Stop the Biting Behavior of Your Dog - What You Need to Know

It is always fun to have a dog companion because of their endearing qualities but no matter how cute and lovely they are, dogs still have inappropriate behaviors that can put pet owners to a lot of humiliation and biting is one of those bad behaviors most dogs have. Biting is a common behavior of dogs when playing with each other, to protect themselves when they are agitated by other animals or people around them and to secure their position as the leader of the pack. While dogs have thick skin and biting each other may not be harmful to them, it is different for humans as we don't have thick skin and can get hurt from their sharp teeth. Whether they just want to play, protect themselves or profess their position as leader of the pack in your home, they need to know what is appropriate and not appropriate when it comes to using their sharp teeth. It is important to stop the biting behavior of your dog to prevent him from causing harm to people around him. Dog bites are a serious problem and require medical attention.

The best time to stop the biting behavior of your dog is when he is still young or still in his formative years which is usually when a dog is still below six months old. Some pet owners usually take their puppy's biting habit as something he does because he is just playing or teething and so the bad habit is not taken seriously and not corrected. Whatever the reason for his biting habit, as a dog owner it is your duty to stop the biting behavior of your canine friend as early as possible to teach him the appropriate behavior and to let him know that you are in control and the leader. Biting is a bad habit that every dog must be taught not to do as early as possible.

Teaching your dog to socialize with other dogs and getting him familiar with other people is one of the best ways to teach your dog with the proper behavior and stop inappropriate habits like biting. Dogs are social animals and they should not be left alone. A poorly socialized dog have a greater chance of developing bad habits and may become aggressive or dangerous. It can be great if there are kindergarten classes and playtime for dogs in your community that your dog can join to make him more familiar and socialize with other dogs and humans as well. Gradually exposing your canine friend to a variety of social situations can help stop the biting behavior of your dog. Exposure to social situations must be under controlled circumstances and continue the exposure until your dog get used to social situations.

Provide your dog with appropriate things to play, chew and bite with. This is to help him with his teething problem and to teach him which things are appropriate to bite and chew. This will also help your dog beat boredom. Bored dogs have a high chance of developing unfavorable behaviors. If he is busy with a lot of things and not bored, he has no time to develop unfavorable habits like biting. To stop the biting behavior of your dog, keep him busy.

Be consistent in teaching your dog not to bite. Consistency is the key when teaching your canine friend with proper behavior. Your family and friends visiting your house should be well-informed that they are not allowed to tolerate your dog's biting habit. If one person allows your dog to chew or bite even if it is just some sort of playing with him while everyone else does not will only get him confused. If he starts to bite or chew on something inappropriate, teach him to bite the proper toys. Praise or reward him for biting the correct items.

Avoid punishing your dog. Punishing your dog may push your him to be more aggressive out of fear. Yelling and hitting your dog as a punishment for bad behavior is not good if you want to teach him not to bite because he may get more agitated and it may result to more aggressive behaviors. Instead, stop playing with him, withdraw all the attention and remove all the things that he likes most when he starts using his mouth or starts biting to give him the idea that his behavior is not acceptable.

Keep your dog healthy. Make sure to have your dog vaccinated against rabies and other diseases. He must be free from fleas and ticks to reduce the risk of getting skin and other diseases. Feed him with a nutritious diet to keep him healthy. The health of your dog affects the way he behaves. A dog not feeling well may get irritated easily and may bite as an outlet. If you want to stop the biting behavior of your dog, make sure he will not use his bad health as an excuse to bite.

Do not encourage your dog to put his mouth on you. The majority of people bitten by dogs are not bitten by stray dogs but bitten by their own dogs or dogs they know. Although biting is a normal dog behavior, knowing how to stop the biting behavior of your dog can reduce the risk of dog bites. Let him know that playing with you or getting your attention using his mouth or sharp teeth is not acceptable.

If you find it hard to stop the biting behavior of your dog on your own, you may need professional help. 

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Four Inherent Things Your Dog Needs To Feel Happy and Secure

As dog owners, we want our puppy or dog to be healthy, feel secure, and be happy. We do our best to provide the finest food and medical care we can afford. We provide the exercise we think they need, and all the love they can bear. That's wonderful. Nevertheless, most dogs would appreciate four more natural dog needs from us, to secure and happy.

