“I’m bitten by my dog, which I often keep recently.”
“I think I’m taking care of him with a lot of love, but I feel like I’m really chewing on him …”
Are you confused by the appearance of such an aggressive pet dog? This time, from the sweet bite of a puppy to the serious bite of an adult dog, why do you bite the owner? I would like to unravel each life stage.
Reasons why dogs bite their owners [Puppies]
The puppy that just came to our house is small, toddler and very adorable, isn’t it? However, even such a cute puppy sometimes bites its owner. Many of them are called “sweet bites”, but why do puppies chew sweetly?
Why do puppies chew sweetly?
・ Because my teeth are itchy, I chew sweetly
・ Because the act of chewing is fun, chew sweetly
・ Because I want to be interested in myself, I chew sweetly
Sweet bites are common in the process of growth. But it’s not good to leave it alone.
What is the situation when an adult dog bites its owner? Remember how your dog bites and the situation.
Why do adult dogs bite their owners?
・ When I tried to touch my hips from behind, I was bitten
・ When I was playing with a ball and tried to steal the ball from my dog’s mouth, I was bitten.
・ I thought I had finished eating dog food, and when I picked up the plate, I was bitten, probably because it was still there.
For example, are you trying to touch your dog when you are crazy about eating rice, urinating or defecation? Suddenly awakened, stepped on, or touched a place you don’t want to touch (a place you don’t like). It may be due to the way the owner treats it unexpectedly.
Reasons why your dog bites its owner [Adult dog edition]
Imagine the feelings of your dog!
It is possible that the disagreement between the feelings of a person and a dog has created a situation in which the dog “bites”. For example, when do you feel different? Let’s compare it with an example.
Example 1:
Dog “Oh! Something glittering is falling, so let’s chew and play! 』\
Owner: “I’m eating something strange. I have to vomit because it’s dangerous (and try to take it from my mouth) ”
Dog “I don’t like it! Glitter will be taken ”
Example 2:
Owner “Today I’ll add to the dog food + toppings (and get closer to where the dog is eating)”
Dog “Something has come! Maybe rice will be taken! I hate it ”
Example 3:
Owner “I’ll hold you because the ground is dirty! 』\
Dog “I’m scared of places where I can’t reach my feet”
What do you think? If you imagine the feelings of your dog like this, I feel that you will gradually understand the countermeasures.
What to do if your dog has a biting habit
So how do you deal with your dog who has a biting habit? This time, I will introduce a simple countermeasure.
First of all, to prevent yourself from being bitten by your dog
Even small dogs have a strong biting power. Is there any way to avoid being bitten by my dog? Let’s consider countermeasures for each case.
● If your dog eats something that should not be put in your mouth (such as something that has fallen) and you are bitten to pick it up:
⇒Gently place your favorite snack next to it and say “OK!”. I’m sure it will work.
● If you are not good at touching your body and you are bitten by touching it:
⇒First, let’s find a part that is safe to touch. If you touch that part and you don’t get angry even if you touch it for a long time, gradually expand the part you touch. When you notice it, you will be able to touch the whole body.
To prevent any more biting habits
Immediately appeal to your dog that it hurts when your dog bites your limbs. It’s also a good idea to ignore your dog, stop playing and leave. If you repeat the previous action each time you chew, your dog will gradually learn that you will not want to chew.
Understand what you can chew and what you can’t chew
It’s a little advanced, but it’s also necessary to give toys that you can chew and to understand the distinction between what you can chew and what you can’t chew.
When playing with your dog, avoid playing with your hands or body and use toys. Otherwise, your dog will bite your hand or part of your body. Use big toys instead of small ones that fit in your hand.
It is also important to have enough play such as pulling the rope and throwing the ball, and to dissipate the energy. One of the preventive measures is to control it so that it does not get too excited and reduce the amount of biting caused by being too excited from play.
Cleaning up things that should not be chewed and avoiding things that are bitten are also effective measures that the owner can take. Give them chewable toys, play with them and praise them. In other words, you need to understand what you can chew.
Please tell me the points to note when correcting your biting habits!
If you can’t monitor the biting behavior, you can put it in a house crate if necessary. However, if your dog becomes reluctant to enter the house crate when needed, such as in the event of a disaster, it will be a problem, so you need to devise ways to prevent your dog from thinking that you have put it in the house as a punishment.
It is counterproductive to get angry or hit a pet dog that leads to a biting act. Things may go even worse. The owner should treat his dog with a sense of security.
“You don’t have to be scared anymore!” Treat your dog with affection, even if you don’t understand the language, and avoid what makes your dog aggressive.
If you escalate, don’t give up and rely on the power of a professional!
When faced with something unpleasant or scary, both humans and animals can change dramatically from their usual calm state. If you continue to be bitten and bleed, keep in mind that relying on the power of ethologically savvy professionals such as veterinarians and dog trainers is one option. Right.