The most common non – medical problem in dogs is aggression towards people and other dogs. Many people do not prefer to buy a dog because of this reason. In order to prevent from biting, first you have to understand why they gets angry and then bites. Here are some reasons :-

1. POSSESIVENESS :- Without proper training dogs get possive about their things and this can cause biting. Usually this includes those dogs from whom we expects to behave like a human, what we need to understand is that dogs are not humans and we should not expect them to act and behave like one. Also we need to taught them that they do not rule the home and we CAN take things back from them. Many children are bitten when they try to take toys from dogs which obviously dogs considered as their “Personal Property”.

2. FEAR :- This aggression is usually towards strangers like veterinarians but they are experts in handling them. Fearful dogs can hurt you, do not ever sneak up on him or bother him when he is sleeping. Usually children tries to cuddle or hug him when he feels frighten but this might frighten him more, then they could bark more to keep them away and ultimately can hurt him if they do not.

3. PAIN :- The dogs suffering from pain can cause even the friendliest dig bite. In this case, you should check if he is having any disease or wounds. Also keep your children away from him in order to prevent from biting.

4. MATERNAL AGGRESSION :- When female dogs gives birth to puppies, she knows that her puppies rely on her fir everything like nutrition, stimulation, protection etc. However this is completely natural and you cannot control this behaviour but you can adopt some safety tips in order to prevent from biting for example, don’t let your children to handle puppies without your supervision, do not tease them etc.

DO THEY WARN US BEFORE BITING? 

Yes! They always show warning signs before biting however these signs are so subtle, that it is often missed by the people. If you could know the warning, you can be safe. Dogs often show signs that can include licking lips, yawning, wagging tail, – these sign means that they are uncomfortable with you however licking could often misinterpreted as the sign of affection but it could also be a sign of stress. Below are the signs which if your dog shows, then it could mean he is ready to bite you.

♦  Growling

♦ Showing teeth

♦ Snarling

♦  Jump towards you

♦ Ofcourse Biting

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DOG BITES SOMEONE?

1. First control your dog’s aggression by cool him down and putting him a leash on immediately then check the person’s condition, if necessary take him to the doctor.

2. Ask address and contact number from the victim so that you can know his condition later on.

3. Provide some necessary information to the person like the date of your dog’s last rabies vaccination.

HOW TO STOP DOG BITING FROM HAPPENING AGAIN?

There is no guarrantee that your dog won’t ever bite someone again but you can definetly reduce the risks by following the steps :-

1. SPAYING / NEUTERING YOUR PET :- As I have already told you about the benefits of spaying or neutering your pet in one of my previous article, spayed / neutered pet is less likely to bite as it will reduce the desire to roam of your dog which means less fight with other dogs.

2. TRAINING :- Training dog is very important but you must know that only you can teach him how to properly behave at your home, so do not send him away. Training is the perfect way of socializing. In the method of training, you can also make your dog to introduce new people, places and situations which will help him to face normal social circumstances. You must teach him to behave properly. Do not tell him to chase someone or other animals, not even in fun as it may be fun to you but dogs cannot make the difference between fun and real life.

3. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN HOW TO BEHAVE AROUND HOUSE :- Children do not know how to handle dogs and they treated them like a toy. They also wants to play with dog everytime, even when dogs don’t want to, child may harrass the dog and this might encourage the aggression of dogs towards that child. So never leave your child alone with the dogs.

4. BE A RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNER :- You must provide regular veterinary care which also includes rabies vaccination. Whenever you take him outside for a walk, make sure to put him on a leash for everyone’s safety. If you do not know how will your dog reacts infront of visitors then its better if you keep him in other room or if he feels frighten in the crowd then it will be better if you leave him at home. If you aren’t confident of his behaviour, you should avoid stressful situations.

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