Four Inherent Needs of Your Dog

Leadership

Dogs need leadership. Inherently, they follow the strongest leader. It is the leader's responsibility to provide a sense of order, and security for his or her pack. If you do not provide that leadership, he or she may disregard you, and either step up and fill that role, or follow the dominant dog in the house. Simply put, it is your job to provide fair, firm and consistent leadership.

Canine Companionship

Most dog owners would like to believe they can, and do provide all the companionship their dog wants or needs. It is not always true. Being social, pack-oriented animals; most dogs do require canine companionship. Your puppy or dog needs that interaction of rough and tumble playing, and high-energy exercise only another dog can provide.

They also need contact with other dogs, in order to learn the Canine Manners and Etiquette Rule Book, as only another dog can teach.

On the plus side for you, by allowing your dog to socialize with other dogs, you give them the opportunity to have fun being a dog. It reinforces your status as their leader, because you decide how rough and how long they play together.

Boundaries

Establishing fair and clear boundaries creates a sense of security. In a pack, there are boundaries each member must respect for peaceful co-existence. Boundaries not only mean a fenced yard, boundaries include providing simple, clear rules of the house. To make it easier for your dog to learn the rules, and respect your boundaries, everyone in the house must be fair, firm, and consistent.

Simply put, if the house rule is no dogs on the furniture, everyone follows that rule. The same holds true for no feeding the dog from the table. Or, not allowing your dog to jump on people. Like water, dogs follow the path of least resistance. When the family is consistent with the rules, your dog figures why bother testing the rules. When not everyone is consistent, you will be constantly tested.

Scheduled Routines

Dogs in households with established well-followed scheduled routines, feel the most secure. They quickly learn your routines and conform to your schedule, but you have to be fair to your pets. A discombobulated household, with little or no scheduled routines is unfair to your pet. It is unreasonable to expect them to accommodate us with appropriate behaviors, if we don't provide them with an expected routine.

Chaos confuses most dogs. Don't make it more difficult for your pet to learn appropriate behaviors, such as housebreaking, if there is no schedule. If your dog is not fed on schedule, or let outside to relieve his or herself because you have no scheduled routine, don't be surprised when you find a surprise! Don't blame your dog. It's your responsibility to have a feeding and relieving schedule. When a dog's daily routine is on a schedule, they will learn it. Then, life is good!

Bottom line: Add these four simple inherent needs to your dog's life, leadership, canine companionship, boundaries, and scheduled routines. Then, watch the difference in your puppy or dog! They will feel more secure, much happier, and better behaved! It can't get any better than that!

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4 Things To Keep In Mind When Buying A Dog From A Breeder

Finding that perfect puppy or dog for your family can be a lot of fun and with a little knowledge you can make the experience a good one with a happy ending for everyone involved.

This article is intended to give you some things to think about when you go out on the dog finding quest.

1. Puppies should be no younger than 8 weeks when leaving their litter. If your breeder wants you to take the pup at 5 -6 weeks go find another breeder. Responsible, caring breeders will not let you have a pup any younger.

2. Be careful when being offered the last pup in the litter. Why is it the last pup? Why did all those new dog owners pass on this one dog? Is it too shy? Is it standoffish or maybe it appears fearful. There is a reason that it has not been selected. You may be better off waiting for the next litter or looking elsewhere.

3. Beware of older pups. Breeders sell puppies at 8 weeks of age they do not want to keep the dogs any longer. That is not the business that they are in. When a breeder has that 16 week old or even a worse a 6 - 8 month old the problem always appears to be the lack of socialization. Plainly put MOST breeders do not properly socialize that left over puppy and that is where the problem develops. Puppies need to be socialized really well before they are 20 weeks old and usually it just does not happen.

4. What are mom and dad like? I always want to see the Sire and the Dam. Are they friendly and social or does the breeder say well mom is a bit aggressive so we don't bring her out for display. That is another sign to pass on this litter. Aggression and fear can be passed on to the litter genetically so why take a chance. There are just so many pups out there why should you gamble with this breeding. Remember this dog will be with you for many years so make a good decision on which pup to choose.

Unsocialized dogs are very likely (almost always) going to start showing fear or aggression sometime between 12 and 24 months of age. Living with an aggressive dog is no fun and certainly can create a huge liability for your family. On the other hand, a dog that has been socialized properly will almost always be a joy to own and can be active with many of your family outings and adventures.

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