Content
- The importance of education
- What can trigger a dog's violence?
- What to do to resolve the situation?
- With the dog:
- With the child:
From the moment you decide to adopt a pet, it is necessary to have clear rules that will govern the puppy's behavior and the behaviors that will be allowed, to avoid unwanted situations and problems with other family members or the visits they receive at home.
The puppy wanting to bite the child at home is usually a frequent problem among dog owners, but it should be corrected to avoid accidents with the children and maintain harmony at home. Therefore, in this article by PeritoAnimal we will explain to you what to do if your dog wants to bite your child, with some advice that will help you to reverse this situation.
The importance of education
Educating your dog since puppy in the treatment and relationship it should have with family members is essential to develop an affective bond free of rancor and to prevent the pet from becoming a problem.
However, when we talk about puppy education we often forget that it is also necessary. teach children from home to treat the animal, not only taking care of it but also respecting it and giving it its space, avoiding being a cause of persecution for the animal.
This is often difficult to understand for many children because see the dog as a toy, large or small, who is able to move and respond to the stimuli they provide. This is usually one of the main causes of a family dog suddenly biting or attacking the child at home, as the animal's patience runs out in the face of the little one's uncomfortable behavior.
It is important to note that this type of behavior is never the animal's fault, it has to do with a normal reaction to something they consider a threat (the child sticks glue or takes your food, for example), or with a dominant behavior that was not corrected in time and starts to be uncomfortable only when there are children at home.
Also, remember that a dog that spends days tied to a chain, has some pain or discomfort, among other factors, will become hostile to its surroundings, in an attempt to protect itself from possible aggressors, including when it comes to their owners.
It may also happen that they are the puppy's teeth coming out, something that causes pain and discomfort. When this happens, we must teach our dog to bite the toys and teethers that you have at your fingertips, congratulating you positively when you do.
What can trigger a dog's violence?
In addition to behavior caused by the pain of teething, the dog can bite "violently" for a few reasons. Before knowing what to do about this type of behavior, you should know the factors that may be triggering this attitude:
- Jealousy. Perhaps your dog was once the center of attention and, since the child is at home, you have become careless and put him in the background. Therefore, he feels sad and is trying to defend himself from that invader of his territory.
- inappropriate games. It is possible that your child, when playing, rolls on the ground with the dog or imitates a "fight" by measuring your strength with it. If the animal wins several times, this will make it feel superior to the child, so you can try to submit it to your will in another way, such as biting it.
- the dog is a toy. If you are one of the people who allow children to treat the dog as a toy, bothering him while he sleeps, putting glue on him or interrupting his eating time, it is very likely that the animal will try to put the children in their place to get rid of it. of this situation.
- lack of education. You have not trained your puppy in cordial treatment with the family and socialization, so the animal's reactions become unpredictable.
- Hugs. In canine language, hugs can be interpreted as a threat, and it is very likely that the dog will react violently if the child tries to show affection in this way.
- Mistreatment. If your puppy is tied to a chain all day, is poorly fed or is being mistreated, how do you want him to treat your children well?
- Fear. It is possible for your child to run screaming around the house or garden and make noise with their games, making the animal nervous.
- grunts. Your child may try to play with the dog by imitating his grunts and showing his teeth, but these signs will be misinterpreted by the dog, as the animal will not understand that it is a game.
What to do to resolve the situation?
With the dog:
- First of all, do not be afraid of the dog. It's a puppy, it won't hurt anyone, except for small bites.
- If biting or trying to bite your child, first make sure it's not a game, and if you see it as a negative attitude refer to a canine educator or ethologist. Just as you would take your child to a professional if necessary, you should do the same with your puppy.
- Never use violence to try to teach you something.
- In case of jealousy, try spend more time with the animal, enjoying rides and games with him. You should include him in your daily routine, teach him obedience, carry out activities and give him a role,
- Teach your puppy the "quiet" order to understand when it's enough and to stop a behavior.
- have the up-to-date vaccines, to avoid possible illnesses in case of a bite.
With the child:
- teach you to respect the animal's space. Educate him to stop thinking it's fun to hurt the dog, bother him when he's sleeping, or touch his food. You must understand that this is a living being who feels and can rage when disturbed.
- do not allow the wild games. Teach him to be affectionate, respectful, calm and pleasant with the dog.
- Do not allow the dog to take the ball or any toy he is using. Dogs that suffer from resource protection can respond very negatively.
- The child should expect the dog to approach him for company, not the other way around. When the puppy approaches, it is best to allow him to smell his hand before taking the next step.
- Never let her pet unknown animals.
- Do not pet the dog over the head, tail or paws, opt for the face or neck.
- Avoid running and screaming around the animal.
Remember of Always supervise the interaction between your child and your dog to detect possible negative behaviors in either of the two. Making them get along is very easy, you just have to educate each one to respect the other's space.
