The act of biting is part of the body language that dogs. They use the bite, more or less strong, to communicate with each other, with their guardians and also with the other individuals in their environment. However, a dog that marks or bites is often a caution for concern for its guardian, as it can cause serious incidents both inside the home and on the streets, although be unintentionally.
Therefore, it is essential to teach our furry ones to manage their own bite so that they can fully enjoy a social life, interacting in a positive with animals, people and stimuli that they meet throughout their lives. Thinking about it, in this new article on our site, we share some key tips to explain how to stop a dog from biting
Why do dogs bite?
The first step to know how to prevent a dog from biting is to understand why dogs bite, only in this way can we prevent the most frequent causes of this behavior from appearing in the day to day of our best friends. Although we usually associate bites with a symptom of aggressiveness in dogs, the truth is that dogs can bite for different reasons So, to know why a dog bites, it is essential to pay attention to his environment, his behavior and his routine to identify what may be leading him to bite.
1. Relief in puppies
If you've just adopted a puppy, you're probably wondering why puppies biteIn this early phase of their physical and cognitive development, puppies tend to bite everything, mainly because they experience many changes in their dentition and try, through biting, alleviate the discomfort caused by the growth of milk teeth and the subsequent eruption of permanent teeth.
two. Environment discovery
In addition, bites are also a means through which puppy dogs explore their environment and discover the different stimuli that make up their environment. However, as we will see below, it is essential to start teaching your furry to manage his bite from his third week of life to prevent him from assimilating this behavior as something positive and transferring it to adulthood.
3. Poor socialization
Already in adult dogs, the act of biting may have been assimilated as a way of interacting with other dogs and people, due to to poor socialization. In other words, the dog has understood that this behavior can be part of its social life and communication, because it has not learned to relate positively with other individuals and stimuli. For this reason, dog socialization is a key aspect of his training to allow your best friend to understand the basics of positive social behavior.
4. Defense in a negative situation
Now, biting can actually occur as part of the dogs' natural defense mechanism, which usually "activates" when the can find himself in a negative context that puts his physical or emotional integrity at risk. However, if the dog bites or growls when someone tries to take something from him or approaches his object, this possessive behavior is probably related to protection of resources
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Likewise, it is worth noting that it is very rare for a dog to bite "out of the blue", that is, without giving prior notice that it feels threatened or uncomfortable in a certain situation. Biting usually appears as a last resort that the dog resorts to in a moment of extreme stress. Before biting, this dog emits several calming signals to communicate to its interlocutor that he must stop any behavior that generates or increases the tension in this context.
What usually happens is that the lack of knowledge about the postures and facial expressions of dogs makes it difficult for a person to recognize the body language of an angry dog or a frightened dog that adopts a defensive attitude. In the most severe cases, when the dog has been ignored repeatedly showing signs of calm, dogs may stop showing signs and start biting in response.
In any case, there are many other causes that can cause a dog to bite and only a professional can help us find an accurate diagnosis. We'll start ruling out he alth problems by visiting a veterinarian, preferably one specialized in ethology. Some diseases, such as hypothyroidism, can cause negative reactions in our best friend.
Once the organic cause has been ruled out, we will go to an ethologist or, again, to the ethologist, who will help us discover why our dog bites and will offer us personalized guidelines taking into account the case.
How to stop a dog from biting while playing?
Play biting is especially common in puppy dogs, as this is a way of discovering and experiencing smells, tastes and other stimuli that are part of their environment. Although this is a natural behavior that is part of the physical and cognitive development of puppies, it is essential that you teach your dog to manage his bite during his first months of life. In addition, you must always respect the weaning age before separating him from his mother, allowing him to assimilate the bases of his social behavior with his siblings.
