While dog bites can happen for many reasons, most young dogs bite because they are scared of being aggressive. Just like people, dogs can inherit a tendency to feel anxious, but their surroundings, experiences, and breed also matter. This can result in fearful puppies who react aggressively to things that frighten them.
Lack of socialization raises the chance of all kinds of aggression later on. Timid puppies and dogs that have not interacted with other dogs often manage well until their first fight, which usually occurs from fear or accidental harm during rough play.
As a result, timid dogs can deliver hard and harmful bites because they have never been taught to control and soften their bite.
When dogs feel afraid, they trigger a natural «fight or flight» reaction, and if your puppy cannot get away from what frightens him, he quickly turns to nibbling.
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Fear bites happen because the dog thinks this is the way to escape the situation, causing such panic that he cannot think clearly.
When aggressive actions make the frightening «thing» disappear, the puppy discovers that being aggressive works and repeats it again and again.
Fear-based aggression inflicts serious harm on the victim because the biting puppy typically has not been well socialized and doesn’t know how to soften his bite. These dogs do not fight with other dogs for dominance, and punishing them with harsh physical or verbal reprimands will only make the situation worse.
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How dogs behave when they are afraid
Fearful dogs display replacement behaviors such as licking or chewing, sniffing, lip licking, and farting. Common vocalizations include growls mixed with howls.
Body language includes the whale eye, showing the whites of the eyes in an exaggerated sideways glance. And ultimately, the final gestures are squatting or rolling onto your back with quiet urination.
Most normal dogs tolerate a dog’s length and a half (their own length) before becoming uncomfortable. A fearful dog’s range of sensitivity can be much greater and if another dog or person approaches this range, it will attack.
Crate aggression occurs when a dog has no room to move away from outstretched hands when the crate is opened and so defends his space with growls and teeth.
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How to cure the fear of aggression
Shy children can always have the problem of being fearful. But you can learn to recognize the signs and avoid situations that might make your dog react with fear. Here are ways to dispel fear.
- Don’t watch it. Strong eye contact signals dominance and increases intimidation.
- Use your puppy’s speech to calm him. He looks far away and pretends to be
- Note the distance at which the frightened puppy becomes agitated and maintain this distance whenever possible.
- Avoid aggression in the crate or pen by opening the door and taking a few steps back, using a good treat to entice the dog to come out on his own.
- Avoid touching them zgarda. This almost always results in a bite.
- Avoid petting the top of his head, because a hand reaching down seems threatening and makes the fear worse. Instead, pet the puppy’s sides or chest.
- Practice small obedience training exercises to increase the confidence of fearful dogs.
- Use the concept «nothing in life is free» to teach your puppy that he has to «pay» for everything. Once he recognizes that you are the «boss»—the one who makes decisions for him too—much of the fear will disappear.
- Create a home full of abundance for the puppy. Give them plenty toys AND APPETIZERS to reduce competition with other dogs for treats.
- Play builds trust. Teach him to play «get the toy», but avoid «toy war» type games with dogs who tend to bite, so as not to encourage this behavior.
- The original Bach flower remedy drops, Rescue Remedy, available in Plafar stores, can help shy and fearful pets. Add a few drops to your dog’s water. It won’t hurt other pets to drink it either.
- You can also use vaporizers that use pheromones (e.g. Adaptil). Canine calming pheromones are secreted into the mammary glands of all lactating females and have the function of calming the puppy. These pheromones have the role of calming puppies in times of stress.
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