Reasons Why Dogs Bite Owners: Understanding the Causes

All instances of dogs biting humans essentially stem from the same root cause. When a dog bites, it's akin to a human saying, "Back off, don't touch me or my belongings." But why doesn't a dog just communicate properly instead of resorting to biting? Before resorting to a bite, a dog usually issues a series of more subtle warnings. These warnings escalate from mild to severe: from a皱nose and bared teeth to a low growl, then to barking, and finally to biting. Often, these initial warnings are overlooked due to their subtlety or lack of harm to humans, forcing the dog to escalate to the most extreme form of warning—biting.

Most of the time, when a person is bitten, their first instinct is to pull away, which is exactly what the dog is aiming for. This teaches the dog that other forms of warning are ineffective, and a bite is the only way to get the person to leave. This is how the habit of biting is formed.

A third piece of advice is to remain still. This training requires a strong mental fortitude on the owner's part and can be dangerous, so it's crucial to handle it with precision. Without professional guidance, it's advisable not to attempt this training lightly.

Here's a brief overview of the training principles and methods: With selfprotection in mind, intentionally provoke the dog to bite, such as by reaching for the food bowl it's guarding. When the dog bites, do not retreat but stay still. This will make the dog feel cornered and defeated.

Once the dog calms down and stops biting, immediately reward it by returning the food bowl and perhaps adding a treat. Through this training, the dog learns a new lesson: biting is unnecessary because the owner will take the bowl and return it, often with an extra treat.

However, this training only addresses the symptom, not the root cause.

The fourth piece of advice is to become a qualified alpha dog. Many times, dogs say "back off, don't touch me or my belongings" because they perceive themselves as the alpha. If the owner can embody the role of an alpha dog in the eyes of the dog, then when the owner reaches for the dog's food bowl, the dog won't have any intention of driving them away, as in the dog's mind, all resources in the world belong to the alpha.

This is the root of the solution. Only by addressing both the symptoms and the root cause, through careful observation and listening to the dog's body language, can we reduce the frequency of dogs biting humans to the lowest possible level.