Biting is normal behavior for dogs, a byproduct of their predatory drive and a manifestation of emotions like fear, possessiveness, and pain, as anybody who has witnessed two pups play will attest to.
However, pups also teach one another “bite inhibition”—the control over how strongly they bite—while playing.
It is possible to educate dogs—even older ones—not to bite with the proper training, best started at a young age, coupled with socializing and other training activities.
Please be aware that this teaching procedure does not include hitting a dog.
Easy steps to stop your dog from biting
Beginning Early Training
Ten weeks should be spent with a puppy’s mother and siblings.
Before your family takes over, let your dog’s first family help out with part of the teaching.
Because dogs are family!
The play has a variety of purposes for animals, including humans and dogs, one of which is teaching.
Puppies teach one another the distinctions between amusing mouthing and painful biting by yelping in pain and refusing to continue playing.
In the crucial early weeks of a puppy’s life, mothers also serve an essential educational function that is difficult to reproduce or replace.
Early socialization is important for your dog
Fearful or anxious dogs are more prone to behave erratically and against norms, including biting.
Expose your puppy to both humans and other animals in a variety of settings to reduce the likelihood that it may become fearful in everyday social encounters.
Even though teaching your puppy basic commands like “sit,” “stay,” “come,” and “leave it” may not seem as straightforward as telling them “don’t bite,” they are frequently highly successful in preventing bites.
Teach impulse control
Your dog is also learning patience even though you may assume you are only training him to comply.
When their demands are not quickly satisfied, dogs with poor impulse control are more prone to bite.
Teaching your dog to “leave it”—for example, to wait to eat a reward placed in front of his nose until instructed to do so—can be especially useful in reducing biting.
If you don’t want to breed your dog, get it neutered or spayed
This straightforward process can not only help you avoid having an unwanted litter of puppies, but it can also help decrease the wandering and fighting tendencies that certain dogs exhibit and lead to bites.
Teach your dog to treat human skin with care
Dogs do not naturally understand how sensitive human skin is to canine teeth that are sharp.
Tell your dog this in the same manner as you would a litter of pups. It is best to begin this process as soon as possible.
Allow your dog to mouth your hand while you play with her. Give a loud, expressive “yelp” once a tooth point touches your skin.
If the activity continues, let your hand go limp as a sign that you will stop playing.
When the dog stops mouthing or licking your flimsy hand, give her a treat and repeat the process.
Say “no” or “no bite” as fast as you can if you think your dog is ready to bite you again. If he doesn’t bite you, give him praise and a treat as a reward.
This is a fantastic approach to educating your puppy that biting is bad behavior via positive reinforcement.
Use time-outs if making your hand unappealing for play isn’t working.
After yelling that biting is not acceptable during playing, leave the room for 10 to 20 seconds to make your point clear.
As your dog learns, extend the time-out and lower your threshold for what counts as a bite.
Raise the bar such that any mouthing of your skin is treated with displeasure as your dog becomes more gentle with play biting.
As soon as your dog starts biting your skin, replace it with a chew toy or bone. Present the dog with the toy as soon as it is ready.
He will discover that they are appropriate targets for his impulses to mouth.
With a treat in one hand and a pet in the other, distract the dog. For dogs who frequently mouth or bite when being touched, this is especially helpful.
Even if there isn’t a reward to divert them, they will eventually stop focusing on the hand patting them.
Play non-contact games like fetch. Make it clear to your dog that playing does not always require her to lick your flesh.
Whenever a dog bites, do the following-
- If your dog bites someone, act immediately and follow these steps:
- Keep your cool.
- Put your dog in a crate or a different room.
- Assist the bitten victim in properly washing the wound with warm, soapy water.
- Be kind and considerate to the bitten sufferer.
- Refrain from becoming accusatory or aggressive. This does not obligate you to accept responsibility.
- Keep in mind that if legal or civil action is brought against you, anything you say might be used against you.
- For the bitten sufferer, get in touch with a doctor. Depending on how bad the bite was, an ambulance could be required.
- Regardless of how tiny the bite is, the victim should go to the doctor.
- Even dog bites that may seem minor can quickly become severe.
- Offer to get in touch with the victim’s friend or relative.
- With the victim, trade contact details.
- Describe your insurance coverage, if any.
- Identify any witnesses and ask for their contact information.
- Obtain your dog’s medical records by getting in touch with your veterinarian.
- Notify the appropriate authorities of the occurrence, and abide by their directives.
Why do dogs bite?
Dogs can bite people when they feel threatened, as was previously explained.
Everyone who deals with dogs must be aware of the potential triggers for this aggressive behavior.
Dogs may bite to defend their bodies, their homes, or another canine group member.
Mother dogs will also strongly defend their pups.
A dog may bite when startled, such as when it is awakened or when a kid unexpectedly approaches from behind.
A dog may attack you if you accidentally hurt them, such as by prodding an old dog’s aching hips.
Even while playing, running away from a dog might make it snap at you.
At first, they might think it’s amusing, but even that might swiftly escalate to hostility.
Dogs who are scared may attack anyone who approaches them.
This might be something extreme like being mistreated or abandoned, or it could be something you would consider commonplace like a loud noise.
Injuries and illnesses are other frequent causes.
A dog may not even want to be approached by or handled by their favorite persons when they are feeling unwell.
Conclusion
Try to prevent your dog from encountering the same circumstances if you can identify what caused the bite.
Work together to modify your dog’s response to the trigger.
Working on training and socializing with your dog as soon as possible after the bite is vitally necessary.
The best course of action is to get in touch with a qualified trainer and perhaps a veterinary behaviorist.
Author
Sarwar Abdullah
Content Developer at Dog Region
Author Bio
Content writing is my passion. And I believe in following my dreams to achieve my goal in life! I am a full-time entrepreneur who believes in investing his time in his profession and passion equally.