i was talking to leila today about biting dogs...
Carol · Mar. 21, 2011
it was an interesting conversation.
i just don't have an issue with dogs who bite for a reason. if they were running around like maniacs and looking for someone to bite for no reason..i would have an issue with that tho.
and their reasons do not have to be something i actually agree with. i just want to know why they think they need to bite and then i don't do what pisses them off.
and i don't even really care how hard they bite..i am more interested in how many times in succession they will bite. once tells me they want me to stop doing whatever i am doing...twice might be just a too enthusiastic warning...three or more times in a row, is a bit over the top in my book of acceptable reactions.
make your point if you have to but lets not go overboard.
we have a lot of biters here that pretty much don't bite anymore. but they could if we had kept on pushing their buttons. the longer that they can go WITHOUT biting...the more not biting becomes a habit.
we use muzzles if we absolutely have to do something that we know is going to piss them off. it is no big deal. if they are going to even think about biting...we take that decision right out of their mouths. sorry buddy, you are getting bathed or groomed or your nails are being trimmed or you are going to get checked out at the vets...and we will keep you safe from being a dick head and making someone bleed.
if like blue they bite cuz their back end is sore...we don't touch their back end. but if we had to lift him for some reason...we first would put a muzzle on him. if they bite like phoebe does because she is protecting her space. we don't let her go into spaces that she might want to protect...unless it is her closet..thats hers..she can protect it all she wants and we just don't go in there with her.
if they bite like jesse does..from some weird broken part of his messed up brain. we keep people he doesn't love away from touching him..he can only be safely touched all the time by those that he loves and trusts.
if like reggie they bite over toys..either they cannot have toys or they can only have them in their own private rooms.
if they bite like lucky does....small little children in puffy winter jackets that smell and feel in her blind big mouth, like puffy dog toys...we don't let kids wearing down filled winter jackets near her..learning that one was a bit of a surprize!
most dogs bite for a reason..in lucky's case..mistaken identity...in blue's case, pain: phoebe is a selfish real estate hag, and jesse must have in the distant past, been dropped on his head.
figure out the reason behind them sticking their teeth into a human and then prevent that opportunity from happening and everyone gets along fine.
each time they successfully bite...makes the next time easier. we learn to know and read our dogs really well so biting just is not an issue for them ever again...unless we get stupid and suddenly forget...then we might get reminded.
I like the way you view biting.
My German Shepherd was very gentle and she never bit anyone. I think if we love our animals, we have to understnad why they do what they do and work with them. My experience is that it works.