The question always asked is; “Why did the dog bite”? That question would require a full lecture series to explain. All animals, not only dogs, have hundreds of reasons for biting. The hardest part of this question to answer is to know what exactly occurred at the time of the bite.

Children, usually, are generally the ones bitten. Most kids are carefree, loving and trusting but too much trust and love, more times than not, will get them bitten and unfortunately sometimes severally injured resulting in death. It is vital that you instruct your children in the following techniques to help prevent these types of problems.

First.

Make it mandatory that your child asks you, or the child caregiver, for permission to approach ANY dog. Along with your permission comes the permission from the approaching dogs owner or handler. If the owner or handler are not immediately available, avoid any contact with the dog if possible.

Second.

Teach your child that he or she should always approach the dog slowly and offer their hand, palm up, for the dog to sniff. Depending on the size and age of the dog, your child may possibly need to squat down to bring himself or herself to the dogs level. Some dogs will perceive height as a show of dominance and react instinctively.

Third.

Understand that dogs will view a pat on the head as a threat. Instruct your child to scratch the dog under the chin instead, this is perceived as a friendly or relaxing type of gesture.

Finally, teach your child never to pick up, hug (squeeze) a dog or stare directly into its eyes. Once again, the dog will more than likely perceive these actions as threatening. Have your children speak in a soft, gentle voice and avoid prolonged direct eye contact. These actions will help these dogs see the child in a more favorable manner, instead of threatening or intimidating.

A Threat Still Exists….

A mistake made by most people, including protective parents, is to trust a dog that seems to be well-behaved. Any dog can be well trained but if the dog has not had the proper dog training in regards to proper socialization, the risk to be bitten exists.

What To Do If Your Child Is Bitten….

What if, despite your best efforts and control, a dog does bite your child? The very first thing you should do is wash the bite immediately with soap and water. Make no haste in contacting your child’s pediatrician, unless it’s only a scratch, and as soon as possible notify dog’s owner to let them know what occurred.

If you do not know who owns the dog, make every attempt to find out. Follow the dog home if necessary. This is especially important if the dog is acting like its unhealthy. Rabies is more prevalent in some areas than others, but its a reality and needs to be considered.

Once a doctor or other health professional gets involved, they are required by law to notify the local animal control agency or law enforcement agency. The dog will probably be quarantined for ten days. Usually this is done under house arrest. However, some states may require the dog to be kenneled at the animal control or veterinary facility for rabies observation.

The question always asked is; “Why did the dog bite”? That
question would require a full lecture series to explain. All
animals, not only dogs, have hundreds of reasons for biting.
The hardest part of this question to answer is to know what
exactly occurred at the time of the bite.

Coming when called is a vital skill that every dog must learn, both for its own safety and that of those around it. A disobedient dog that refuses to come when called could easily be hit by a car, get into a fight with another dog, or suffer a variety of other bad experiences. A well trained dog that comes when called can safely be taken out to play in the local park, at the beach, on the hiking trail, or anywhere else the owner and dog may wish to go.

Basic training to come when called is relatively easy and straightforward, and involves providing praise, treats and other perks when the dog does as his owner wants. After these basic come when called training exercises are mastered, there are a number of fun exercises that can be introduced to challenge the dog and pique its interest.

Making training into a fun game is one of the best ways to motivate dog and handler alike. It is easy for training sessions to become routine and boring, and it is important to keep them from degenerating into this state.

Before beginning any food based training exercise, it is important to make sure that the dog is properly motivated and ready to respond to treat based training. Testing the dog is simply a matter of taking a piece of his regular food and waving it in front of the dog’s nose. If the dog shows great enthusiasm for the food, it is ready to start the training. If not, it is best to wait until the dog is in a more receptive mood.

The treats that work best for treat based training games like hide and seek are cut up quarter inch or smaller pieces of chicken, cheese or liver. In other words, something your dog will love. It is best to use very small pieces to avoid overfeeding the dog during he training sessions.

One great game for you and another family member or friend to play with your dog is simply back and forth recall. This is a great exercise for teaching your dog to come whenever it is called by a member of the family. Dogs often learn to only respond to one person, and this can be a problem when other people are watching the dog. That is one reason why professional dog trainers always insist on working with the owner as well as the dog. A well trained dog must learn to respond to whoever is in charge, not just the owner or usual handler.

