Menu:
Dog Biting People - How to Prevent?
Biting is the very basis of canine behaviour used from the time a puppy is able to move around in its litter. All dogs have the potential to bite. A dog's teeth are one of its tools and it uses them to accomplish its goals - whether it is trying to get at something it wants through aggressive behaviour, or it is defending itself or your family.
Bite inhibition is a learnt response. All dogs must learn to inhibit their bite before they are 4 months old. Normally, they learn this from their mother and their littermates. But, because we take them away from this environment before their learning is complete, we must take over the training and reinforce it throughout their lives.
Why do dogs bite?
Dogs have an inborn tendency to bite which is dependent on many factors. Some breeds have a genetically inclined towards aggressiveness. Factors that may increase the tendency to bite include maltreatment, behaviour of the victim (maybe teasing), threat to the dog or it’s family.
DO NOT:
- hold your face close to a dog
- allow dogs to roam unleashed if not properly trained.
- approach a strange and unusually behaving dog .
- tease or startle a dog
- disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies
- omit vaccination of a dog
- leave a child alone with a dog.
What can you as owner of your dog do to prevent biting:
- Spay / neuter your dog, this calms them down.
- Train your dog in obedience (he should not feel his position to be higher than other humans in the house) and socialization.
- Don’t let other people/animals abuse or tease your dog.
- Do not play or teach aggressive games to your dog.
- Keep your dog healthy, any injury or disease can make a dog aggressive.
- Follow leash laws.
How to train your puppy in bite inhibition:
- The first goal is to teach the dog to actively inhibit the force of his bite, and then reduce the frequency. If you never let the pup put his jaws on you at all, when it accidentally does happen, the dog will probably react with an over-strong bite.
- Do not tap the dog's nose, or kick him as punishment for biting - this does not discourage but tends to trigger instinctive biting in self-defense.
- Instead, teach him acceptable behaviour and continually reinforce your role as a leader who he can trust. You don't have to do anything to acquire your dog's love. But you must do a lot to gain your dog's trust and respect.
- Inconsistency destroys training. If you let the dog bite some of the time, then biting will never be completely eliminated.
- Don't forget follow up. The dog must understand that it is the biting that you don't like, not the dog itself. Make up afterwards, but on your terms, not the dog's.
If you feel that you cannot correct a dog's aggressive and biting behaviour, you must immediately take your veterinarian’s advice. Almost all biting behaviour can be solved or reduced fairly easily.