Friday, September 21, 2007

Why Dogs Bite


Why do Dogs Bite?The underlying reason dogs bite is to assert their authority.When they are first born, deaf blind, and premature, their only scent is smell. They smell mother and are totally dependent on her for warmth and nutrition. As the little ones mature, their sight and hearing develops and they become more independent. They learn at an early age that there is competition (other puppies) and they themselves are quite selfish, ie, would take all mothers milk and let siblings starve. Mother will monitor this and correct that behavior. She does this by biting them gently in the neck. This immediately signals the puppy to go into submission and the behavior is corrected. They recognize the mother as their supreme leader and the boss and will follow her each and every wish. As the pups mature and are weaned from mother, they are looking for a new leader. This must be a strong person that sets rules and boundaries with authority and the dog will happily comply with those and live a happy life. If the dog is not given rules and boundaries, it will take it upon itself to make the rules and it will become the supreme leader by default. It will enforce its rule by biting, just as Mother did. The key here is to never let the dog think it is #1. Humans always #1, dogs #2. Humans walk ahead of the dog, not the dog ahead of human. Human goes through the door first, dog follows. Human decides when to eat , when to play and when to give affection. Affection > always given in a calm submissive state. Exercise, disciple, then affection. For additional discussion on this consider viewing a book by Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer
Posted by Burgs at 7:33 AM