I am wanting advice...

My Yorkie has now bitten, me (drawn blood), my mum (drawn blood), 2 kids that have visited the house on seperate occasions (not drawn blood, but made contact with one) and the groomer (drawn blood).

We have found a great place to walk him off lead, since going there he has gone for a dog and bitten it and the other day when he was with our dog walker he tried to bite a man walking on the fields, he didnt make contact but the intention was there.  I dont understand what makes him do it theres no pattern or rationale to it.   I now feel walking him off lead isnt fair to passers by or other dogs.  Most of the dogs we meet on the walks are great with him its just one he seems to have taken a dislike to.

Am I over reacting or would it be the sensible thing to muzzle him and try and get the vet to refer him to a dog psycologist? 

I personally think I know the reason for his behaviour, hes allowed on the sofa and my mum now feeds him on the dining table to stop our puppy eating his dinner as she eats faster.  I believe he thinks hes very important and can do as he wishes.  I have asked her to stop but she wont!  So I feel I cant break this behaviour because I cant control the cause so my only option is to muzzle. I will get a basket muzzle if they do them for small breeds so that he can breathe and run and sniff without discomfort on his walks, I just want people aware that he has the potential to bite.

Your opinions please.....

I think there are several issues here.

The wearing of a muzzle outside will of course prevent him from biting other dogs and people.  It will not, however, address the underlying cause of his behaviour and it will not prevent him biting anyone when it not being worn.

Plenty of dogs lounge around on the sofa and are fed on table tops etc without resulting in biting people/dogs.

By all means in the short term muzzle your dog however in the long term you need some professional help in order to ascertain the underlying cause and the appropriate action; muzzling only tackles symptoms, it does not identify cause and therefore what techniques are best suited to modifying his behaviour.

Your first step is a complete check up via the vet to rule out any medical conditions which could lead to his behaviour, he will then refer you to a reputable behaviourist belonging to either the APBC or UKRCB.

HTH

If he wasn't a Yorkie but a Rottie, would you be asking the same question?  Somehow I doubt it, because you would be well aware of the potential risk to a Rottie who bites being prosecuted under the DDA - well the same risk applies to a Yorkie :(

I would suggest the arrival of the pup very possibly has something to do with this situation and he's either a) very frustrated and taking his frustration out on other dogs and people or b) now learnt he can stop situations he doesn't like by using his teeth from free play sessions with the pup that have gone too far and haven't been stopped by the humans.

Def need to get a vet referal following a thorough vet exam (including blood tests)

He bit me and my mum and went for 1 of the kids before we got the pup so the pup isnt anything to do with it.  He behaved perfectly for a while when we got the pup now its 6 weeks on he has started using his teeth.  His play sessions with the pup are well supervised and stopped on my command so thats not the prob either.

He was castrated a few weeks ago, maybe that has something to do with it, im sure the vet will enlighten me on the situation Ive made an appointment.  I will ask him to do blood tests.

I'd be inclined to ask for referral for a behaviourist if the tests don't show a physical cause, and in the meantime use a muzzle anywhere where he could bite someone. Hope he improves soon. :-(

I don't know if it has occured to you that letting him off lead is putting him and everyone else around him in danger , KEEP HIM ON LEAD jeez. You should have felt it was wrong to have him off lead after his first attack , some dogs are just not ment to be off lead.

Hes only grumbled at one dog MannyG in my presence and Im muzzling him so read the post properly!!! the other snap was with the dog walker in my absense!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE READ MORE CAREFULLY!

Definatley muzzle, your dog could really hurt someone, and it's not fair to put children in a situation like that. You could also end up without your dog if someone reports you or another dog who is not so tolerant decides to fight back. So i think until your dog gets some help a muzzle seems the sensible option. Good luck you seem as though you are willing to work with your dog where a lot of people would just give up.

It might be that he thinks he can get away with biting because he's thoroughly spoilt but as others have said, plenty of dogs sit on sofas and have different feeding arrangements without it causing aggressive behaviour.

Quite honestly, he sounds more like a Yorkshire Terrorist than a terrier and I'm wondering what his temperament was like as a pup and whether he ever got bite inhibition sorted. Certainly if he wasn't such a small dog his current behaviour could have been lethal by now. So sadly muzzling him does seem like a good interim suggestion while you work through his behavioural issues.

MannyG hes been off lead for over 10 months AND HAS HAD A GO AT ONE DOG!!!!! so please dont speak to me in capital letters! One dog does not warrant him being constantly on lead when he has met over 60 dogs and never had that reaction before!!!!!!

As a pup he was aggressive and we got it sorted it was when he was a pup he bit me and my mum hes never bit us as an adult, I have since spoke to my dog walker and he said that arthur didnt bite the man on the field but gave a warning snap as the man went to hold his collar to have a look at him.  This must have been the hundreth person he has met in his one year and again the only person he has had a problem with.  Im not making excuses for him Im taking his behaviour very seriously hence the question to muzzle., its not like he has savaged 2 people in public then wounded a dog and im blindly letting him run riot.

The 2 kids he has snapped at one was because he was sat on my knee at the time and rightly or wrongly hes protective, the second was because the kid was jumping up and down on my sofa throwing pillows around. again rightly or wrongly he was never socialised with such boistrious kids. 

Thanks for those of you who have given good advice especially saying hes a yorkshire terriorist which he is and again thats hes spoilt, I know his faults as I do my own. 

Im getting him a muzzle tomorrow  

I do feel for you here and suspect that one of your difficulties (and pardon the impudence if I'm wrong) is that you have a pretty clear idea about his problems and why they present themselves but that your mum might be unintentionally undermining things by the way she treats Arthur. Does she tend to excuse his behaviour or does he behave differently with her?

As you have now elaborated on the incidents, it would seem that one was resource guarding (you) another over excitemetn with boisterous play, and the man being snapped at was pure fear at beign manhandled by a stranger, and frankly quite forgiveable in the circumstances.

We are talking about a very smal dog for whome everyone and everything is huge.  He has now been castrated, which might actually excaserbate any of these incidents casused by fear.

I think management and avoiding situations that could lead him to biting, and further training while he grows up may be all that is needed, wchich a behaviourist may wel be able to help with.

Muzzling may make you feel more confident.

Brainless & Ros

You both seem to have got the gist.  Im sorry I posted earlier in a bit of a panic, I got home to be told he had gone to bite someone on his walk and after his snapping at Baz (the dog hes got a problem with) I just lost it a bit (didnt help Id been working all night).

I think im going to give the muzzle a go as you say just to give me confidence and Im going to get him on lead if Baz is about.  The great thing is where I walk him is only used by doggie people and they forgive his boistrousness more than me, he seems to rule the roost over a rottie, an elkhound and 3 labs hes met and thats just a few of them.  The other dogs seem to back down to him which must boost his ego.  Im going to keep an even closer eye on him and still let him off lead but I think one more sign of nastiness and I will put him on an extendable lead.  Still gonna see the vet.

Ros your spot on, my mum would forgive him murder, its like fighting a loosing battle with her.  Shes very easy going and doesnt get highly strung over his behaviour which is very frustrating.

personally i would use the extender lead now because he could pick on the wrong dog and end up worse of. Plus his walks should be in enjoyable time for him and you and all you would be doing on his walks is worrying if he is going to nip. I would stick with the lead until he has had some further training. As for a muzzle i dont think this will help you as he has tried to bite in your home and you cannot muzzle a dog for to long maybe a muzzle while he is out but that is it. My vet muzzles my girl when we go to the vets because she is a fear biter she has never actually bitten because while at the vets but she has growled and had me a little worried so the muzzle is just for my own comfort.