What to do if your dog starts biting. Why does a dog bite and what to do about it? Dog bites because she has puppies

While playing, a puppy may unwittingly bite its owner or other household members, which can lead to serious consequences (mutilation, infection, fractures). How to wean a puppy from biting - we will tell further.

A dog is a devoted friend of man, but also a social animal, which has the instincts of ancestors. They are genetically built to use their teeth in the struggle for leadership and survival.

If you properly educate the animal, then the dog will not bite people. However, there are certain reasons that contribute to the manifestation of aggression and uncontrolled pet behavior:

The owners beat the dogs, trying to get obedience in this way (such animals pose a threat to others);
The desire of the dog to take possession of food, position;
Severe pet illness
Nervous disorders;
Jealousy;
Fear as a product of cowardice and self-doubt.

The reasons for the bad behavior of an animal can have both a physiological and a psychological basis.

On a note! Dogs of a certain breed are prone to aggressive behavior more than others. In this case, professional training and education is indispensable.

In each case, the pet releases its teeth in order to protect itself from the problem that has arisen. Only a professional can understand a pet's condition and take the right steps to correct a puppy's antisocial behavior.

A puppy up to 4 months old, due to the presence of milk teeth, cannot control the force of the bite, and therefore, during the game, it can hurt the owner's hands or feet. It is important that this innocent habit does not enter into adulthood.

What to do:

Attention! When raising an animal, it is important to take into account the fact that the pet must be at the level of the hierarchy after all family members, only in this way it will be possible to rationally manage it.

Trainers have developed a lot of ways to wean a dog from biting, the main thing is to apply the commands correctly and get the puppy to strictly follow them. It is important to praise your pet and encourage him with his favorite treat.

Video - Wean a puppy to bite

Raising a puppy while playing

It is necessary to wean a dog from biting the owner, animals and strangers at an early age, before the change of teeth. Since puppies do not yet know how to determine the boundaries between play behavior and aggression, they can attempt to bite the owner without malicious intent. It is important to make it clear to the pet that the exposure of fangs is unacceptable. It is recommended to stop an overworked puppy in the following ways:

Such game forms are suitable for puppies up to 4 months. After you need to move on to full-fledged training and physical punishment. It is important to remember that it is impossible to show unreasonable aggression towards the pet, destroying the psyche of the animal. Punishments should be understandable for the dog and serve as a lesson to him, and not be a way to discharge his owner.

Outside of the game, continue to teach your pet self-control. At rest, put your fist to the pet’s muzzle, if he bites him, say “no” or “fu-fu”, if not, then snap your fingers and reward the dog with a treat. You need to repeat such actions often, several times a day, until the instincts are fixed.

How to wean an adult dog from biting

Tips from experienced dog breeders:

Such exercises should be performed alternately, the main thing is that the pet does not feel aggression on your part, but only affection, attention and care. It is equally important to earn and maintain the respect of the dog, then it will freely obey you, respect and obey the household.

Why Training Isn't Beneficial

If you deal with a puppy regularly, then in 2-3 months it is quite possible to wean the dog from biting once and for all. It is important to be patient and in no case scream, and even more so beat the pet.

If there is no use in classes, then the reason may be as follows:

The puppy perceives you or others as prey - with every movement of the arms or legs, the instinct of a predator is triggered and the dog strives to grab the moving part of the body. In this case, in order not to frighten the puppy with cries or exclamations, you need to put on gloves on your hands, and protect your body with tight clothes. When the actions of the puppy and the owner are coordinated, you can not take such measures;
Wrong behavior of a puppy can be a manifestation of distrust and disrespect for the owner - and all because you offend the pet or do not encourage him for correctly performed actions;
The puppy may bite if the owner's hands are tense, and fear or apprehension is felt in the body. It is important to be able to relax, the only way you can get a trusting attitude from the dog. To do this, with one hand you need to take the pet by the collar at the withers, and with the other - under the ass or stomach. No need to put pressure on the animal, which can provoke aggression and further bites;
The psychological aspect - "biting" in puppies appears at the age of about 3-4 months, this period can pass quickly or drag on for several months. It is important to immediately take the right actions in order to wean the puppy from biting from childhood, and not feel sorry for the pet or torture yourself with guilt - they say, I'm not a good enough owner, and therefore the puppy bites;
It is necessary to stop the puppy's attempts to bite the owner in time to avoid "relapses" in the future
Aggression, as a way of dominance, manifests itself when the dog is large and the owner is weak (age, character, demeanor). Next to such an owner, the dog behaves excitedly, pushes, jumps, bites, does not follow obedience commands. In this case, you will need a "shield" - for example, a racket or a tight bag that can be placed in front of the dog as a protective support, keeping a distance between yourself and the pet. Subsequently, the dog will not attack the owner, but first offer a game;
Also, do not lisp too much with the dog, no matter who says what - this is an animal with predatory instincts. During the period of overexcitation, the pet can not only lick the face, nose, lips, but also bite painfully, which can lead to serious health consequences.

Attention! The owner should dictate the rules of upbringing, and the dog should completely obey them.

