How to Stop Your Dog from Biting-And Preventing It In Puppies
Without a doubt, the most frightening and worrying time to be near a dog is when they are likely to be a biter. It is likely that out of all the problems you will encounter with a dog, this aspect is pretty much top of the list.
For many, it is the first real reality check of actually having an animal in your home that could attack a human.
Dog bites are serious and in some cases, fatal.
As I write this, it is only some six months ago in my local area in Cornwall that a young boy was left alone in a holiday caravan and the dog that was also left with him turned on the boy and savaged him to death.
That is why this element of owning a dog can not be underestimated or glossed over.
We need to understand that allowing a dog to bite early on will lead to unacceptable behavior that will get worse.
It is crossing the line and we need to make sure that we can in some way deal with what comes naturally to a dog.
This is the plain truth of the matter. Dogs bite. And they can not unlearn what is natural to them. We have to remember that dogs are programmed with exactly the same “Flight, Fight or Freeze” mechanisms that we do….another reason wh humans and canines get along so well.
Dogs are entitled to defend themselves in a threatening situation and usually, dogs will “fight” that is…they will bite.
All dogs are different and I have been bitten by my Greyhound by accident before and it really does hurt..I also got bitten several times by a Chihuahua a couple of years back and I can confirm…that really hurt too.
Take a look at this great article from our friends all about The Smallest Dog In The World
Some dog breeds are known to be more aggressive than others, but we mustn’t be prejudice against them without knowing their overall character.
As with all of the training and developing techniques with our dogs, it’s best to get them when they are young when they are pups.
With older dogs that have the propensity to bite or nip, they may be doing it from the belief that they are Alpha and it can be a territorial thing.
Our dog biting us is a sign. When I say biting, it’s more likely a nip, a warning sign and that still can be very painful.
In a full-grown dog, it is a statement.
The dog is saying that they are in control, they are Alpha and you better do what they want!
This, of course, is not acceptable and we have to sort that out quickly through the use of the tactics we learned in our article about being the pack leader and also stopping an aggressive dog.
You simply can not be nervous when you are dealing with a dog like this. They sense it and they react accordingly and sadly for us as soft fleshed humans, it never ends well.
With many dog breeds that you would encounter on a regular basis having bite pressures of between 200-300 psi, it’s doesn’t take an expert to tell you that those bites are pretty serious affairs.
When dealing with aggressive dogs we need to know a bit more about the background if possible, but this may not always be the case especially if they are from a rescue center.
Dogs that bite to get their way in the home are acting as Alpha and we already know how to deal with that particular aspect behavior.
That said, as responsible dog owners, we can train our puppies to learn all about their own bite reflex from an early age.
Puppies biting and mouthing are perfectly normal and we can’t discourage this as it is important for them to learn all about how hard they can bite and when it is acceptable.
Gnawing at and mouthing is a new common activity for many young puppies and dogs. Puppies naturally bite and mouth the other when using siblings, and they expand this behavior to their own human companions.
While other puppies have a thick epidermis, however, humans do not necessarily, so it is crucial to teach your puppy dog what is appropriate, and exactly what is not when it comes to using all those sharp teeth.
The very first part of training the puppy is to inhibit the biting reflex. Biting might be sweet and harmless with a 5-pound puppy, but it is neither cute neither harmless when that canine has grown to a full-size dog.
Therefore, puppies should end up being taught to control their bit just before the age of four months. Young puppies normally learn to inhibit their bite from their mothers and the littermates, nevertheless, since they are taken away from their mothers so young, many never find out this important lesson.
This is therefore up to the humans in the puppy’s lifestyle to teach this training.
An ideal way to lessen the biting reflex is to allow the puppy dog to play and interact socially with other puppies and socialized old dogs. Puppies wish to drop, roll and play together with each other, and once young puppies play they bite the other person constantly.
This is the particular simplest way for puppies to be able to learn to manage themselves any time they bite.
If a single puppy becomes too difficult when playing, all of those other dogs will punish him regarding that inappropriate behavior.
Via this type of socialization, the puppy dog will learn to handle his biting reflex.
Correct socialization has other rewards as well, including teaching the dog to not necessarily be fearful of some other dogs and work away from their excess energy.
Puppies that can be allowed to play with other puppies find out important socialization skills typically learn to become much better members of their individual families.
Puppies that obtain less socialization can end up being more destructive, more agitated, and exhibit other trouble behaviors.
Additionally, the lack of socialization in pups often causes fear in addition to aggressive behaviors build.
Dogs often react strongly to new situations, especially when they may not be properly socialized.
In order for your dog to become a member of the community and also the house, it should be socialized with some other people, especially youngsters.
A great video on Puppy Biting
Dogs make a distinction between humans especially their owners and some other people, and between children and adults. It is important, therefore, to expose the puppy to both children and adults.
The best time to mingle a puppy with youthful children is when that is still very younger, generally if it is four a few months old or younger. A single reason for this is the fact that mothers of young youngsters can be understandably reluctant to be able to allow youngsters to approach large dogs or more mature puppies.
This runs specifically true with huge breed dogs, or together with breeds of dogs that may have a reputation for extreme behavior.
Teaching your own puppy to trust in addition to respect you is a very effective way to prevent biting.
Gaining typically the trust and respect associated with your dog is typically the basis for all coaching your beloved dog, and for correcting problem behaviors.
It is crucial to never hit or perhaps slap the puppy, either during training or any kind of other time.
Physical punishment is the surest way to be able to erode the trust and respect that must form the particular basis of an efficient training course.
Reprimanding a dog will certainly not stop him from biting – it will certainly simply scare and befuddle him.
Training a puppy dog not to bite is a crucial part of virtually any puppy training program.
Gnawing at behaviors that are not corrected will certainly only get worse, and what seemed like harmless conduct in a puppy can quickly escalate to dangerous, destructive behavior in an adult doggy.
To find out more about this kind of training check out our highly recommended course with Doggy Dan The Online Trainer.
Here you will learn so much about dog training and his easy-to-follow video series really is a must for anyone wanting to get the very best from their dog, be it a puppy, a rescue dog, or indeed a dog they may have owned for a while…YES, you can teach an old dog new tricks!