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.
Training a dog to refrain from biting can vary by the breed, age, and personality of your animal, just as with anything else you teach him. Here are some tips to help you teach your dog not to bite:
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.
Puppies as young as five weeks old can begin to respond to simple commands. For biting behavior, a gentle, firm "No!" and a slight squeeze of the muzzle can be a good place to start.
Be careful that you don't squeeze in a way that causes the dog to bite its tongue. Also be careful not to squeeze hard or too high up on the muzzle. Sensitive and delicate odor receptors of the dog are situated high up inside the nose.
Squeezing your dog's muzzle isn't intended to punish him, but to let him know that the behavior isn't acceptable. By squeezing, you associate the verbal command with something the dog can readily understand: discomfort. Regardless of their age, dogs find having their muzzle squeezed uncomfortable.
Another dog training technique that might help eliminate biting is to socialize your dog since dogs that are not used to people or other dogs do tend to bite. You want to socialize your dog eat an early age to develop his calmness and confidence. Your dog will be more friendly to your guests, other animals and even strangers if socialized properly.
It's a good idea to let your dog get to know other dogs, as long as they're not aggressive themselves. This allows your pet to become aware of a variety of smells and appearances that might otherwise arouse his suspicions, and tends to negate his normal territorial reactions.
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.
Some dogs never fully let go of the biting instinct, and in this case, the dogs must be carefully watched by their owners. If your dog is a biter, then you must insure that it cannot get close enough to bite a person or another animal.
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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