How to Avoid Failure

In order to properly build interaction with a growing pet, it is important to instill the following concepts in a puppy from early childhood:

In addition to correcting the behavior of the pet, it is important to control his nutrition, take care of the physical condition of the pet. Timely show the puppy to the veterinarian, sign up for classes with a professional trainer.

Learning to bite correctly

In fact, a dog from birth does not know how to bite correctly, and only with the help of skillful actions of a specialist, the instincts of the animal are corrected. If necessary, stimulate the action of "biting" as early as possible.

However, do not teach the dog to grab clothes or a special suit of the owner. It is also forbidden to look the pet in the eyes, which will involuntarily allow him to retreat. By averting your eyes, you provoke aggression in the animal, like prey trying to escape.

Attention! As soon as the dog clings to the rag (roller, cuff), you need to tease the pet for a few seconds, and then release the bait and reward the pet with delicious food.

Over time, increase the size of the roller, holding it both vertically and horizontally, honing the actions of the animal. It is important to work out the firmness of the grip, and threats should be sharp and loud, without forceful impact on the pet.

The correct actions of the trainer will give the dog confidence, make its behavior controllable. Such a dog will not show unbridled aggression towards others, unlike a cowardly animal.

Tactics of behavior with an adult pet

If a puppy can be weaned from biting in a few months, then with an adult dog the situation is more serious.

On a note! If the dog has not bitten before, and suddenly started to do so, reconsider your appeal to the pet, perhaps you have become ruder, a new family member has appeared for whom the dog does not have friendly feelings. Maybe someone offended the dog, because aggression is a response to physical punishment.

How to fix the situation:

The dog is forced to recognize the superiority of the owner, however, it is impossible to go too far - not to give food, toys or deprive him of a walk. All actions must be tolerant and accurate.

Pet Raising Methods

There are some myths according to the upbringing of a pet, what can and cannot be done when trying to wean a dog from biting the owner or spoiling household items.

Table 1. Methods of education and their consequences

Wrong Methods	Correct Methods
Let the situation take its course, they say - it will outgrow, with age it will understand that this cannot be done	If the puppy grabbed his hand during the game, then make a sharp piercing exclamation “aarp”, which will allow the pet to recoil from the “prey”
Beating the dog, which will lead to hidden anger, which over time can develop into uncontrollable aggression	Switch attention to a toy that does not make sounds, which means it will be a great way to play with a puppy
Stop playing with your puppy altogether, reducing the risk of being bitten. The method is considered wrong, because it is important not to get away from the problem, but to solve it.	If the puppy bites - stop the game, leave the place and ignore the animal for 15 minutes, and then return to the game. If necessary, repeat steps

Thus, the desire to bite will come to naught. Improvement in the behavior of the pet will be noticeable from the first lessons. The main thing is to use only humane ways to correct a naughty puppy.

Teach children to use the command “shut your mouth”, “fu”, “no”, so that they can take the right action in time. With each correct execution of the command, encourage the pet.

Taking an example from the street

Dog handlers are advised to observe the behavior of the pet while playing with other puppies. If the animal bites its brethren, hurts, that the victim barks or whines, then serious measures must be taken urgently.

The best solution to the problem is proper education, demonstration of the owner's superiority, reward and punishment. You can’t suppress a puppy so that he is afraid to growl or bare his teeth, but turning biting into innocent pampering is taboo, which entails serious consequences.

How to reduce the aggression of the animal to others:

Getting used to the collar should begin at a young age. First, a soft fabric collar is purchased for the puppy to avoid possible injuries. With age, the pet gets the opportunity to wear other collars, which are full of pet stores. We will talk about the types of collars and their utility below.

In addition to the collar, the pet should also get used to the leash, which will help to mark the boundaries of the permissiveness of the animal. About that, you can read on our portal.

Now you know how to wean a puppy from biting the owner without punishment. It is important to give your pet love and affection, only in this way you can create a tandem of a respectable owner and a friendly friend.

When a person gets a dog, he must understand that now he is responsible for this animal, for its well-being and behavior. And if the owner wants obedience from the dog, then it is necessary to educate and train it. And you should start training a pet while he is still a puppy, because an adult dog is more difficult to re-educate and wean from bad habits. This is especially true for the habit of biting.

There are many opinions and ways to wean a dog from biting, but first of all, you need to find out the reason why he bites.

Why do puppies bite

Very often people are faced with the fact that, while still a puppy, their dog bites. But this does not mean that the dog will grow up angry and will then throw itself at people. Puppies between 3 and 8 months of age bite for two reasons:
In the first case, the reason is the change of teeth. Therefore, puppies gnaw on everything that comes across to them and can bite. Thus, they massage the gums and relieve discomfort in the mouth. All dogs have different teeth. This usually starts at 3-4 months of age and continues until the puppy is 7-8 months old. Therefore, in order to avoid biting your hands and feet, as well as tearing your shoes and furniture, during this period it is necessary to purchase toys for the puppy that he can gnaw.
In the second case, the puppy uses its teeth, just like a person uses his hands, to explore the world around him. By biting, the puppy is trying to understand what he can do or not. For example, while playing, puppies may bite each other in excitement. But as soon as the bites become painful, the injured puppy immediately begins to whine and leaves the offender. At the reflex level, the puppy remembers that if he bites hard, then no one plays with him later. Next time, this puppy will try to bite easier or not bite at all during play.
But if a pet bites a person during a game, and the owner does not stop this action on the part of the animal, then in the future the puppy may think that he can bite and no one will punish him for this. Lack of punishment is one of the most common mistakes people make when raising a dog. Therefore, the first rule that the owner of the animal needs to remember is that the dog must be punished for bad behavior, and even more so for biting.

