Dog training tips: How to train a dog not to bite

Dogs are amazing animals, but certain dogs are more inclined to bite. Here are some dog training tips to teach how to train a dog not to bite.

Dog bites aren’t rare, they happen every day. In the United States, a dog attack happens every 40 seconds.

Oftentimes, the attack victims are children. However, as a dog owner, you probably recognize that the dog is a victim too. After all, dogs only resort to biting because they think they have to.

Is your dog starting to display biting behaviors? The problem isn’t going to go away, and it’ll only get more dangerous over time. Don’t let yourself or your dog become another bite victim.

Read on to learn how to train a dog not to bite.

What dog breeds bite?

What dog breeds bite? Every kind!

Researchers have found that pitbull bites occur more frequently, and the injuries are usually more severe.

However, if you’ve ever met a happy pitbull, you probably weren’t afraid one bit about getting hurt. The reason for this is that you can’t rely on a dog’s breed to determine whether or not it’s going to bite you.

Instead, you have to learn how to read the warning signs for when a dog is about to bite.

Dog bite warning signs

Did your dog already bite a member of your household? The more times your dog can bite someone, the harder it’ll be to reverse the behavior. That’s why you must stop your dog before the bite takes place.

While your dog can’t use words, their body language is always communicating. Here are a few warning signs that your dog might be about to bite someone:

• Avoiding eye contact
• Licking lips
• Yawning
• Growling
• Bared teeth
• Snapping
• Rigid body
• Fur standing up

If your dog’s meeting a stranger and displays any of the warning signs above, remove your dog from the situation immediately. The last thing you want is for a friendly encounter to turn into someone searching, find me a dog bite attorney, on their phone.

Rule out medical complications

Moving on, you’ll want to figure out what’s causing your dog to bite int he first place. Oftentimes people mistake dog health problems, for aggression issues.

For example, let’s say you have an older dog that never bites. One day you reach down and while you’re petting them, your dog growls and snaps at you!

You might think you’re dealing with a biting behavior. However, you could have a medical issue on your hands.

Visit your vet

If your dog starts suddenly displaying biting behaviors, take them to your vet. Let your vet know exactly what took place, including the part of the dog’s body your friend was petting.

Your vet may discover that your canine companion has an internal injury, that’s causing them pain. Petting the injured area was causing your dog pain, and that’s why they lashed out. Once you and your vet create a plan to help your pooch heal, the biting behavior is likely to go away completely.

On the other hand, let’s say you take your dog to the vet, and after a full exam, the vet reports there’s nothing medically wrong with your dog. Now, you know you’re dealing with a true case of biting behavior.

Moving on we’ll show you how to train a dog not to bite, by helping them feel better.

How to train a dog not to bite

If it’s not medical, your dog’s inclination to bite is happening because of something they’re feeling. Your dog may be feeling high levels of frustration simply because they have too much energy.

Here are a few healthy ways your dog can release their energy:

• Structured walks
• Fetch or frisbee
• Puzzle toys

First, you’ll want to make sure your dog’s getting their daily dose of exercise. Both puppies and older dogs can become frustrated and more prone to bite when they can’t release their energy.

If you have a super busy schedule, don’t worry. Research suggests that even walking your dog for 15 minutes, twice a day, can help them release their energy. Walks burn energy and establish leadership, while also giving your dog quality time with you!

Play the right way

Walking is great for releasing your dog’s energy and so is playing with your dog. However, to help a dog that’s prone to biting, you’ll want to avoid playing the wrong type of games.

For instance, playing tug-o-war could be sending the wrong message to your pooch. Your dog may feel the need to establish their dominance and will walk away thinking they run the show. Instead, focus on games like frisbee and fetch, where dominance isn’t an issue.

Redirect puppy bites

Are you dealing with a puppy that loves to nip? You’ll want to set your puppy straight by redirecting their biting behavior. To do this, you’ll need to let your puppy know that putting their mouth on human skin is never okay, through redirection.

The next time your puppy starts to bite your hand, swap out your hand for one of their toys. By redirecting the puppy’s bite from your hand to the toy, they’ll begin to learn that toys are okay and hands aren’t.

When you’re swapping out your hand for a toy, do it calmly and don’t rush. The last thing you want to do is to pull your hand back suddenly because this can make your puppy think biting your hand is a game.

Pulling your hand back quickly is also a bad idea because it teaches your puppy that they have power over you. Instead, slowly move your hand, and excitedly introduce the toy.

Happy tails to you

Now you know the best tips for how to train a dog not to bite. We hope our article was able to teach you at least one thing you didn’t know about dog training. For more articles like this one, check out the rest of this site.

Watch for aggressive puppy warning signs