How to Stop Dogs From Biting

Dogs bite for many reasons. Nipping is natural in puppy play. However, if your dog bites aggressively, you need to modify this behavior before it gets worse or gets you and your dog into trouble. You don't want to be sued or your dog to be put down because someone got hurt due to your dog's uncontrolled or aggressive biting.

Before giving you tips on how to reverse your dog's aggressive biting, here are two things you need to do first to make sure your dog is ready for some behavior modification:

1. Get a thorough physical exam. Before you address this behavior problem, make sure it isn't a physiological issue. Have a vet run checks on the dog's circulation, thyroid and physiological indicators of chemical imbalances. Sometimes, dogs become aggressive due to some defects or physical malfunctions that are otherwise asymptomatic. You would want to rule these possibilities out first before embarking on behavior modification.

2. Identify the stimulus. Dogs bite for various reasons - out of fear, perceived territorial threats, redirected aggression or overstimulation. It is important to know what triggers your dog to respond the way it does. Your course of action would then be to either remove the trigger or train your dog to respond differently.
Tips and Techniques
Once you've established your dog's biting habit is behavioral, here are a few things to you can do modify this behavior:

1. Simulate a puppy's bite inhibition. Notice young pups play-biting and nipping each other over mom's nipples? If you observe the play keenly, you'd notice one puppy may suddenly yelp and walk away from the play. The pup withdrawing from the play is exhibiting bite inhibition. This behavior teaches the aggressive/dominant puppy that the game has gone too far and that biting someone where it actually hurts is unacceptable. You can simulate this behavior when your puppy becomes too rambunctious in play. Yelp loudly and stop the game immediately. Your puppy should learn biting is unacceptable pretty soon.

2. Give your dog the time and space to adjust to a new environment. Walk them in low distraction places closest to where you live and keep your focus on your dog. This allows you room for training your dog and for easily taking them out of harm's way if need be. Also, this allows your dog to pay attention to you or to not feel threatened with their surroundings.

3. Communicate with your dog. Dogs may not be as intelligent as humans but they are nonetheless intelligent beings and they recognize the hand that feeds them. So talk to your dog. They recognize your mood and respond. In that same manner, build a rapport with your canine friend. Attention is your first communication goal. When you have your dog's attention, it will be easier to communicate with them and eventually help them adapt alternative responses to various triggers.
Behavior modification takes time, commitment and effort. Work with your dog. Especially with biting adult dogs, you may want to consult with professionals to help with behavior modification.

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