Content
- Why the Puppy Dog Bites the Owner's Foot
- Why the adult dog bites the owner's foot
- What do I do if my dog bites my feet when walking?
- inhibit the movement
- not pay attention
- Offer an alternative game
Do you have a dog that bites your feet every time you walk? It is common to observe this behavior in puppies, however, some adult dogs continue to repeat this behavior because, when young, they did not learn correctly not to do it.
You're probably annoyed because it can be really nasty to have your dog biting your feet when you walk, even literally hanging in your pants or sneakers. Therefore, in this PeritoAnimal article, we will show you the causes and guidelines that you should follow to control this unwanted behavior: Why the dog bites the owner's foot.
Why the Puppy Dog Bites the Owner's Foot
In addition to the need they have to explore everything with their mouth and relieve the pain caused by tooth growth, at this stage, there is mainly a cause that explains the reason for this behavior. Have you ever noticed that moving objects are the ones that most motivate your puppy? This is because moving elements generate a instinctive response to persecution on your furry little friend. For this reason, the movement of his feet when walking awakens his instinct and his uncontrollable desire to play, just as it does when he sees a bouncing ball. Even more so if you wear baggy pants or shoes with laces, which are movable and can be pulled, making the "joke" more fun.
So if your puppy bites your feet when you walk, it's most likely due to this exploratory behavior and chase instinct. Now, not all dogs need to perform this behavior for these reasons. A very active puppy who does not have the proper toys or does not perform the exercise he needs will certainly perform this behavior as a consequence of boredom.
Why the adult dog bites the owner's foot
The persistence of this behavior during adulthood is usually associated with a bad learning. In other words, your dog has wrongly learned that every time he bites your feet, you pay attention to him, for better or for worse, so he just has to throw himself at your feet to make you stop and focus on him. Clearly, your dog demanding attention in this way is not a good thing, as it may indicate that you have insufficient attention to him or that the education he received was inadequate.
On the other hand, an adult dog that doesn't exercise enough physical or mental exercise either will be bored and, as in the case of puppies, it can bite its owner's foot for entertainment.
What do I do if my dog bites my feet when walking?
Once you understand the cause that explains why the dog bites its owner's foot, it's time to try to remedy it. First of all, you will need to ensure that your dog do enough exercise daily and understands something about basic obedience, since, generally, this type of undesirable behavior indicates that the dog is not tired, that is, he needs more activities, physical and mental, in his daily life to stay healthy and balanced. Otherwise, the animal develops boredom and stress, which together with the lack of handling by those responsible, trigger unwanted behaviors, such as the one mentioned in this article.
As we discussed, your dog bites your feet when you walk because he is instigated by the movement. For this reason, to teach your dog not to perform this behavior, the action guidelines that you should follow are:
inhibit the movement
keep your feet still when your dog, whether puppy or adult, rushes at them. That way, your dog will find that his feet aren't that interesting as he can't play with them.
We advise you, in turn, to try not to wear clothes that he can easily pull off or shoes with laces. If not, and if he starts pulling at your clothes, try to grab them so that they stay static, preventing play. In these situations, you should never try to remove what he has inside his mouth, as this can make him understand that you want to play with him or that you want to take what he has, consequently causing him to respond with growls and develop possessive behavior. This is known as "resource protection" and it's not a good thing either, which is why it's so important to follow the guidelines we recommend, not just to address the existing problem, but to prevent new ones from arising.
not pay attention
This point is of vital importance, especially to avoid and redirect the bad learning that your dog may have done, ie, biting you to get your attention. Therefore, avoid talking to him, as he may regard this as a compliment, and do not scold him. By not giving him the attention he's looking for with this behavior, you'll make him static and uninterested, so he'll let you go.
It's possible that if you ignore your furry one, he'll try to bite you harder, so you'll pay attention to him. Even so, you must continue to act in the same way, otherwise, he may feel that he must bite you more insistently to get your attention, which would be counterproductive. If your puppy has a bad habit of biting you hard, you will need to teach him to inhibit the bite.
Offer an alternative game
Finally, just after your dog loses interest in your still feet, that is, when you're tired of nagging to no avail and therefore ignoring them, you should reward him by providing him with an alternate play with which he can redirect this behavior. This is necessary because this behavior is part of their nature.For this reason, you cannot try to eliminate it, but rather give it the opportunity to chase, bite and pull more suitable objects, like a toy, a rope, etc.