How to properly punish a dog

Proper dog training always involves punishment. Even when a dog bites because it is teething. But this does not mean that a person should show cruelty towards an animal that is guilty. If you start to behave cruelly, especially at an early age for a puppy, then this can greatly disrupt his psyche - he may begin to experience severe fear, panic. Then the actions of the animal during the next punishment may become unpredictable. Such an animal will suffer, not learn.
In order not to overdo it with punishments, you must follow simple rules:

You can punish a puppy not earlier than he is 3-4 months old. It is at this age that the dog best begins to remember everything that it is taught;
never refuse your punishment. If you decide to punish the animal - do just that, you don’t need to play with it as if nothing had happened in 2 minutes, otherwise the puppy will not understand that it was a punishment;
be restrained and strict, then the dog will see you as a leader and will obey, while she should not be afraid of you, but know her place;
punish the dog immediately, at the moment when it bites you or someone else, otherwise it will forget about this act and will not understand why it was punished;
during the educational process, look the pet directly in the eyes, then at the level of instincts he will understand that you are not afraid of him.

The first punishment for puppies can be ignoring. Express your displeasure in a low tone (but don't yell), then walk away and don't play with him for about 15-20 minutes. All puppies love to be given attention, so if you do not play with your pet, at the level of instinct, he will begin to understand that he did something wrong. From the first time, the puppy rarely remembers why he was punished, then this action must be repeated a couple more times, and the ignoring time can be extended, but not more than 1 hour. Puppies usually learn fairly quickly (within 1-2 weeks) from ignoring and stop biting. But this is the case if you regularly show the puppy that he does not behave the way you would like.

You can spank a dog only when ignoring and lowering the tone of the voice does not help. In this case, you need to give the dog a stop and slap it lightly on the croup with your palm. Do not use foreign objects, such as slippers, otherwise the dog will get angry at such objects, and you risk being left barefoot later. Strengthen the slap, if necessary, so that it is unpleasant, but not too painful for the dog.
If the punishment of a little four-legged friend is hard for you, then try to think that this is not so much a punishment as an upbringing. Because with the right education of the dog and establishing your dominance over it, you will not have to resort to severe punishments in the future.

With older dogs, the situation is much more complicated. If the dog was not brought up while she was still a puppy, then this dog can afford a lot, even not listen to the owner at all or snap and growl when the owner punishes her. In such cases, you should not apply punishment in the form of a slap, but you can, for example, close the dog in an aviary. It is difficult to get along with such a dog in close contact, and it can be a threat to the whole family and guests. If the animal is difficult to train or does not want to learn at all, it is better for you to seek the help of professional trainers.

dog training

Along with education, it is also necessary to train a dog. It should be noted that education and training are different actions. By educating, you form the character of the dog, its demeanor at home and on the street. It depends on the upbringing whether the dog will obey you. And by training, you teach her to perform a specific action on your command. For example, when you punish a dog, you should give it stop commands.
There are various training methods and a wide variety of commands for dogs. And the owner himself chooses which commands to teach his pet. All these commands are used during the training of the dog, which greatly facilitates this process for the owner and the dog.
Basic commands a dog should know:

"Ugh" or "No". Both of these commands are used to prevent the dog from doing something and must be used before punishment. The dog remembers the command and the tone of voice with which you pronounce it, and understands that he needs to stop. To reinforce the action of this command, a slap with the palm of the hand or the free edge of the leash, or a slight pull of the dog by the leash or collar, is used. Remember that this must be done with great care, without causing much pain to the dog;
"To me". It is more often used when walking a dog when it is far away, and the owner wants her to come to him;
"Beside". Close in meaning to the “Come to me” command, but more often used to pull the dog away, because it should not run ahead, or stay behind, but walk quietly next to the owner;
"Give". This is usually the first command that a puppy is taught from the age of 3 months. For training, you can use dog toys or other light objects. If the dog knows the give command, then you will not have problems taking the toy from her mouth during the game;
"Sit", "Lie down", "Stand". At first glance, they are unimportant. But, for example, if you enter a store and leave your dog outside, then you can be sure that with these commands your dog will show his manners at the best level. Also, they serve as the basis for dog endurance training;
"Excerpt" This is an indicator of a dog's obedience. For example, you gave the command "Sit", started to move away and the dog stood up, which means that she could not cope with the endurance. And if you can safely move 100 meters away from an unattached dog and it will continue to follow your command, then this is an excellent indicator of endurance;
"Place". The dog in the house should have its own, clearly defined place, where, if necessary, you can send it so that it does not interfere with you, especially when you receive guests;
"Face". This is a command in which the dog must attack what the owner indicates. You can proceed to training this command only when you are 100% sure that the pet is listening to you, and this indicator is most often the dog's endurance level.

