Tried And True Methods For Training Your Dog Not To Bite
As a dog owner, it’s your responsibility to learn the training methods for teaching your dog not to bite anyone. This is a critical part of pet ownership, in fact, The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that more than 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year. These bites result in unwanted medical bills and law suits, and, in some cases, the dog has to be put to sleep. With a little training, none of these negatives have to happen to you or your pet.
There are common techniques that have been proven to be effective in suppressing biting behavior of dogs. However, the degree of difficulty of dog training varies with the breed of dog, age and individual temperament.
Like with any other training you should start training dogs not to bite while they are young. Puppies naturally nip and bite but this behavior should be discouraged by you from day 1. Owners that let their puppies bite because they think it is cute often end up with grown dogs who don’t understand why this behavior is suddenly not allowed.
Once your dog is about four weeks old, you can start to teach him simple commands. If he tries to bite, tell him ‘No!’ in a calm but serious voice, and accompany it with a gentle squeeze of the muzzle.
Be careful not to squeeze the muzzle too hard or high enough to hurt his nose. Dogs have very sensitive and delicate odor receptors and you wouldn’t want to damage this in any way.
Squeezine your dogs muzzle will help him associate the verbal command with the discomfort of the squeeze. Since most dogs are uncomfortable with having their muzzles squeezed, this will help him think twice about biting.
Other than verbally discouraging your dog or using soft physical restraint to remind your dog, socializing your dog may help to train him or her. Socialization can and should begin at as early an age as possible, and your dog should be around other animals and people as much as possible. Socialized dogs are tranquil and confident dogs. Timid dogs that are unused to unfamiliar people or dogs are much more likely to bite.
While still young, socialize your dog with other dogs preferably those that are non-aggressive. Being exposed to other dog breeds will help him cope up with territorial behavior.
Although dogs may take gentle nips at their litter mates, they rarely bite them seriously. This is an attribute you can develop, by encouraging your pet to consider welcome humans and animals as part of his “pack”.
When introducing your dog to other household pets, restrain both your dog and your other pets. They will learn to gradually approach each other naturally.
You must be aware that some usual indicators of oncoming dog aggression are body tension, snarling, and erect ears. You can prevent possible aggression by ordering your dog to sit, back stroking, and or reaching out your hand to the other animal. If you have conveyed the smell of your pet to the other animal, let them interact naturally.
Many dogs can be trained to curb thier urge to bite by the time they are four and a half months old, but it may take your dog longer than that. It varies by breed, and each individual dog within a breed is different. And you know that saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”? It’s not exactly true, but training an older dog to stop biting is much more difficult than it is to teach a puppy.
While most dogs can be trained not to bite, there are some that still bite despite being trained. Pet owners should also be trained how to handle their dogs properly. If your dog still bites, make sure it cannot interact with other people or be expose to other animals.
While it may take some time and patience to train your dog not to bite, your efforts will eventually pay off with a more calm and playful pet which in the long run is much better than having to pay off a lawsuit!
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