In the back and forth recall game, two or more people stand approximately ten yards apart, in a safe place like a fenced in yard. One person calls the dog and asks him to sit and say until another person asks the dog to come. When the dog responds to the command to come, it is rewarded with a treat. Most dogs respond wonderfully to this exercise and love playing this game. When playing the back and forth recall game, it is important that only the person who called the dog be allowed to give the dog a treat.

After the dog has mastered the back and forth recall game, the humans in the game can start to spread further out, thus turning the back and forth recall game into a fun game of hide and seek. The hide and seek game starts with two or more people in the center room of the house. Every time they call the dog to come, they spread out further away from where they started. As the game continues, one person will be at one end of the house, while another may be at the opposite end. What makes the hide and seek game so much fun for the dog is that he must seek out the person to get the treat, instead of simply running up to a person in plain sight. This type of seeking behavior appeals to many of the dog’s natural instincts. After all, dogs are naturally hunting animals, and seeking out food is second nature to them.

Coming when called is a vital skill that every dog must
learn, both for its own safety and that of those around it.
A disobedient dog that refuses to come when called could
easily be hit by a car, get into a fight with another dog,
or suffer a variety of other bad experiences. A well
trained dog that comes when called can safely be taken out
to play in the local park, at the beach, on the hiking
trail, or anywhere else the owner and dog may wish to go.

Tell me, does this describe you? Puppy chewing is making your dream of having a happy, obedient dog into a nightmare of dog chewing problems as your belongings are shredded into a million little pieces. Don’t despair. You can stop puppy chewing by learning some dog training basics.

You Need To Understand Why Puppies Chew On Things

If you’ve ever been around a human baby, you know that they learn about their surroundings by putting everything in their mouths. A puppy is no different. Puppies chew on chair legs, shoes, and whatever they can get hold of. This is normal behavior, but that doesn’t mean it’s not destructive chewing.

Also like human babies, puppies chew on things because they’re teething. When a dog chews, endorphins are released. These chemicals soothe your puppy and make his sore gums feel better.

The Do’s Of Dog Training Basics For Puppies

Puppies don’t automatically outgrow chewing on everything. It’s up to you as a dog owner to train him to stop puppy chewing on things that don’t belong to him.

You can prevent dog chewing problems by putting things away. Don’t leave out eyeglasses, shoes, or the tv remote where he can get them. Put the trash in a closet, and move plants to a safe place. Pick up throw rugs, socks, and anything else he’s tempted to chew on.

Make furniture and things you can’t move taste bad to your puppy by spraying them with a bitter-tasting substance. These sprays, available at pet stores, are very effective at stopping destructive chewing.

Provide lots of chew toys. Only give him two or three at a time so he can learn that they belong to him. If he starts chewing on something off-limits, say “drop-it” and make a noise to startle him into dropping the object. Immediately give him one of his chew toys and praise him when he puts it in his mouth. This teaches him two things; he’s learning the “drop-it” command, and he’s also learning what things he should and should chew on.

Your puppy needs a couple of hours of vigorous exercise every day. Take him out and play with him. Don’t miss training opportunities during this play time. A young puppy can’t concentrate for long, but taking advantage of thirty seconds here and there to work on basic commands lays a good foundation for training.

Keep an eye on your new friend. If you’re busy and can’t watch him, put him on his leash and tie it to your belt. Make sure he has something to play with. Now he can’t wander off and get into mischief if you turn your back for a minute.

When you leave the house, confine your puppy to one area, either in his crate, or by using a wire-reinforced puppy gate.

What Not To Do When Dealing With Dog Chewing Problems

Don’t confuse your puppy by giving him old shoes or socks or towels to chew on. He can’t tell the difference between an old worn out running shoe and the ones you just paid $150 for yesterday. The boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable things to chew on must be very clear.

Avoid leaving him tied up outside all the time. Your puppy needs to spend lots of time with you, so he can learn what you expect from him. He can’t do this if he’s always in a puppy-proof environment.

Unless you catch him the act of destructive chewing, don’t punish him. He can’t understand that you’re angry about what he did three hours ago. You might think he’s acting guilty, but what’s really happening is that he’s scared and threatened by you being angry and upset. The guilty-looking behavior is actually a submissive posture that has nothing to do with being caught misbehaving.

You can see that it’s very easy to do the wrong thing when trying to stop puppy chewing. The best way to train your puppy correctly is to make the investment in a well-recommended dog training course right now.

If you need to know how to stop puppy chewing now, you need
to learn about the do’s and don’ts of dog training basics.
Discover how to end destructive chewing problems in puppies.