It is necessary to train and educate a dog every day. The first training is best done at home so that the animal is not distracted by extraneous noise. Then, when the dog is more obedient, you can train in the fresh air.

During the training of a pet, it is imperative to praise and treat treats for success. This will increase the effectiveness of training and the pace of his learning, let him know that as long as he correctly executes commands, he gets something tasty, and this, in turn, motivates the dog to obey much more.

Dogs are loyal and reliable friends of man, but there are situations when they bite their owner or other family members. In most cases, animals don't do it on purpose. This problem is especially acute for the owner when there is a small child in the house. Correcting a dog's behavior requires patience, attention, and self-discipline. Before proceeding with the re-education of an aggressive animal, let's try to understand the reasons for its behavior.

Why do dogs bite

Any dog knows how to bite, it is inherent in nature. Another thing is when a dog attacks people, especially children. Here are some reasons for aggressive behavior:

Young age

From childhood, puppies play with each other, bite each other, grab toys and other objects with their teeth. Getting into a house where there are no dogs, the puppy begins to play with a person, as he considers him a member of his pack. Therefore, it is not surprising that he also tries to bite the owners. This is a kind of communication. Take care of raising a dog as soon as it appears in your home. Do not let your pet play with hands and feet, be strict, this will avoid problems in the future.

Lack of upbringing

The main reason for the aggression of an adult dog is the mistakes made by the owner during training and training. Often the dog is not taken care of and the upbringing process is left to chance. It is important to remember that taking an animal into your home is your responsibility. The puppy is not a soft toy, he has teeth, and when he grows up, he can cause serious injury to a person.

Breed predisposition

Some dog breeds are more prone to aggressive behavior than others. Dogs of fighting breeds require a more thorough approach to training and education. The owners of such animals often require the help of a professional dog handler. Biters are puppies of hunting and service breeds (huskies, huskies, rottweilers, dobermans), highly excitable breeds (scotch, dachshunds, cairn terriers, russells), as well as puppies born in an aviary with whom they had little contact.

A four-legged friend will never bite you just like that. Usually the dog shows aggression, reacting to any irritant. This is how she expresses her emotions. The correct approach to the pet is an important part of the re-education procedure. The first step is to teach your dog to trust a human. We will consider the problem in two directions: a puppy bites or an adult dog bites.

How to wean a puppy from biting

Teaching a puppy is easier than teaching an adult dog. Activity and excitability are characteristic of puppies, but it is important for the owner that uncontrolled behavior does not become the norm for an adult dog.

The following tips will help you deal with your toddler's aggressiveness:

game distraction

A puppy is like a child, so he should have a lot of different toys. Explain to the baby that he can only chew and bite toys. If he bites your hand, open your jaws and slip the ball to him. The dog must learn that the owner's hand is only stroking it. Do not let the baby play with his things, hands and feet. If he understands this from childhood, then there will be no need to re-educate him in the future.

Punishment

You should not punish the baby up to three months. Do not spank the puppy with your hand, for this it is better to take a newspaper. Teach your baby the "fu" or "no" command. If the puppy has bitten you, say the command, if necessary, reinforce the punishment. After a while, the dog will understand why you are unhappy.

Ignoring

If the puppy bites constantly during the game, then you should leave him alone for a while. After the bite, stop playing and go to another room, ignore the dog, mind your own business. The puppy must understand that his actions hurt you, and that after a bite, the game always stops. When a small pet realizes this, he will begin to treat you more carefully.

Education and training

The puppy should be able to show his instincts in a form convenient for a person. In the process of education and training, consider the characteristics of the breed. Teach your puppy to be calm during class.

The puppy must know its place. Prepare for him a bed, a couch or a house. If a dog has bitten you, send it back in a harsh tone. Reward your pet during training. After following the command correctly, pet him or give him a treat.

Accustom the puppy to fixation and submission, try to become an authority for her from the first days of the dog's stay in the house. If the pet does not obey and continues to bite you, it is recommended to take the dog by the scruff of the neck and press it to the floor. In a pack of dogs, this is how the leader demonstrates strength.

Train your puppy regularly and your four-legged pet will grow into an obedient and friendly dog.

What to do if an adult dog bites

Not all owners are engaged in raising a growing pet. Therefore, when he grows up, the owners are concerned about the question of how to wean an adult dog from biting.

When a dog shows aggression during play, a serious problem arises. In this case, try to avoid situations in which the pet can bite. The dog usually treats the owner and other family members with respect and love. Therefore, after a bite, scream, show that the pet hurt. Often this is enough for dogs, and after a while she will stop biting you.

Hierarchy restoration

Sometimes the dog does not consider the owner to be the leader, so it continues to bite. The problem of dominance needs to be urgently addressed, perhaps the help of a dog handler will be required to restore the hierarchy in the family. Always remember that the dog should not be equal to the person, it should stand below. That doesn't stop you from loving her at all.

