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How to Stop Your dog From Biting

Claims against dog owners who's animals have bitten someone are over 4 million a year in the United States alone.

In all these cases, the dog may be at fault, or may have been taunted or provoked into biting, whichever the case, it is the owner who pays.

The dog owner is the one who becomes responsible for medical bills and compensation of the victim.

It is the dog owners who should assume responsibility for protecting other against their dog but also they are responsible for protecting their animal from others. There are many occasions where a dog may bite or scratch as an automatic and instinctive reaction provoked by a certain situation. For example, the dog might be startled by a screaming child running up to it or mauling it. The animal may feel threatened by the aggression of a passer by or may even attempt to protect its owner as it confuses horseplay for a genuine attack.
Whatever the motive, it is socially unacceptable for your dog to bite anyone, ever and yet it is a fundamental part of their basic instinct.

Fortunately there are several things that can be done to significantly minimize the risk of anyone getting hurt.

- Firstly, if your dog is prone to being provoked and biting then when out in public it should be muzzled. This may seem cruel to some but most dogs will adapt quickly. In some countries this practice is now obliged by the law.

- You can train your dog to get used to a wide variety of people and social situations, this is known as socializing your dog. This will get them used to people and make them less likely to become frightened and nervous thus minimizing the tendency to snap out.

- Train your Dog... This may sound obvious, but to undergo a thorough training process with your dog will completely change its character and the dog will become much more obedient and loyal. This is in a dogs natural character as in the wild pack the dogs live to please the leader of the pack (in a domestic situation it is you who should be the leader (See the Article, Showing your Dog Who's Boss).

It is very important that you chooses the right training methods and that your whole family adopt these methods. Once the dog is trained then it will be much less likely to bite. There are several online resources, videos and books available to train your dog. You can find a list of the best ones here: http://DogTrainingBook.net

- Get your dog spayed or neutered. This will make your dog less aggressive and should also make it less likely to stray from home.

- Be responsible and take extra care when your dog is around children. Children can very easily startle your dog. Try and keep the dog away from children and if it is on a leash then keep it tight when there are children around just to be sure there is no mishap.

- This may be included under the training section but, never teach your dog to chase... not people, animals or vehicles. The chasing absorbs the dog and though they enjoy it they sometimes get confused and have difficulty in differentiating between when it is acceptable or not to chase.

These few guidelines should help you to maintain your dog happy and socially acceptable. Naturally dogs live to please, teach your dog the rules and you will both be better off.