Amongst the most feared and dangerous dog behaviors is “Biting.” Even the most aggressive dog can be trained to improve its behavior considerably. However, To successfully deal with dog biting problems, finding out how the behavior began will be necessary. The best way to get to the cause of the problem is to observe your dog. Watch how they react to different individuals (including children), situations, and other animals. Many dog owners who find themselves having to contend with dog biting problems often feel overwhelmed and end up getting rid of the dog. What you should do instead is get rid of the reason for the biting. It’s only logical that the dog will stop biting when they no longer have any reason to do so.

Aggression can be born out of fear, anger, or a combination of the two. Essentially, when your dog bites, they either react to a previous stimulus, such as a traumatic event in their life, or attempt to assert dominance over the victim of the dog bite. Aggression based on “Fear” is very common amongst dogs that another dog may have attacked. This is also the case where the dog may have suffered from physical punishment from a previous owner. “Fear” based aggression stems from your dog attempting to raise their position in their perceived ‘Pack’ (the family) or being unclear of their position in the family’s hierarchy. In both cases, it is “key” for you as the owner to re-establish yourself as the ‘Alpha/Top Dog’ (Master.) By doing this, you are triggering submissive behavior in your dog while at the same time reassuring them that you will keep them safe. Remember, dogs being” Pack” animals in nature, rely on the Alpha Male (in this case ‒ you) for guidance and safety. The truth is that this Change Doesn’t Happen Overnight.

Patience and confidence are the key factors for successfully dealing with dog biting problems. Understandably, this problem can be very frustrating for a dog owner, especially since it may pose a danger to other people and even the owner himself. But, no matter how frustrating it is, the problem CAN be solved, and that is what you need to keep in mind.