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In: Pets
16 Aug 2009A dog that bites other dogs or humans is a hell of a problem for its master. We do hear stories about canines of all sizes, especially a Rottweiler or a Pitt Bull, mangling an unsuspecting passerby, or pouncing on kids who are playing around, or attacking other dogs. Though these reported instances may be rare happenings and not everyday occurrences, the fact remains that dogs do bite. That realization should be reason enough for every dog owner to nip the biting tendency of a dog in the bud itself, and preempt the possibility of it developing a biting habit.
A dog should be initiated into the anti-biting program early enough, when it is only a puppy and the best way to do it is by making it mingle with better behaved dogs. Those dogs will train it in their own way, and will also guide you in training it. Though biting is instinctive in the case of dogs, you have to instill into your dog early enough that biting cannot be tolerated, and that is the only way in which you can become the proud owner of a dog that does not bite.
Since puppies remain with their biological family only for their first two months, the onus is upon the dog owner to play the mothers role in a dogs life. A pups main behavior training period is the four months from its birth, and that is why rescue dogs as well as dogs which are products of puppy mills are more likely to bite than those that are cared by breeders who are conscientious and reliable.
Puppy mills are often horrific places where dogs are kept in cramped overpopulated pens, by owners who could care less about their mental well being so long as the puppies fetch them a profit. Pups which come from such conditions are basically wild with major emotional, mental, behavioral, and sometimes health issues. These dogs have never been exposed to proper etiquette and simply dont know any better.
Even those, who own a rescue dog that easily bites others, can train the dog to give up its biting habit. It is definitely easier to train a young dog, but that does not mean that it is not possible to train an adult dog to be rid of its tendency to bite.
The same techniques apply when training an older dog as training a puppy, but the training must be done at a lower intensity. If your older dog is prone to biting other dogs and animals then it would not be wise to let him loose in a dog park with the hopes that the other dogs will cure him; just as it would be extremely unwise to let a dog with a child biting problem loose in a playground. Thats just a law suit waiting to happen.
Do the training in increments, walk the dog on the outskirts of the park until it gets used to the idea of other dogs being nearby, and gradually bring it closer and closer. Patience and dedication are the key ingredients to solving a dog biting problem.