We all know the old saying, “Dogs are man’s best friend,” but sometimes beloved dogs don’t always live up to this adage. It is very important to be aware of the underlying reasons why dogs’ behaviors are poor or unexpected.
Fortunately, experts on dog behavior maintain that man can teach his dog the best behavior through proper training. Interestingly, dogs’ behaviors are simply responses that are set off by environmental and social situations. In order to keep these responses in check, the owner, or pet companion, needs to train his dogs the appropriate responses to the environmental and social factors.
Why do dogs bite?
According to statistics, dog bites affect 5 million people in the United States each year. This is alarming because 5 million people is almost 2% of the total U.S. population. Additionally, dog bites are the second most common cause of emergencies in U.S. hospitals.
The logical question is: Why do dogs bite?
According to dog behavior experts, the major reasons why dogs may bite are the following:
1. Excitement
Dogs get excited when somebody plays with them, and since they don’t have hands to play with, they use their mouths to hold grab at things. Dogs can “grab” too tightly with their mouths and accidentally hurt people.
2. Protection
Dogs that are very possessive will bite someone that tries to take away something that is important to him. It is in the dog’s nature to bite someone to make the person leave his belongings alone.
3. Pain
A dog does not understand why he is feeling poorly when he is ill, so when someone touches him when he is sick, he may think that the person is hurting him and it is his natural reaction to retaliate by biting.
4. Fear
Dogs feel fear too! When a dog is startled by someone, the dog responds by biting to protect himself.
How can I avoid dog bites?
The best way to avoid dog bites is common sense: avoid the major reasons why dogs bite! Don’t tease and startle your dog. Avoid touching your dog when he is in pain. Don’t play roughly with your dog. .
We need to remember that dogs have feelings just like we do. When the feelings are mixed up, their tendency is to protect themselves and bite because they can’t think the situation through as a human might. We need to keep this in mind to avoid dog bites.
This proves that it really pays to know everything!