Golden retriever. One of the kindest breeds in the world. These are affectionate, intelligent and kind dogs, which also rarely bark.
Border Collie. A very intelligent breed of dog, characterized by mobility and activity, strongly attached to people.
Beagle. They have a wonderful character, loving and devoted.
Bobtail. Smart, kind, calm, a little lazy and reasonable dogs, they love children very much.

Each breed of dog has its own characteristics. Before buying a puppy, find out more about the breed. Regularly engage in raising and training a small pet, become an authority and leader for him. Make every effort to train a puppy up to a year old. Remember: an adult dog is much more difficult to re-educate.

Dogs remain popular pets. Cats create competition, but statistically people are more likely to choose dogs. Lovely animals are extremely loyal and reliable, which can not be said about most freedom-loving cats. Pros and cons can be found in the content of both participants in the comparison. People who get a dog are trying to stop the animal from biting. The difficulty is close to thousands of families, but not all dog breeders are able to solve it. Most dogs are prone to uncontrolled anger and aggression, often due to a complex character or genetic predisposition. Dogs of fighting breeds have a hard time restraining aggression. Dogs require thoughtful and regular education, you have to turn to a professional dog handler.

It happens that good-natured pets bite the owner and family members during the game, doing it unconsciously. Let the bites not carry an aggressive connotation, the owner should think about strict upbringing. The dog is able to hurt an adult and a small child by accidentally biting. Many people experience bites while playing.

Puppies that fail to catch even “thick-skinned” people try to bite others, dogs can not wait to test their own fangs for strength. This is the main reason why a dog is brought up from an early age. Don't expect instant success. All breeds show features. A dog with a developed intellect is able to understand the requirements of the owner and fulfill them from two or three attempts, but not all breeds are smart. It takes more time to educate.

Preventive measures

When trying to wean a dog from biting, apply a number of presented rules. A simple list will be a preventive measure for a growing puppy.

The pet should not be allowed to play with the owner's items: clothing items and just personal items. If the puppy grabbed his arm, sleeve, trouser leg during the game, stop the game and get out of the dog's field of vision. An indicative gesture is enough for intellectually developed breeds to stop biting. Just enough to freeze. The dog will get bored, calm down and loosen his grip.
The pet must clearly understand where its place is, even if it is arranged in the form of an ordinary bedding lying in the corridor of an apartment or in the corner of a room. It is advisable to take a place for the dog in the hallway or hallway of the house. For a large animal kept in a private house, purchase an aviary or booth. A biting dog must be sent back in a harsh tone, interrupting the game.
A puppy is like a child. He needs toys that can get rid of the bites of the owner and the surrounding furniture. If your dog starts biting, slowly open your jaw and point to the toy. With a gesture, the owner means that the dog should only chew on a toy.

These preventive measures are not a panacea. Change them to the requirements of individual breeds that require a tough approach. This applies to the mentioned fighting breeds. Without proper upbringing, lovely creatures become dangerous for the owner's family and society. If the dog has never bitten before, but started doing it for no reason, then the root lies deeper. A possible reason is a response to the physical strength that the owner showed to the dog.

Methods of influence on the dog

It is more difficult to wean an adult dog from biting. Not all dog breeders raise a growing puppy correctly. An adult dog bites while playing, and this is already a serious obstacle. Here are the rules to follow:

Avoid games during which the dog may bite.
If the dog grabbed the person in a fit of playfulness, gently open the jaws. No physical punishment towards the animal!
A pet, as a rule, treats the owner's family with respect and sincere love. Point out what hurts. Squeal when bitten by a dog and pretend to cry. Next, get up and walk away from the animal. The method is effective for the re-education of the dog. The beast understands that it hurt the authoritative and beloved owner.
The animal sometimes does not perceive the owner as a leader. This gap in education is extremely common. Serious training will be required, the dog will understand that the main one is a person. Otherwise, the pet will get used to biting regularly both in the game and for no reason. It is important to resolve the issue of dominance upon detection, and if necessary, contact the dog handler.
They say that a barking dog does not bite, but in practice this aspect depends on the age, breed and sex of the dog. If the growing puppy began to bark and bare his teeth, press the culprit to the floor with his muzzle, calming the dog's ardor. You should look the puppy intently and menacingly into the eyes, confirming that the person dominates.

An adult dog can be changed, but only in part. An adult animal, like a man in adulthood, is difficult to re-educate. The psychological foundations of a dog are laid up to a year. It is supposed to make every effort to gain authority in the eyes of a small pet. The theme of dominance is the main one in education. If the dog does not respect and does not consider the owner an authority, its behavior will become simply unpredictable.

Compliant breeds

To the question why dogs bite, there is a definite answer: insufficient education. Filling the gap can be difficult due to the low intelligence of a particular breed or age. We note the breeds of dogs, the maintenance of which rarely causes these difficulties.

Border Collie. The most intelligent dog in the world, distinguished by a good disposition and extreme intelligence.
Beagle. Puppies are active and restless, their endless kindness delights many. Smart, reserved and proud dogs who understand who is in charge.
Bobtail. A huge ball of wool is able to deliver a lot of fun from the game to adults and small children. Patiently ready to ride on the back of the kids, not reacting to restless movements. Kind, lazy and docile beast.
The Golden Retriever is one of the kindest in the world. The animal is able to act as a nanny without prior training.

