Ouch! My Dog Bit Me!
It’s not unusual to hear that dog owners got bitten either by their dog or someone else dogs. But does it mean we should pay little attention to this form of dog behaviors even there are no bite marks?
Absolutely not!
There are several reasons why dogs bite
Commonly the cases are:
- To protect themselves, her pups, their companions
- To protect his territory
- They are poorly socialised or disciplined
- They have bad temperament or natural aggressive tendency
A dog will only bite when provoked, however the reason for provocation is sometimes not obvious to many. For example, when a person unintentionally enters onto the dog’s territory or if the person poses an unintended threat.
Over the years, human have bred dogs for selected characteristics. In some cases, this has resulted in breeds with a greater tendency to bite, like the fighting dog and guard dog breeds.
Whether a dog will bite depends as much as his inherited characteristics as he does on how he is raised. It’s a very vital that potential dog owners do their due diligence on the breed that they fancy before buying it. Having said that, that doesn’t mean all dogs are free from bad behaviours or dog biting behavior per se.
Three Ways for Owners To Discourage Dog Biting and Nurture Good Behavior
Provide their dog with…
- an adequate amount of love and attention
- an environment to socialise either with their own kinds or with people.
- a good basic discipline training.
A well behaved, well adjusted and of good temperament dog not only is fun to be with but make living together so much pleasurable for years to come.
True Story Of How I Was Bitten By A Dog
I was attacked once by a friend’s dog. Out of no way, he ran and jumped from my behind to sink his teeth onto my lower back. Unfortunately, there’s little flesh for him to do so. But he managed to grab my tops and punctuated two big holes at the edge of it and landed forcefully on the ground. Upon seeing the act, the owner, my friend found it funny and laughed. Then she went to the dog’s aid.
There are two mistakes made here, however the dog’s perception is totally different. He viewed it as a correct form of play.
Firstly, my friend’s laughter had actually encouraged or approved his behavioral act as entertaining. Secondly, she didn’t discipline the dog right away (by ignoring him) instead she picked her dog up and gave him a good rub on his ‘injured’ back.
This is a common reaction for first time owners, and they’ll continue to react the same way if they don’t educate their dog with some basic dog training. Therefore, the dog will continue to behave badly until it’s out of control. And to add matter worst, owners end up giving their dog to shelters putting the blame on the dog’s bad temperament instead of their bad management!
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