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Dog Biting behavior
If someone's dog bites then they will normally try to resolve the problem without first understanding the causes of it. It's important that all owners understand why a dog bites in the first place, by understanding this dog biting behavior they can put a stop to it as quickly as possible.
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Why do puppies bite?
The most common reason why young puppies bite is because of teething. Their jaws are week and so they will chew on everything in sight. This may make them tempted to play bite other people, which although they might be painful shouldn't cause any serious harm. This means that most puppy owners do not tell their dogs off for these play bites at an early age. Once their jaws get stronger then they will be able to cause a lot of damage very easily. The more chances they get to bite you as a puppy the more likely they will continue the behavior when they are an adult.
When you are trying to rule out dog biting behavior you need to make sure that your puppy is used to being around other people and other puppies. When your puppy is young he is like a baby, he doesn't know very much and is continually absorbing information. Once you have taught your puppy how to behave then it will be able to know what to do.
A puppy must learn how to control the force of their bite as early as possible, this is normally learned from the mother while feeding. If the puppy bites the mother then she can correct him. The majority of young puppies are not aggressive. If you do have a young puppy which is already aggressive then you might want to consider whether you really want to keep such a dog or not. If this aggression is not properly dealt with then it could cause major problems in the future.
Stopping Dog Biting Behavior
Dogs will normally learn about controlling their bites when they are still very young with their mother. The best way to teach your puppy that biting is not good is to do a similar thing as their mother. As soon as your puppy bites you then you should yelp as loud as you can. Then just stare at him and walk away. This is what they are used to, and one of the best ways to teach them. Get the rest of your family to do the same.
If this doesn't work then you could consider other options:
Time out
If your dog still bites then simply get up and walk out of the room. Leaving him alone will teach him that you are not pleased with him and he should soon get the idea. You can also put him into his crate, however you might not want him to associate his crate with a punishment.
Saying no
Another option is to simply say no and hold your puppy's mouth shut with your hand. This should teach your puppy that you don't like it when he bites.
All of these methods work for different puppies, so it's worth experimenting to find the best one for you. You might also want to consider growling, talking to your puppy in his own language is a great way to get him to understand.
Say Off
Yet another option that you might want to consider is teaching your puppy that "off" means don't touch. This is actually quite easy to teach, just hold a handful of your puppy's normal dry food and then say "off". If your puppy didn't touch your hand then give him a piece of the food. This will teach him that when you say off it means don't touch.
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