable" and "spunky" and what I'm seeing a very insecure, fearful little dog .

Has the puppy not been vaccinated against rabies yet and that is why your mom is worried? She is probably fine if he has had no contact with other animals. But get the puppy vaccinated!!!.  Much better safe than sorry.