These breeds are most sensitive to dominance. They are restrained in their actions and carefully analyze. To cause the four listed dogs to bark, you will have to seriously try. Dogs will not make noise idle, much less bite.

Before purchasing a puppy, you need to find out which dogs do not bite. Especially the warning applies to families with children, it is necessary to protect the kids in advance from the attacks of an aggressive pet.

Confused about what to do with a biting dog, it is possible to turn to cynologists who will indicate the main training methods recommended for execution.

Don't provoke your dog to aggression.

Dominant dog aggression - causes and signs

More than half of the cases of aggressive behavior of animals directed against humans are related to aggression towards family members, i.e. aggression within a social group. At the same time, in 72% of cases it was about the aggression of rivalry or the so-called aggression of the struggle for leadership. In 56 dogs (approximately 38%), the degree of aggression ranged from moderate to severe.

Aggression in the struggle for leadership directed against family members always occurs in one of the two situations described below. A dog and a family member compete for possession of something:

When a family member tries to take away food or objects (e.g. bones, toys, tissues) from the dog, or approaches her while she is holding any of these objects near her.
When one family member approaches or touches another family member who is the dog's "favorite" or another dog (such as a female in estrus).
When a family member approaches or interferes with a dog that is lying in its place, or prevents it from resting or sleeping (usually it is considered that this is a competition for a place to rest or sleep).
When a family member enters a room occupied by a dog or in a narrow hallway wants to walk past the dog in the opposite direction.

The owner demonstrates his superiority over the dog by his behavior. These behaviors include:

scratching, brushing, bathing the dog, performing various medical procedures, wiping;
touching the paws or muzzle of the animal;
situations when the owner lifts, pushes or pulls the dog;
puts a collar on her, pulls or pulls on the leash;
looks at her intently or threatens her, swears or shouts at her, constantly commands, beats;
grabs her or leans over her.

Many of these actions are not perceived by the people themselves as a demonstration of superiority. However, it is this kind of behavior that often triggers dominance or assertiveness aggression on the part of the dog, because it is very similar to dog dominance.

Other typical signs of dominance struggle aggression

Often the owners claim that the attack of the dogs was not provoked by anything, while the dogs themselves, who suddenly showed aggression in situations that they had perceived normally the day before, are called “capricious” or unpredictable.

Attacks are often more vicious than other forms of aggressive behavior and may result in skin lesions. Dog bites can be very deep and scarred. Often the owners have to go to the doctor or even go to the hospital.

During the attack, the dog does not look like itself, grins, growls, throws itself. Almost all owners note a strange gleam in the eyes of dogs.. In addition, other aggressive gestures may be observed, such as raised ears and tail, ruffled hair on the neck and back, and a gaze directed at the object of attack.

Immediately after the attack, the dog may again fawn on the owner, which he happily perceives as an "apology".

Often the dog exhibits species-typical behavior close to fighting for leadership, such as gazing at family members until they look away, or "putting himself up" by resting his front paws or muzzle on a person's knees or shoulders. Such dogs are most often friendly and harmless to strangers, so veterinarians have the opinion that the problem is not in the dog at all, but in people. However, this problem only manifests itself in the relationship between the dog and family members and becomes apparent to outsiders only if their stay in the house lasts more than one day.

People who have extensive experience with dogs, such as trainers or veterinarians, almost never have problems with these dogs. However, among the dogs there are real "hard nuts", aggressively behaving in the quest for leadership (they end up in dog shelters), who are not impressed by the demonstration of superiority by experienced professionals. Such dogs may become aggressive for the smallest of things, such as trying to lead them in a direction they don't want to go.

Dogs are not necessarily aggressive towards all family members. It is much more common for them to be more aggressive and/or more aggressive towards certain people living in the house.

With the exception of the competitive and confrontational situations described above, which are a typical cause of aggression in the struggle for leadership, dogs, in general, behave friendly towards family members. They tend to be obedient, and like all other dogs, they ask for food and a bit of attention. However, almost without exception, the owners of such dogs call them stubborn, headstrong and not obedient enough. When a dog really wants to do something else, like play with another dog or fight with him, he will most likely completely ignore commands from family members. The owners understand that the dog lacks respect for them.

Many owners are able to recognize the first symptoms of emerging aggression, for example, when the animal tenses up and begins to look at the owner sideways and with a strange look. In this case, the owner knows that he must immediately stop his actions in order to avoid the manifestation of aggression from the dog. In general, family members are aware of the need to be careful with the dog in certain situations. It often turns out that the problem of the dog's aggressiveness existed long before the meeting with the specialist, it's just that the owners still avoided the dog's attacks, fulfilling its desires.

