Playing with your dog is surely one of your favorite activities, whether it is a puppy or an adult dog. The game not only strengthens the bond between the dog and the human, but it is also a good exercise for both and a way to take advantage of the time they spend together to have fun.
Sometimes a dog can bite during playtime and, although this may seem harmless the first few times, it becomes a problem if not de alt with in time, endangering members of the family and even strangers when walking the dog in the street. That is why on our site we want to explain to you why your dog bites while playing and what you should do in these cases.
A normal behavior in puppies
The puppy stage is the busiest period in a dog's life. Games, races and mischief are the order of the day during this phase, as well as exploration and discovery of new things. Biting is common and beneficial for puppies, whether between siblings in the same litter or with human companions. It is something positive and good.
However, when the puppy is more than 3 weeks old old, it's time to start working on inhibition of bite with him to prevent him from continuing this annoying habit, which can become a problem in the long run. It may seem exaggerated to you, but what seems funny or insignificant today in a dog, becomes an unwanted behavior when they reach adulthood.
For a puppy, biting is necessary, since the appearance of teeth and their shedding causes discomfort in the gums, which the puppy will try to alleviate by biting everything it finds in the house. Also, just like with babies, biting is one of the ways a dog explores the world around him.
Guidelines to follow:
To start working on biting in puppies, it will be essential to understand that our little needs to bite, so it will be essential for our dog to have of juguetes or assorted and resistant teethers that he can nibble at will. Every time our little one uses one of his personal objects, it will be essential to reinforce him positivelywith a "very good", a caress and even a treat.
It is very important not to overexcite our dog during moments of play, since then there are more chances that his bite will go out of control. Nor will we scold him if he ends up biting our hands, punishment inhibits the dog's behavior and in the long run this can cause a delay in his learning. Instead, follow this step-by-step:
- When you are playing and your puppy bites you, make a small squeak of pain and move away from him, ending the game for about 2-3 minutes.
- Play with him again and if he keeps biting you, show pain and move away from him again. The idea is that the dog associates the bite with the end of the game.
- Keep practicing this exercise and after a few repetitions we will begin to use the "let go" or "leave" command every time he bites us, to start teaching basic obedience at the same time.
- At the same time, you must reinforce the correct game and that he uses his toys when chewing, so that he ends up correctly associating what he should bite.
Apart from this little exercise to begin to inhibit the bite, it will be essential to channel the puppy's stress with daily activities, adequate hours of sleep and moments of play.
The accumulated stress
All dogs, like humans, have small peaks of stress during the day that must be channeled through exercise and activities. Stress in dogs can appear after a fight, after barking at another dog and even due to boredom.
A bored dog, no matter how old he is, will do whatever it takes to drain all the energy he has accumulated, which can translate into a somewhat violent way of playing, either causing damage to the house or biting your hands when you come to entertain him
Guidelines to follow:
There are several remedies to reduce stress in dogs, such as the use of synthetic pheromones, however, in order for our dog to really begin to reduce its stress levels, it will be essential to followsome wellness tips :
- Avoid stimuli that cause stress in the dog as much as possible. If, for example, your dog reacts to other dogs, try to walk him during the quieter hours to prevent his stress and anxiety levels from rising.
- Positively reinforces calm and relaxed attitudes (lying down, appearing calm, doing things slowly), both inside and outside the home. You can use treats, but the best thing to do with very stressed dogs is to use high-pitched sweet words like "very good" or "good boy".
- Make your dog exercise daily. You can use a ball or a fresbee to play, but if you notice that it excites him too much, go for a hike in the mountains or a long visit to the park.
- Although it may surprise you, smell games are much more tiring than physical exercise, so we encourage you to play small games and even buy an intelligence toy.
Now that you know some guidelines to apply to stressed dogs, don't hesitate to start practicing them, remember that you will begin to see a real change in a few days.
Toy protection
Some dogs develop a excessive sense of possession towards objects they consider their own, and even towards some people. When this happens, it is not surprising that, during play, the dog acts aggressively if he sees you take one of his toys, or try to bite to a person or dog approaching the toy.
Guidelines to follow:
The protection of resources is a behavioral problem considered serious, which should be worked on with a professional, such as a dog trainer or an ethologist before it goes any further. We can also work on the commands "stay" and "leave it" in order to avoid conflict situations, but the truth is that he will need behavior modification sessions or the removal of his toys to avoid conflict.
The predatory instinct of dogs
Dogs still retain some wild behaviors typical of their species, and among them is the hunting instinct Even the dog we consider it is more meek, because it is something inherent to the species. This instinct is especially noticeable during play or when observing moving objects and living beings.
When the predatory instinct turns to to become predatory aggressiveness it is time to assess the risk of the situation, especially if it begins to attack or lunging at bicycles, children, adults, or other dogs.
Guidelines to follow:
Strictly working on basic obedience with our dog is essential to be able to control the situation, but it will be necessary to apply behavior modification sessions to work on the dog's motivation, impulsiveness and aggressiveness. However, it is a problem that will always persist since there is no greater motivation for the dog than hunting.
It is important to point out the use of a highly secure harness and leash in public spaces and that we should never allow children or strangers to play with the dog. In severe cases, use of a muzzle. may be highly recommended.
The dog's pain, a frequent reason for aggressiveness
A dog that is in pain can react aggressively in many circumstances, even when trying to play with him. This should be one of your first options if the dog has never been violent before and suddenly becomes aggressive. Especially if we manipulate the area that causes pain as if we touched it with a toy, the dog can react negatively and violently.
Guidelines to follow:
Observe your dog to see if he is really in pain and ask for a veterinary visitto rule out any pathology. If you finally discover that the dog is in any pain, keep children from disturbing it and provide it with a quiet place while you follow the doctor's instructions.
Aggressiveness due to fear
Fear has different triggers in a dog. The dog may face a situation that produces fear, such as excessive noise or a new object, in a violent way if he cannot escape or avoid the conflictthat It's making you anxious. If through the language of dogs you have come to the conclusion that your dog adopts fearful postures when you play, you may find yourself facing a aggressiveness due to fear
Guidelines to follow:
The first step will consist of identifying the stimulus that causes fear: the toy itself, your hand raised, a scream, something that is nearby… It may take some time to identify what is causing the fear and once you identify it, it will be essential to avoid it and start working with an educator in a progressive.
The maternal instinct
A female dog who has just given birth and takes care of her puppies will be more sensitiveboth to the presence of strangers and to that of her human family. When she is with her puppies and you try to approach her, either to give her some love or to play with her, she may think you will harm her litter and that is when aggression occurs maternal
Guidelines to follow:
It is not really necessary to work on the approaches to the nest, since in a few weeks this type of reactive behavior will cease. However, if you consider it important to get closer to the litter, you should work on the approach gradually:
- Start by speaking to him in a slow and calm voice at a reasonable distance, in which he does not react or become excessively alert.
- Prevents strangers from approaching them or children from disturbing them. Ideally, your dog should understand that you are trying to protect her from her
- Throw some tasty treats like bits of chicken, cheese or frankfurter from afar.
- Start working on approximations: one step forward, one step back while continuing to use prizes that you will throw at a safe distance.
- Don't be invasive and do this exercise daily, it may take a few days to fully approach the puppies, but the important thing is that your dog allows it and that she is calm.
- Always reinforce, even when the dog already tolerates your presence quite well.
Finally, we remind you that postpartum is not the best time to practice games with your dog, since she will probably reject them to return soon with her puppies.
