Dog Biting Problems

Many dogs, like the Rottweiler, Pitbull, tend to bite people around them and are often noted for their snappy behaviors.

There are several factors that may cause a dog to bite. Biting is one of the most common problems faced by dog owners. It’s a mode of communication resorted to by the dog right from his puppy stage that helps him to dominate over the others.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that over 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs every year. Most of the victims that die each year due to dog bites are children.

A dog may be prompted to bite when in an aggressive mood. This may happen when he is in excruciating pain due to a tumor or even arthritis. A good vet is to be consulted the moment any snappiness is detected in the dog.

There might be some normal factors for aggressiveness, like sibling rivalry or maternal protection, which justify the dog’s biting tendencies. But aside from these the only other plausible causes are bladder problems and even indigestion.

Some of the dogs have the tendency to assert themselves as the leader of their pack and this in turn make them indulge in snapping at others and often worse, biting them.

These dogs are also of an overtly possessive nature. The mildest threat to their property like their bed or the food bowl triggers off an alarm in them that ends in a merciless bite.

A dog uses biting as a self-defensive mechanism as well. If it has ever been ill-treated as a puppy or even as an adult, he tends to grow apprehensive of people around him. This is when he attacks anyone who might come across (to the dog) as unfriendly.

There is a major flip side to it. A dog that has been known to bite, is barely trusted upon by people and is treated as an unfriendly creature.

The best solution to dog aggression in general and to stop puppy biting in particular is obedience training. The answer to a host of problems lies in obedience training, even if it has not been done at the right time.

When the training message sinks in, the dog grows to accept the fact that its position is somewhere lower than his owner’s family.

Socialization and hormonal medication too, are some of the effective ways to cure the dog of his aggressive trait.

Keeping the dog within confines in the presence of unfamiliar individuals is also an option but the final word should always be that of the veterinarian’s.