Such dogs should not be physically punished or severely scolded for their aggressive behavior, as this inevitably causes an even stronger manifestation of aggression. Most often, quite a long time after the problem occurs, the owners try to fight back with force to restrain the dog's aggression, but the animal's vicious reaction stuns them. In fact, owners are not prepared to go through with the fight with their dog, as an instructor who trains service dogs for police work might do. They don't know how to fight a dog without it biting you. After one or two bites, such people give up and stop fighting, which further strengthens the dog's confidence in its superiority over the owner.

Family members admit that they are afraid of the dog. However, according to them, this was not always the case, the dog became aggressive towards the owner and other family members.

Some of these dogs set quite arbitrary and rather unusual rules of behavior for their owners:

For example, the host is not allowed to open a certain drawer in the kitchen cabinet, or the hostess is not allowed to go to bed before the host. The examples given are taken by the author from his practice. In the case of the woman who was only allowed to go to bed after her husband, she ended up having to sleep on the sofa every time her husband worked the night shift.
In another case, a German Shepherd dog "ordering" the owner's daughter to let her out through the back door into the garden, each time emitting a deep guttural growl. Two deep bite wounds for "disobedience convinced the girl of the seriousness of the dog's intentions, and she did not try to contradict her.

Shocked by the dog's vicious behavior and completely unaware of their pet, otherwise such a sweet and playful animal, the owners of the frequencies begin to assume that he has a serious brain disease. In many of the most severe cases, the correction of deviant behavior can bring only partial success. Many dogs with pronounced aggressive behavior in the struggle for leadership, despite the pedantic implementation of all the recommendations of an ethologist by the owner, continue to threaten or attack family members, and eventually it becomes too dangerous to leave such a dog in the house.

Defensive aggression - the dog attacks defensively

Group defensive aggression can also take on more personal forms. This can be caused by frequent encounters with some neighbors who regularly pass by the house or children who live on the same street, dog owners who constantly meet on walks, or people who regularly come to the house (postman). Adversarial relations between a dog and certain people can become so serious that the dog will react to them more viciously than to strangers. This problem can develop in different ways. Victims of aggression can lose their temper when they hear barking, and in response to it, wave their arms, make threatening gestures, scream, throw various objects. This will only increase the aggressive behavior of the dog.

Puppies often bite people while playing - this habit must be weaned

Children teasing a dog provoke a similar reaction. The barking of a dog arouses the attention of the children, and gradually the provocation of the bark becomes a kind of sport for the children, which they do on their way home. The fear of a person who is used to being afraid of dogs can, at each new meeting, cause an aggressive reaction of the dog, and in a stronger form. It is not clear why shy people are very often the subject of group defense aggression by dogs. As already mentioned, such people especially look at dogs or behave strangely from the point of view of the animal. The last example refers to owners of dogs living nearby, with whom this dog has had problems in the past. It is possible that in an effort to stop or prevent the fight, these people scolded the dog. It is possible that the behavior of the owner of another dog, who tried to separate the fighting animals, was perceived by the dog as a threat.

To understand and solve problems of this kind, it is necessary to act in the same way as in the manifestation of aggression in relation to strangers. However, in this case, there is another potentially important element of therapy - it is possible to modify the behavior of the victim of aggression. You can talk to the parents of children who tease the dog. You can also turn to people who regularly walk by the house and react to the dog in fear or aggression, and ask them to simply ignore his behavior. Ignoring the dog's behavior may lead to the elimination of initiating or rewarding stimuli that were the cause of the animal's deviant behavior.

Protection of offspring

Offspring defense is commonly referred to as maternal aggression. This defensive reaction is also observed in males when a person or other animal living in the family approaches the puppies or the place where the dog family lives. This is one of the most understandable and simple problems that the veterinarian, as a rule, solves on his own, without involving an ethologist consultant.

Aggression during play

Aggressive play by young dogs can be a problem for some owners. Dogs playing aggressive games can be dangerous, especially to small children and the elderly or weak. Sometimes dog owners and veterinarians assume in such cases more serious forms of aggression and seek the advice of ethologists.

Aggression outside the group

The biological function of aggression outside the group is self-defense, protection of other members of the group and protection of food supplies that guarantee the survival of the group in conditions of competition with other groups of congeners. At the same time, for dogs that had contacts with relatives in the past and live in a human family from the age of a few weeks, both dogs and people can act as groups of relatives.

Behavior correction - how to wean a dog from biting its owner

In simple cases, when the dog growls, but does not pose a potential danger:

Show the dog "who's in charge." Every time she growls at you, scold her or punish her hard enough in other ways that she immediately stops growling.
Regular obedience exercises and generally stricter handling of the dog are recommended. Never reward your dog for being pushy or demanding, and don't give him what he wants.

