My dog doesn't bite

How many dog owners believe this?

Dogs are animals, sometimes we forget that. Every dog, no matter how cute, sweet, docile or calm has the potential and the teeth to bite. Some dogs have a very high threshold for what they will endure, but they can still be pushed past their limit. And it's not always on purpose. Often bites happen because someone didn't read the dog's body language correctly and missed the signs of the dog feeling stressed. Or the dog was simply startled and reacted.


Prevention:

Teaching your puppy bite inhibition so he knows to be gentle with human hands is a good start. Puppies use their mouths to explore, play and communicate. So learning manners at a young age is ideal.

It's important to get your dog used to being touched everywhere by you, others in the house and even strangers. Touch your dog's paws, ears and tail. These are less common areas people normally a touch a dog and so they are usually the most sensitive about being touched there. This will help when you are grooming him or a vet is examining him.  You should never allow your children to jump all over the dog or pull his ears and tail.

Having a confident dog that respects you and others as his leader will lessen your chances of being bitten. A dog who knows his place in the pack will have less reason to bite because there is no need to guard or protect things or you.

Even with all this prevention, a dog could still feel the need to bite at one time or another. A dog rarely bites out of the blue. He will use body language to communicate that he's feeling stressed by doing things such as:

• yawning
• licking their lips
• walking or looking away from a situation
• panting

If your dog is feeling stressed but continues to be pushed, handled or approached he will warn you by:

• curling  his lip
• growling
• showing his teeth
• snapping
• lunging

 If you ignore these warnings, the dog may feel no other option but to bite.


Common reasons dogs bite:

• fear
• guarding a person, food or toy
• mother protecting her pups
• startled while eating or sleeping
• overexcited play
• injured or sick
• feeling bombarded
• being teased
• poor training

 
Dogs deserve our respect and understanding.