There are few breeds of dogs that inspire more fear in people than Pit Bulls. For this reason it is extremely important to know how to stop Pit Bulls from biting. There are other reasons as well. There are possibly only six other breeds that have more crushing power in their jaws than Pit Bulls.
Pitties have been used historically as fighting dogs, so have gained an undeserved reputation for being aggressive. The truth is that any individual dog of any breed can be a biter. It can be very stressful trying to figure out what it takes to control that behavior. If your dog bites, no matter how old they are, take action quickly to stop it.
Stop Dog Biting With Pit Bull Puppies
Puppies are very playful, but sometimes they can get too rowdy and start nipping and biting. In order to stop Pit Bull puppy biting, you’ll have to learn how to read your dog’s cues and how to correct them properly.
I know this is an important issue for you as an owner, because you want to be able to enjoy your puppy and bond with them. However, if they’re biting you all the time, then it’s kind of hard to do that.
The good news is, it’s pretty easy to stop Pit Bull biting when your “best friend” is just a pup.
Stop Pit Bull Biting with Command
Give a “No!” command. Puppies love to play. But they can sense when you are scolding them. Then your Pit Bull puppy starts to bite, just give them a stern “no!” Make sure you do it in a calm, relaxed demeanor. This shows the puppy that you are the “pack leader” or “Alpha” of the group. When you say this command, stop all playing and focus on the puppy. Then continue playing as usual.
Stop Pit Bull Biting with Toys
Show them that your hand is NOT a toy. This is another big mistake folks make. It’s pretty easy to start playing with your dog by using your hand. This is what you should NEVER do it you want to stop your Pitbull puppy from nipping or biting. Instead, use toys as a “buffer” between you and your hand. This way, your dog will learn that your hand is NOT a toy. If you do end up using your hand for play or rough-housing, your dog may equate that hand=toy and it’s okay to bite down.
Stop Pit Bull to Be Dominant
It’s always fun to get down on all fours and play with your Pitbull. This is normal and your puppy will love it too. But sometimes playing like this can let them think of you as another dog, or equal – instead of you being the dominant one. This can lead to them trying to be the dominant one and biting more often. To solve this problem, make sure you keep yourself “taller” than your dog when playing on all fours. It’s in a dog’s natural instinct to respect height.
Also, if you see things getting out of control, tone the energy down. If you notice that your dog tends to bite more when he’s all wound up, then stop rough-housing like that. Next time keep the energy of playtime a little lower and see what happens.
Start With The Puppies
The best and most important time to recognize biting tendencies and to stop it is when the dog is a puppy. Puppies under six months of age are more easily trainable than older dogs because they have not yet become set in their ways. Dogs past this age may be more difficult to teach, but are still very trainable.
A big mistake made here is believing that your puppy is merely playing or teething and not really trying to hurt anyone. The truth is that what is really happening is that your puppy is using her teeth to assert dominance in the pack. If you want to know how to stop Pit Bulls from biting, a good place to start is is by learning how to get puppies to stop biting while they are still very teachable.
To stop your puppy from biting it is best to mimic how the puppy would be treated with its litter mates and mother. Among the effective techniques in curbing puppy biting are: a light nip on the neck, a whining noise when you are bitten, and diversion where you direct the pup’s attention to a toy instead of your fingers. If these techniques don’t seem to work, you should consider going to an obedience school or hiring a trainer.
Stopping Biting Over Six Months Old
If puppy biting is not eliminated and the biting behavior is allowed to continue past six months of age the older dog will continue asserting her position in the pack through play biting. This usually happens around one year of age. Factors that can contribute to this behavior include physical games, wrestling, tug of war, and other dominance related games. These games should stop being played immediately.
Along with the stopping of dominance games, general range of motion should be enforced. Restrict access to certain parts of the house. Crate boundaries. Show your dog that you are the alpha leader in the household. Crate train if necessary. A good obedience training program should be considered.
How to Stop Older Dogs from Biting
It is heard quite often, loosely, that a dog “turns” on their owner. The reality is that the dog is just being herself because she has been unwittingly allowed to assume leadership status in the home. This is a problem. If this happens after your dog is over a year old, it is time to call in the pro’s. Once your pit bull, or any dog, assumes dominance in the home, there is always the possibility of a dominance related attack.
So you see that it is important to learn how to stop Pit Bulls from biting, and it should be done while the dog is quite young. Except for disease or mental disorder, dogs who bite as adults could have had their tendencies resolved as puppies.
So there you have it. If you are serious about learning how to stop Pit Bull biting, then just follow the easy tips outlined here.
Give your Pitbull a firm but calm “No!” Always use a toy as an intermediary between your hand and your puppy. This will show them that your hand isn’t a toy to be bitten.
And finally, keep the energy level under control and maintain your dominance at all times so your new “best friend” can bond with you and lead a happy and fun life!