Tried And True Methods For Training Your Dog Not To Bite | Dogs

By LeeDobbins.
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As a dog owner, it's your responsibility to learn the training methods for teaching your dog not to bite anyone. This is a critical part of pet ownership, in fact, The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that more than 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year. These bites result in unwanted medical bills and law suits, and, in some cases, the dog has to be put to sleep. With a little training, none of these negatives have to happen to you or your pet.

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:

Puppies have the tendency to always mouth and nip and it's best to nip this behavior in the bud when they are still young. Even though you might think it is cute when your little pup plays by nibbling at you, if you encourage this behavior, you will end up with a big problem when your pet is grown.

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 not to squeeze the muzzle too hard or high enough to hurt his nose. Dogs have very sensitive and delicate odor receptors and you wouldn't want to damage this in any way.

The squeezing isn't really a form of punishment. It is to teach the dog that the verbal command goes along with discomfort. Dogs don't like having their muzzle squeezed and learn to associate biting with the unpleasant feeling and may be reluctant to bite in the future.

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.

While still young, socialize your dog with other dogs preferably those that are non-aggressive. Being exposed to other dog breeds will help him cope up with territorial behavior.

Although dogs may take gentle nips at their litter mates, they rarely bite them seriously. This is an attribute you can develop, by encouraging your pet to consider welcome humans and animals as part of his "pack".

When introducing your dog to other household pets, restrain both your dog and your other pets. They will learn to gradually approach each other naturally.

You must be aware that some usual indicators of oncoming dog aggression are body tension, snarling, and erect ears. You can prevent possible aggression by ordering your dog to sit, back stroking, and or reaching out your hand to the other animal. If you have conveyed the smell of your pet to the other animal, let them interact naturally.

At the age of four and a half months, dogs normally learn to inhibit biting. But for some dogs, the learning process may take longer time. Dogs behavior and their ability to learn varies with the breed, age, and other factors. Training of dogs will be more easy if they are started young.

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.

About the Author

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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