When you work bite inhibition early with your puppy, you prevent him from assimilating biting as a positive behavior during the games and in other situations that arise in their daily lives. If a puppy does not have the opportunity to go through this training, he will not learn to control his own strength and will probably pick up the habit of biting while he plays and reproduce it as an adult. And what might seem like harmless behavior before becomes potentially dangerous behavior, especially when we're talking about big dogs with powerful jaws or furry ones who share their households with children or older adults.
Therefore, if you are wondering how to make a dog not bite when playing, the key is to work correctly on the inhibition of the bite, preferably while your furry is still a puppy. It will also be essential to teach him to drop objects to avoid the assimilation of possessive behavior in relation to his objects and prevent any accident during games. Plus, here on our site, we share other key tips for teaching a puppy not to bite.
How to stop a dog from biting another?
As we have commented, dogs can mistakenly assimilate the act of biting as part of their social behavior, mainly when they do not experience a positive socialization process. If a dog is not properly socialized, it will be difficult for her to learn to relate properly to other individuals and may present behavioral problemsin adulthood, such as anxiety about separation or protection of resources
Socialization is the answer you're looking for if you're wondering how to stop a dog from biting a cat or another dog. And the ideal is that you can start socializing your puppy from his third week of life, introducing him to other dogs, cats, people and stimuli, always guaranteeing that these interactions take place in a safe environment with dewormed, vaccinated animals and with good he alth. However, you should know that it is also possible to socialize an adult dog, always applying positive reinforcement to stimulate his learning and reward him for his effort.
Likewise, before you decide to adopt a new dog or cat to share the house with your dog, make sure you properly set up the home and properly introduce your dog to his new companion. Here on our site, we teach you how to introduce your dog to a cat correctly and we also tell you how to promote the coexistence of an adult dog and a puppy. Do not miss these tips!
How to stop a dog from biting people?
First of all, we must emphasize again that socialization is key to preventing a dog from biting people and from adopting possessive behavior in relation to its objects, its food or its guardians. But to properly educate your furry, it will also be essential to teach him to come to the call and walk correctly, in addition to presenting him with the basic commands of dog training. This will allow you to stimulate the mind of your best friend and enjoy the company of an obedient dog, avoiding accidents or unpleasant moments during your walks or when receiving visitors in your home.
On the other hand, it is equally important that people who share the environment with a dog learn to respect the canine nature and the personality of each dog. For example, many furry ones do not like hugs and kisses and this does not mean that they do not know how to live together or show affection, but rather that their way of interacting and showing affection towards other individuals does not include this type of behavior. And if we hug a dog that is not used to receiving this type of demonstration, we will cause a high level of stressand it is very likely that he will react negatively to achieve get rid of this unpleasant feeling.
So, as rational adults, we must be aware when interacting with a dog and let a child do it, especially if it is an unknown or stray dog. In addition, we recommend you read our tips to prevent a dog from biting you.
What to do when a dog bites a person?
The first thing you need to know is that you shouldn't scold a dog that is angry or has bitten a person. Punishment is one of the counterproductive methods that we should never use in the education of a dog, since it subjects the animal to negative emotions and can lead to negative reactions. If you scold an angry dog or a dog that has bitten a person, you will only be increasing the tension of this context even more, and you can make the dog react in an appropriate way again. defensive, being able to hurt you or the other individuals who are in your environment.
In this situation, the best thing to do is maintain a neutral position and act calmly, without staring at the dog, do sudden movements or any gesture that could be threatening to him. Once the dog has looked away, then you can calmly walk away, without turning your back on him.
If it is your own dog, we recommend you consult a professional expert in canine ethology or a canine educator. These professionals will help you carry out behavior modification sessions and will explain the guidelines to follow taking into account the specific case of your furry friend. Remember that you should not apply techniques or methods if you are not a specialist or if the guidelines are not directly advised by a trained professional.
If the dog belongs to another person, you can encourage her to consult these professionals to help her furry one. But if it is a stray or abandoned dog, the ideal is to contact an animal shelter or the competent authorities in your country to carry out the rescue of the dog in safe conditions.
