With more than 4.5 million dog bites in the U.S. each year, it’s a wonder that dogs are still considered man’s best friend. But, given that there are 89.7 million dogs overall, the actual number of bites is quite low. Still, if you find yourself the proud owner of a new puppy, you’ll want to learn about preventing aggression in puppies so they are less likely to become one of those dog bite statistics. These tips should help you train your puppy to be unaggressive.
Don’t Ignore Aggressive Behavior
You may be tempted to minimize aggressive behaviors in puppies because you think they might outgrow it or you think it’s kind of cute at first. But, if you ignore aggressive behaviors when they’re young, puppies will become dogs who think aggressiveness is acceptable.
However, there could be a valid reason why your puppy is showing aggression. Perhaps it feels threatened by another animal or person. Maybe it’s protecting its food or even its owner. There are many reasons why a dog might become aggressive, so it’s important for you to determine the cause so you can correct the behavior.
This all said, biting is very normal for puppies. Not all bites are a form of aggression. In fact, it’s how they communicate with each other when they’re first born. If you’ve ever seen puppies around 5 weeks old together, they’re all biting each other. They bite until the victim yelps, then they stop. In this article about stopping German Shepherd puppies from biting, the trainer points out that holding still and letting out an “owww” sound will immediately get a pup to stop biting you. They’ll realize the sensitivity level of your skin and respect it naturally as most dogs have no desire to hurt you.
Acclimate Your Puppy to Being Handled
Many dogs become aggressive because they don’t understand why a person is petting, cuddling, or otherwise touching them. Much of this stems from not being acclimated to those conditions when they were puppies. Socializing your puppy from an early age will get them used to being around people and getting pets and cuddles.
Be sure no one bothers your puppy while it’s sleeping or eating. These are two times when a puppy might get scared or protective and become appropriately aggressive. Your dog needs personal time to eat and sleep, so keep a special place for it to do these things safely.
Stop Aggressive Behaviors Immediately
Of course, an adult dog who bites someone often results in that person contacting an injury lawyer. If your puppy exhibits aggressive behaviors like biting while being petted or cuddled, be sure to address the behavior immediately and consistently. Redirect the puppy’s behavior by giving them a toy or other appropriate item to chew on. If your puppy gets too rough during playtime, stop the activity as soon as the aggression occurs and allow the puppy to rest.
Do not punish your puppy for being aggressive. There is a reason why it’s behaving the way it is and often that reason is fear, tiredness, or protectiveness. You don’t want to punish these feelings out of the dog, but you do want them to only appear when something is truly threatening them or you.
Instead, reward your puppy for the right behaviors at the right times. For example, if the puppy allows someone else to pet it without becoming aggressive or doesn’t bite your hands while you’re playing, praise the puppy and give it a treat. This will help reinforce the behaviors you want from your puppy and the poor behaviors will fall by the wayside.
Conclusion
You can raise a puppy to be unaggressive, but it takes time and training. Be consistent with your praise and distract your puppy from aggressive behaviors every time until it becomes second nature.
