A bite of a dog can be very dangerous and scary and should not be taken lightly. When a dog bites someone, the owner can be left with a feeling of despair, helplessness, and fear for what might happen to their dog. After all, we all love our dogs. In this article, we will discuss the best ways to deal with your dog after a bite.
Try to understand WHY he bites
A dog can bite for various reasons. Understanding the reason is essential to correct behavior. Here’s a list of possible reasons:
- The dog is in pain. After a dog bites, make sure it’s not sick or hurt.
- The dog is defending its territory, its pack, or its food. This type of bite usually occurs when a stranger “invades” the dog’s territory or messes with its resources.
- The dog is afraid. Not all dogs run from fearful situations. Some do attack when they feel immediate danger. If your dog is a rescue dog, it might have been mistreated by its previous owners, so you have to be patient with it.
- The dog gets too excited about playing. Some dogs bite when they’re playing because of accumulated energy. If the dog is a puppy, it may bite too hard – if this is the case, every time it bites too hard, you have to stop the play. If you want, you can add an imitation of a dog whine. Dogs learn how to mitigate the strength of their bites by playing with other dogs, but if your dog doesn’t have a friend, you will be its teacher.
- The dog bites to show dominance. Usually, when a dog bites to tell who’s boss, it won’t let go of the victim right away. This kind of bite is the most assertive and probably the most dangerous, as it’s used by dogs who are very confident in their bite abilities.
Now that you know what can cause a dog to bite, you can move on to fixing the problem. These are the steps you should take to solve a biting issue:
- Obedience training. This is THE number one thing to do. All dogs should go through obedience training. This is how you’ll be able to control your dog’s impulses and establish yourself as the leader of the pack. It will thank you for it.
- DO NOT be aggressive with the dog, especially if the dog is biting out of fear. That’s how you’ll make things worse. Use positive reinforcement to train your dog.
- Socialize your dog. Your dog needs to be with other dogs and people. This will help the dogs to not be so territorial and/or fearful.
- Walk and play with your dog! Make sure your dog is spending its energy in positive ways.
- When outside, always wear a leash. Don’t let your dog outside alone if it’s showing aggressive signs. If you’re not confident in your dog, you have to make sure it uses a muzzle as well.
This muzzle is comfortable and allows the dog to stick out his tongue to drink water and dissipate heat.
Always remember: You are responsible for your dog’s actions. Good owner, happy dog!
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