my 6 week old chi is biting and is always wanting to be held

Question
me (10) and my dad are trying to ger him to stop biting but he will not stop he always growls before biting but he bites every one even ME so what shold i do. hes a boy hes 6 weeks  we have had him for a week now and his name is taco i know hes a chi but he looks like hes part beagle becase he has a black nose and in getting black and brown fur

Answer
Hi Angelo...

This is why I always suggest that people should not get pups until they're 8 - 12 weeks old, with 8 weeks being the absolute minimum.  That extra time with the mother and siblings gives a pup time to mature and learn boundaries.  It also gives them the opportunity for normal sibling interaction and play.  No one should have sold you or given you a puppy at the age of five weeks.  More pups are given away or dumped at shelters due to play biting and toilet training issues due to being sold at too young of an age and it's simply not the fault of the puppies.  California has passed a law that makes it illegal to sell pups younger than 8 weeks old for this reason. Pups learn from the siblings and mother and when you take a pup home when it's as young as yours, they see you as their playmate and they want to be held all the time because they don't have the comfort of the mother or the siblings like they should have and still need. Your pup simply isn't being bad - he's doing what normal, healthy pups do at that age - only it's usually with their siblings (litter mates).

I'd like to know where the pup sleeps, what you've been doing so far to deter the pup from biting and where you keep the pup when you're not interacting with it - can you write me back and let me know about those things?  I always advise that pups be kept in a confined area and that they not be left alone for long periods when they're so terribly young - they need affection and interaction.  If the pup is biting while you're playing with it, pull your hand away and tell it "NO" in a firm voice and then take a toy and substitute the toy for your hand (if that is where it was biting you) and try to teach the pup to bite appropriately (by biting and playing with the toy).  You have to remember that the puppy has a short attention span and it takes a long time to train him due to the fact that he's so young.  If after you've told him "NO" a few times and he has kept biting, you then place him in his confined area (a kitchen blocked off with a baby gate maybe) and ignore him for maybe 10 minutes. If you take him out and he plays with the toy and doesn't bite again, you praise him to no end with, "Good boy, what a good boy" and so on and maybe even give him a special treat.  You repeat this process over & over until he quits biting so much. Training is not instant - it takes a long time. But trust me, Angelo, he's just a pup and this is NOT a negative behavior - it's normal and part of his process of growing, experimenting and learning at this age. It's also important to remember that dogs really live to please you and it's up to us to give them lots of positive reinforcement (praise) and use patience and kindness to teach them what is pleasing.

Take my word for it, Angelo, if you can understand why your pup is behaving the was it is and train it with patience, kindness and love, you will be ahead of so many other people in this world and a true role model for other people.

Get back to me with the information I asked for above and any other questions you have that I can help you with.

Jo Ann