Preventing Your Dog From Biting
A Dachshund may not have a bite pressure of 2000 lb. per square inch, but a bite can be painful and dangerous no matter what the size of the dog. A dog’s mouth is full of sharp teeth meant to tear, crush, and macerate. There is power and there is force, and in additional to the physical damage, the emotional damage of a bite can be devastating and life-long.
There are ways you can reduce the risk of your dog becoming a biter. Puppies, in most cases, nip and bite on instinct, not out of aggression. If ordered to stop, a dog can react in the opposite and the actions can become less play and more aggressive. If a dog has a more significant oral fixation, this can be a problem in the making. Puppies and dogs of all sizes and breeds need to be taught very definitive boundaries about using humans as nip and chew toys. Here are 10 tips for teaching your puppy and dog that humans are for loving, not chewing.
1-Make sure your dog, or dogs, have plenty of chew toys. They need to chew. Always buy breed and size and age appropriate toys.
2-If the dog nips and bites during play, the play stops immediately. Get up and leave the room. Come back and and try again. If the behavior persists, the play must stop.
3-Allow any play to continue if the dog DOES NOT nip and bite. This is a reward for rules followed.
4-A tug-of-war can be played with strict rules. If the play gets out of control, stop immediately. Your dog should always stop a tug play game when you say stop. If their behavior of not listening persists, then tug-of-war is not the right game for your dog.
5-Encourage seeking and fetching games. The less contact the better for a dog with an oral fixation. Play fights and rough physical play are strongly discouraged. This type of play can reinforce aggressive behavior.
6-Teach your dog to ‘drop it’ rule. When you say the words, your dog should absolutely drop it. Do this as long as it takes.
7-If your dog becomes overwhelmed and can not seem to gather themselves and is getting out of control, will not listen, and becomes physically controlling, put the dog in a quiet space and allow him or her to calm down before any play continues.
8-If your dog is a shoe or clothes chewer, spray a little bite deterrent. You may not smell like a pretty flower, but this does help deter the behavior. Contact your local pet store for options or consult the internet for some homemade versions.
9-If you see that your dog becomes tense, growls, or bares his or her teeth, know that these are signs there is a potentially dangerous problem brewing. Consult a trainer with a training system that uses positive reinforcement.
10-NEVER, and we mean NEVER, hit your dog. Not only is it inhumane, it can make a dog more aggressive.
Games and play involving biting and grabbing are bad habits for dogs and should be discouraged by all family members. Make sure everyone is on board. Dogs are dogs. Treating and loving dogs as humans is a want for humans, but not a good for dogs. They need limits. For your safety, as well as the dog’s.
