From the moment you decide to adopt a pet, it is necessary to be clear about the rules that will govern the behavior of the puppy and the behaviors that will be allowed, to avoid unwanted situations and problems with other members from family or visitors to the home.
"My puppy bites my child" is a common problem for dog owners, but it is a problem that should be corrected to avoid accidents with children and preserve the harmony of the home. That is why in Animal Expert we want to give you some tips to reverse this situation.
Keep reading and find out what to do if your puppy bites your child:
The importance of education
Educating your dog from puppyhood in the treatment and relationship it should have with family members is crucial to develop an emotional bond free of rancor, and to prevent the pet from becoming a issue.
However, when we talk about puppy training we often forget that it is also necessary to teach the children in the house to treat with the animal, not only to care for it and love it, but also to respect it and give it space, avoiding being a source of harassment for the animal.
Many children find it difficult to understand this, because they see a dog as a toy, large or small, that is capable of moving and respond to the stimuli they provide. This is usually one of the main causes of a family dog suddenly biting or attacking the child in the house, since the animal's patience will have run out in the face of the child's annoying behavior.
It is important to point out that this type of behavior is never the animal's fault, but has to do with a normal reaction to something that they consider a threat (the child pulls their tail or takes away their food, for example), or with a dominant behavior that was not corrected in time and that begins to be annoying only when there are children at home.
Also, remember that a dog that spends its days tied to a chain, has some pain or discomfort, among other factors, will become hostile to its surroundings, in an attempt to protect itself from possible aggressors, even when it comes to their masters.
Your puppy may also be teething, causing pain and discomfort. When this happens, we must teach our puppy to bite the toys and teethers that he has within his reach, congratulating him positively when he does so.
What can trigger a dog's violence?
Beyond a behavior caused by the pain of teething, the dog can bite "violently" for some reasons. Before knowing what to do in the face of this type of behavior, you should know the factors that may be triggering this attitude:
- Jealousy. Maybe your dog used to be the center of attention, and since the child is in the house you have neglected him and relegated to the background, so he feels hurt and tries to defend himself from the one who has "invaded his territory".
- Improper games. It is possible that your child, when playing, rolls on the ground with the dog or imitates a "fight" measuring his strength with it. If the animal wins several times, it will give him the feeling that he is superior to the child, so he can try to bend him to his will in another way, such as biting him.
- The dog is a toy. If you are one of those people who allow children to treat the dog like a toy, disturbing him when he sleeps, pulling its tail or interrupting its feeding time, it is very likely that the animal tried to put the children "in their place" when it gets tired of this situation.
- Lack of education. You have not trained your dog to deal cordially with the family and to socialize it, so the animal reactions are unpredictable.
- Hugs. In canine language, hugs can be interpreted as a threat, and it is very likely that the dog will react violently if the child tries to show affection in this way.
- Mistreatment. If your dog is tied to the leash all day, receives poor nutrition or is mistreated, how do you expect him to treat your children well?
- FearYour child may run screaming through the house or garden and make a racket with his games, putting animal nervous
- Growls. Your child may try to play with the dog by imitating his growls and showing his teeth, but these signals will be misunderstood, as the animal will not understand that it is a game.
What to do to solve the situation?
With the dog:
- First of all, don't be afraid of the dog. It is a puppy, he will not hurt anyone, beyond small bites without injury.
- If your child bit or tries to bite, first make sure that it is not a game, and if it is a markedly negative attitude go to a canine educator or ethologistJust as you would take your child to a professional if necessary, you should do the same for your puppy.
- Never use violence to try to teach him something.
- In case of jealousy, try to spend more time with the animal, enjoying walks and games with it. You must include him in your daily routine, teach him obedience, carry out activities and, ultimately, love him.
- Teach your dog the command "stay" so that he understands when it is enough and he must stop a behavior
- Have the vaccinations up to date, to avoid possible diseases in case of a bite.
With the boy:
- Teach him to respect the animal's space. Educate him so that he stops thinking that it is funny to hurt the dog, disturb him when he sleeps or touch his food. You must understand that it is a living being that feels and can become angry when disturbed.
- Do not allow wild games. Teach him to have an affectionate, respectful, calm and pleasant behavior with the dog.
- Don't let him take away the dog's ballor any toy he is using. Dogs experiencing resource protection can respond very negatively.
- The child should expect the dog to come to him looking for company, not the other way around. When the dog approaches, it is best to allow him to sniff your hand before taking the next step.
- Never let him pet unknown animals.
- Do not pet the dog above the head, tail or legs, prefer the face or neck.
- Prevents it from running and screaming around the animal.
Remember always supervise the interaction between your child and your dog to detect possible negative behavior in either of them. Making them get along is very easy, you just have to educate each one to respect the other's space.
