Content
- normal behavior in puppies
- Guidelines to follow:
- The accumulated stress
- Guidelines to follow:
- toy protection
- Guidelines to follow:
- The Predator Instinct of Dogs
- Guidelines to follow:
- Dog pain, frequent reason for aggression
- Guidelines to follow:
- aggressiveness for fear
- Guidelines to follow:
- the maternal instinct
- Guidelines to follow:
Certainly playing with your dog is one of your favorite activities, whether you are a puppy or an adult dog. The game is not only strengthens the bond between the dog and the human being, but it is also a good exercise for both and a way to enjoy the time they are together to have fun.
On some occasions, the dog may bite while playing. While this situation may seem harmless, it can become a serious problem if not corrected in time, putting all family members and even strangers in danger when walking the dog down the street. For this reason, in PeritoAnimal, we explain because my dog bites so much and what you should do in that case.
normal behavior in puppies
The puppy's youth is the most active period of the dog's life. Games, races and games take up a large part of the day at this stage, as well as exploration and discovering new things. Biting is common and beneficial for puppies, whether among littermates or with their human friends. It's something positive and good.
when the dog has more than 3 weeks of age, is the ideal time to start training the bite inhibition to prevent him from continuing this uncomfortable behavior, which after some time can become a problem. It may sound extreme, but what seems funny or insignificant in a puppy today can turn into unwanted behavior when he reaches adulthood.
A puppy needs to bite because the teeth growing and changing causes gum discomfort and the puppy will try to alleviate by biting everything he finds in the house. Furthermore, as with babies, biting is the puppy's way of exploring the world around him.
Guidelines to follow:
To start working the bite on the puppy, it is essential to understand that our little one need to bite, so it is essential that the dog has toys or several bites that are resistant and that he can bite at will. Every time our little one uses one of his personal objects, it will be essential that the positively reinforce with a "very good", a caress or even a treat.
It is very important not to overexcite our puppy during play times, as this increases the chances that he will lose control of his bite. Also, let's not scold if it ends up biting our hands, punishment inhibits the dog's behavior and in the long run can delay its learning. Instead, follow these step-by-step guidelines:
- When you are playing and your puppy bites, make a small pain sound and, in addition, stop playing for 2-3 minutes.
- Play with him again, and if he keeps biting, show pain again and back away from him once more. The idea is that the dog associates the bite to the end of the game.
- Keep practicing this exercise, and after a few repetitions, use the "let go" and "let" commands each time he bites, so you'll be practicing basic obedience techniques at the same time.
- At the same time, it should positively reinforce when he plays correctly with his toys when biting, so that he correctly associates what he should bite.
In addition to this little biting exercise, it will be essential to channel the puppy's stress with daily activities, adequate sleep and playtime.
The accumulated stress
All dogs, like humans, have small stress spikes during the day that must be channeled through exercise and activity. Dog stress can show up after a fight, after barking at another dog, and even due to annoyance.
A bored puppy, no matter how old he is, will do whatever it takes to expend all his accumulated energy, which can translate into a somewhat violent form when playing, whether it's wreaking havoc in the house or biting your hands when he gets close his.
Guidelines to follow:
There are several methods to reduce dog stress, such as the use of synthetic pheromones. However, to get our dog to start even by reducing his stress levels, it will be essential to follow through. some wellness advice:
- Avoid stimuli that stress the dog as much as possible. If, for example, your puppy reacts to other puppies, try to walk him during the calmest hours to prevent his stress and anxiety levels from rising.
- Positively reinforce calm and relaxed behaviors (lying down), showing calm, taking things calmly, both indoors and outdoors. You can use rewards (sweets), but the most recommendable in very stressed dogs is to use sweet words in a high pitched tone such as "very good" or "beautiful dog".
- Make your puppy exercise daily. You can use a ball or a frisbee to play with, but if you see that it excites him too much, bet on a mountain excursion or a long walk in the park.
