Many small dogs set the rules in their home because they have discovered that lots of people are threatened by their biting and snapping gestures. These pets frequently wield this power with a vengeance because many owners often encourage and reward this offensive behavior. No dog should ever be allowed to demonstrate this aggressive challenge in a home and go unpunished.

Puppies have a strong instinctive need to bite and chew and as long as this does not involve biting and chewing on people it is easy to correct. One of the easiest ways to curb this puppy behavior is to give them a chew toy or rawhide bone. If the puppy leaves this chewing object and begins to gnaw on furniture, papers or sofa cushions you need to stop him at once and discipline him on the spot.

It will not take your puppy long to figure out that all chewing must involve the toy that he was given. You can encourage his appreciation for a chew toy by making it part of the games that you play with your pet and praising him when you notice him using it to satisfy his chewing instinct.

An adult dog that bites is another problem altogether and to stop dog biting displays in these animals is a Herculean task.  Often, there is an incident in the dog’s past that has played a contributory role. For instance, it may have been abused by a certain type of person dressed in a big hat. In this instance the dog may likely try to bite anyone wearing a big hat because this object of clothing might be what the dog associates with the abuse.

These animals can be retrained but it is a long, difficult process. Sometimes a dog that is trying to bite is acting out of fear or perhaps it has just never been properly socialized and taught which behaviors are acceptable. You may be able to use a muzzle to help your dog understand that biting, growling and snapping are not going to be tolerated, but they are fairly ineffective at correcting the behavior and only serve to prevent an actual biting attack from taking place.

Whether you are dealing with a puppy’s immature nature and instinctive tendency to bite and chew on all available objects, or a grown dog that bites, it is imperative that you stop dog biting before it is too late.  A dog that will bite or nip is not controlled and they may turn and inflict serious injuries on you, your children or even a stranger that is walking down the street.

Proper training may help put an end to this serious behavior problem, but occasionally there may be an animal with aggressive instincts so strong that all stop dog biting methods are rendered useless. These dogs often have to be euthanized for safety reasons.

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Taking the necessary steps to stop dog biting will prevent this behavioral problem from becoming an issue for you and your pet. The training should begin as soon as you bring your new dog home. Discourage your pet from chewing on your fingers or clothing. Do not play games that encourage your dog to sink his teeth into an object while you playfully shake and pull the object away from him.

This type of activity gives a tacit approval of aggressive actions to your young dog and it can be difficult to correct in the future. Proper training that includes appropriate rewards and punishments will teach your dog the correct behaviors and will lessen the likelihood that you will end up in court because your dog bit someone.