If the dog bites family members or poses a potential danger:

Temporarily avoid any situations of aggressive confrontation, do not do anything that regularly provokes aggression of the animal, and / or immediately stop all activities as soon as the dog becomes aggressive.
Completely ignore the dog when it comes up without command and demands attention, contact from the owner, begging to be petted, given food, etc.
Never give your dog what he wants if he begs or demands it.
"Nothing in life comes for free." Before receiving anything (for example, food, petting, walking), the dog must complete commands such as "sit", "stand", "come" or "place".
For the execution of commands, the dog can only be petted a little as a reward. No caresses.
Do not allow your dog to climb chairs and sofas or enter the bedroom.
Make the dog stand up and let the owner pass if he is in his way.
The dog should not have toys, rubber bones, etc. in the house.
The owner should not enthusiastically meet the dog when it returns home. He should behave with restraint and indifference, as if "accepting" the dog's greeting.
Competitive, aggressive and power plays should be avoided. It's best not to play with your dog at all, but instead take him to the park every day where he can play with other dogs.
More severity in all situations where the dog tolerates it.
Walk your dog on a leash for at least half an hour every day, change direction and speed often, do it without warning and until the animal starts to obey you without the slightest sign of aggression.
Teach your dog to run up to his owner faster and more confidently when he is outside without a leash. To do this, regularly use rewards with treats or change direction without looking back at the dog and without waiting for it.
Never let your dog walk through the door first. Teach her to be the first to let her through the owner's door.
Family members who do not have any relationship problems with the dog should completely ignore it for some time, not feed, stroke, talk or play with it.

Many owners find the pack theory quite convincing, and they immediately accept it. Although you can see from the facial expressions of the owners that they have doubts about whether they can (or want) to comply with the strict recommendations of specialists, they are, by and large, convinced that the problem is such as the specialist doctor presents it, and the treatment methods are reasonable and logical. However, often the problem is to endure such a situation of competition with your dog during the time required for treatment. In essence, the owners feel in relation to their dogs in the role of parents and do not consider themselves their rivals. Therefore, they do not feel very good when they are forced to ignore the friendly treatment of the dog, move it out of the way and generally treat it, from their point of view, heartlessly, cruelly and selfishly.

Rarely do dogs show unmotivated aggression.

How can one increase the willingness of owners to cooperate in such cases? Sometimes it is enough to slightly change the logic of the recommendations of specialists. We'll look at this modified "concept package" below. This does not mean that your explanations of the truth should be more than those of other consultants, or that you should come up with something else. Rather, it is an alternative approach to the problem that may increase the willingness of some pet owners to cooperate.

An example of one method of behavior modification to train a dog to respond calmly to brushing

Use your dog's favorite treats to train him to follow the "come", "sit", "sit" and "stand" commands when he needs to be brushed. Do not give your dog any treats in other situations.
Determine how you can touch the dog with your hands or brush so as not to provoke aggression. Find out exactly what brushing the dog will accept without growling (eg 3-4 light touches with the brush is not dangerous, but prolonged and intense brushing can already be dangerous).
Reward your dog throughout the day when doing these exercises for sitting or standing quietly while brushing and not growling when you brush or touch him.
Once the dog gets used to this "game", start very gently expanding the limits of what is permitted (for example, try to brush longer and more vigorously).
Once the dog gets used to it, change the rules again so that he gets used to the brushing even longer if he wants to get a reward.
If the dog begins to growl at any point in this procedure, do not reward him with a treat; wait a few minutes and start again from the previous exercise (for example, with lighter touches with a brush). Stay at this level for a while before you start to gradually increase the intensity/duration of neck touches again - this time go more slowly than on the last attempt.

The classic approach to the problem is to explain to the client that he should behave like an alpha animal, or leader of the pack. An alternative approach, on the contrary, suggests that the owner should change his attitude towards the dog and treat it in the same way as an adult animal treats a puppy. In such a relationship, the question of leadership never really arises. Dog owners should be made aware that behavioral interventions are effective because they generally reduce the dog's tendency to view family members as "equals" while encouraging the dog to treat them as a young puppy treats adult pack members.

This alternative approach opens up new possibilities for persuading clients to apply recommended behavioral interventions that they find unnatural and not particularly pleasant. Below are some suggestions on how to educate dog owners about the purpose of expert advice.

Most dogs behave like puppies or young animals towards family members throughout their lives. They would never threaten them in situations where they might threaten other dogs to show them their superior position or to claim certain objects or bones.
However, dogs that exhibit leadership aggression do not seem to fully understand how to behave towards family members. In some situations, they react to them not as adults of a higher rank, but rather as equals to other dogs with whom they play together in the park on walks. As a result, they threaten or bite family members in situations in which this type of aggression is regularly shown between dogs.
To successfully solve the problem, it is necessary that the owner change the nature of his attitude towards the animal and begin to treat him more like an adult dog treats young members of the pack, while avoiding certain actions that encourage the dog to look at him as an equal.

The owners are not to blame for the problem. Most of them treat their dogs normally. But it is these normal relationships that are the cause of behavioral problems in some dogs. It is better if such dogs treat their owners as young animals treat adults, and do not have companionship with them. In principle, this means that for some time the owners need to give up the easy treatment of their pets, which seems natural to them. In response to such a normal treatment of the owner, the dog often begins to perceive him as an equal in position, and behaves with him accordingly, that is, he tries to compete, and in some situations even demonstrate his superiority.

Some of these recommendations may seem rude and obnoxious to dog owners. In this case, they should be reminded that ignoring the dog's attempts to communicate or forcing it to give way is an imitation of the normal behavior of an adult animal towards a young one. This will teach the dog to treat his owners differently.