- Even though it may surprise you, games with the sense of smell are much more tiring than physical exercise, so we advise you to play these little games and even buy an intelligence toy.
Now that you know some guidelines to apply to stressed dogs, don't hesitate to start practicing, remembering that you will start to notice a real change after a few days.
toy protection
Some dogs develop a excessive ownership in relation to the objects they consider theirs, and even in relation to some people. When this happens, it is not surprising that, during the game, the dog becomes behave aggressively if you see that you grab one of your toys, or that you bite someone or a dog that gets close to one of your toys.
Guidelines to follow:
Resource protection is a serious behavioral problem that must be worked by a professional, as a dog educator or an ethologist before the situation gets worse. We can train the "quiet" and "leave" orders in order to avoid conflicting situations, but chances are that he will need behavior modification sessions or that you will remove the toys to avoid getting into conflict.
The Predator Instinct of Dogs
Puppies still retain some of the wildest behaviors of their species, and among them we find the hunting instinct. Even the dog we consider the most tame has it, as this is something inherent to its species. This instinct is especially visible during play when they observe moving objects and living beings.
When the predator instinct turns into predator aggressiveness, it is time to assess the risk of the situation, especially if the dog starts attacking or launching itself against bicycles, children. adults or other dogs.
Guidelines to follow:
Training the basic commands with our puppy in a strict way is essential to be able to control the situation, but it is necessary to apply behavior modification sessions to work on the puppy's motivation, impulsiveness and aggression. Despite this, the problem may persist as hunting can be very motivating for him.
The use of a highly secure harness and leash in public spaces is very important and we should not allow children or strangers to play with the dog. In severe cases, the use of a muzzle may be recommended.
If you ask yourself "why my dog eats everything he sees in front of him", check out this PeritoAnimal article and know what to do.
Dog pain, frequent reason for aggression
a dog that have pain can react aggressively in various circumstances, including when playing with him. This should be one of the first options we think of if the dog has never been violent before and suddenly shows an aggressive attitude. especially when we manipulate the zone which is causing pain or if when we play with a toy, the dog may react negatively and violently.
Guidelines to follow:
Watch your dog to see if he really has pain and consult your veterinarian to rule out any illness. If you finally discover that the dog is in some pain, keep the children from bothering him and find a quiet place for him while following the instructions of the veterinarian.
aggressiveness for fear
Fear has different origins in the dog. The dog can face a situation that makes him afraid, such as an excessive noise or a new object, violently if he cannot escape to avoid conflict which is causing you anxiety. If, upon looking at the dog's body language, you have come to the conclusion that he adopts fearful postures while playing, it is possible that he is faced with a aggressiveness out of fear.
Guidelines to follow:
The first step is to identify the stimulus that causes fear: the toy itself, your hand in the air, a scream, something nearby.... It may take some time to identify what is causing fear and once you identify it, it will be easy to avoid this element and start work progressive with a coach.
the maternal instinct
A dog who has just given birth and takes care of her puppies will be more sensitive both to the presence of strangers and to that of her human family. When she's with her puppies and you try to get close, whether it's to play with her or pet her, the dog may think you want to harm her litter, and that's when the maternal aggression.
Guidelines to follow:
It is not necessary to train to approach the litter, as within a few weeks this type of behavior will end. However, if you consider this approach important, you should work gradually:
- Start by speaking in a calm, calm voice with some distance, where the bitch does not react or is overly alert.
- Prevent unknown people from getting close to her and the puppies, and prevent the children from disturbing them. The ideal is to get the dog to understand that you are just trying to protect.
- Toss, from afar, some tasty rewards.
- Start the approach slowly: one step forward, one step back as you continue to give rewards, always with a careful distance.
- Do not be invasive and train this exercise on a daily basis and, who knows, in a few days you will be able to get close to the puppies, but it is very important that the bitch allows it and is calm.
- Always reinforce, even when the bitch tolerates your presence well.
Finally, we remind you that postpartum is not the best time to play with your dog, as she will most likely refuse to return to her puppies.
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