Plain And Simple Ways To Train Your Dog Not To Bite
Author: LeeDobbins. Total views: 15 Word Count: 699
With pet ownership comes responsibility. Unfortunately, many dog owners are still irresponsible with training their pets properly. In fact, an annual barrage of law suits, medical bills, and instances of dog euthanasia result from dog bites each year -- almost 5 million according to the Center for Disease Control. This often avoidable behavior can be taught to dogs from a young age, which is a good thing for both dogs and their owners.
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.
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 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.
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.
Socialize young dogs with other non-aggressive dogs. This will help them to adjust to differences in smell, looks, temperament, etc. and, ultimately, prevent fearful and territorial behavior.
Although dogs have the tendency to mouth and nip, they naturally inhibit this behavior when they are playing with their mates. Train them to develop this behavior by expanding his playmates to include your family members, guests and other pets.
When your pet first meets an animal from another household, begin by restraining them both. Slowly, allow them to meet each other and sniff, or do whatever seems natural for them to get tot know each other.
Put your dog at ease by having the dog sit and stroke its back. Check your dog for signs of aggression like body tension, snarling, and erect ears. After stroking your dog touch the other animal to convey the smell of your pet to that animal. After checking to make sure there are no signs of aggression and the other dog got a scent of your dog then allow them to interact.
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.
If you apply these dog training techniques with patience and persistence, your dog should gradually let go of his tendency to bite. While it may take some patience on your part, it's well worth it in the long run.
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Learn how to eliminate bad behaviors in your dog and turn him into a pet that is as good as gold with the dog training techniques at http://www.positivedogtrainingtechniques.com/.
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