How To Stop Dog Biting Problems

I'm going to talk to you about stopping your dog from biting. It's something that can be a serious problem, and what people don't often understand is that mouthing and nipping are basically parts of the same thing. People sometimes think there's a kind of play version of this, that it's okay for your dog to pull your clothes, nip your hands, mouth your arms a little bit and then there's surprise when the dog actually puts in a full bite.

Now, in my opinion, none of that is appropriate behavior and my basic rule for my own dogs, which I currently have five, is that you don't put your teeth on anybody, for any reason. These problems sometimes arise because of inappropriate play. So, owners can get a little bit too physical, they can sometimes wrestle, play fight, they can sometimes roll around with the dog on the floor, and they seem to understand that somehow the dog gets the gist of this as being, this is a play version, it's not really biting.

It's not a good idea. The biters I've seen over the years, and I have seen quite a few, range from bruising the skin to serious stitches. I once rescued a dog, which was actually a Golden Retriever, a breed not particularly noted for its aggressive behavior.

This dog was a seven-year-old male, been in the same family and yet injured its lady owner so badly she needed 54 stitches in arm wounds. The dog came to me, was castrated, retrained, and went off to live a perfectly happy life. Now, how do these things happen? Biting generally occurs because you've done something silly, which the dog has mistaken as permission to put his teeth on you.

So, you need to think about your rules with your dog. If your dog shows little bits of aggression, here and there, before it bites anyone, get some help. Your vet can help you find a good behaviorist.

A good trainer can help you. But if your dog bites because you're a lazy owner, and you haven't trained it properly, and your basics like, "sit", "heel", "lie down", "come here", "don't jump up at me", haven't even been taught to the dog, then biting is hardly a surprise. So, to get the best out of your dog, and to avoid biting problems, create a dog who's well mannered, well trained and isn't played with in a silly manner, and that is how to avoid dog bites.

This video explains some of the reasons why dogs bite and the behavior that led up to the biting incident. Dogs can't distinguish between play biting and real biting, so it is strongly recommended that dogs never be allowed to play bite, mouth or nip their owners for any reason. Proper training and appropriate play will help prevent many dogs from biting.