Dogs are naturally inclined to protect themselves using their fangs, especially before their era of domestication.
However, now that more attention is given to keeping them as pets, pet owners would like to inhibit their biting tendency traits for the safety of both the dogs and the people surrounding them.
You can train your dog to be less prone to biting with classical conditioning.
But how about deaf dogs, poor canines that lack in the sense of hearing department.
This post will reveal nine biting inhibition tips that can help pet owners suppress their dog’s biting tendencies.
Before getting into the juices of this post’s topic, why do dogs even bite?
What are the underlying reasons or circumstances that trigger biting?
Keep on reading below.
Why Do Dogs Bite?
As mentioned above, dogs’ primary tool to protect themselves are their fangs or, more correctly, their canines in protecting themselves.
That being said, the following are the reasons behind the reasons dogs bite:
Fear
Humans are not the only ones that feel this emotion, even our dogs.
And when dogs are placed in a scenario that scares them, their primary instinct is to be alert of their surroundings, get their teeth out, and bite when there is an opportunity.
Whether it is another dog, another animal, or a person that causes the fear, dogs will not have second thoughts biting when push comes to shove.
Possessiveness
Dogs are very territorial.
They pee so much on every corner, especially when you walk them outside because they are marking their territory.
When they have acclimated to a location and marked it as theirs, they become very attached to the point of aggression if someone tries to invade it.
It is another cause for biting. When a human or another dog barges into territories of untrained dogs, they can be very aggressive.
It is as if you are challenging their position as owners of the lot.
Pain
Do you know how people react aggressively when someone accidentally hits a painful area in their body?
Dogs do the same thing as well.
However, the way they react is more likely to be a bite than a shriek of pain.
Even the friendliest of dogs can have this tendency if you are not careful about handling them.
Maternal instincts
It is no longer new to seasoned pet owners.
Dogs, especially first-time parents, are overprotective of their children.
Who can blame them?
No one would want any suspicious and scary entity getting near their cute little puppy angels.
That being said, if they are not well-trained in the idea of having people near their offspring, they can be aggressive.
Even simply being near them can incite aggression despite having no intent to get near their children.
Be extra careful because dogs will go above and beyond in protecting their children, even bite you.
Prey drive
The predatory instinct still exists in dogs, albeit domesticated.
The mark of being wolves is still woven somewhere within their genetic code.
Thus, when there are opportunities to unleash their inner beasts against helpless prey, they will.
Although there have been many training methods to inhibit biting among dogs, pet owners who have deaf dogs might have difficulty instilling this behavior.
With that in mind, the following are nine tips in helping pet owners in training deaf dogs to stop biting.
9 Biting Inhibition Tips for Deaf Dogs
Before anything else, you must understand that deaf dogs are still as fun and lovable as dogs that can hear.
However, extra patience is needed in training them and taking care of them in general.
Be sure to love them just as much as you do your other pets.
1. Socialization with other pups
Biting inhibition begins in the pack before anything else.
When deaf dogs play with other litter members and biting gets a little too hard, others tend to stay away from them.
This straightforward association aids in teaching puppies, even deaf ones, the dos, and don’ts of play biting.
When other pups stay away from them, they learn that biting too hard is not good behavior, and they lose playmates.
They eventually incorporate the newly discovered behavior in the next playing session.
2. Desensitization and counterconditioning
Desensitizing deaf dogs from instances that might trigger biting is also a good strategy.
Unlike regular dogs, walking up to them from behind would be expected as they would hear the footsteps approaching.
Deaf dogs, however, do not have the same privilege.
All they rely on is their eyes and nose, so whatever is behind them can be considered as a blind spot.
By desensitizing their startling response, you can reduce the likeliness of deaf dogs biting in reaction to people walking up to them from behind.
You can do it by providing treats after surprising them.
Or dramatically turning your back from them when they bite can also work.
3. Redirect the biting behavior
As their teeth grow, they will have the drive to bite on things.
Please provide them with toys like rubber balls or tugs to associate with stuff they can bite and chew on.
4. Use sign language
Deaf dogs cannot hear you say no or yell in displeasure when they do something terrible like biting.
Using common sign language to dogs, you can associate a response or a command to them with each sign.
An example would be a sign to show displeasure over their biting tendency.
It will eventually stick to their minds and be part of your daily routine.
5. Positive reinforcement
The giving of treats, of course, is never off the table.
When dogs become a little too playful yet restrict themselves from biting or hurting you, a treat would be nice to show you are pleased when they do not bite.
6. Avoid startling the dogs as much as possible
Of course, even though you train them to avoid their biting behavior, it would be best not to exasperate them.
If you always put yourself in a difficult situation, there will always be instances when giving in to their instincts.
Better to have them trained and ready when those events take place.
But do not make it a thing always to startle them as they might develop distrust over you.
7. Proof their behaviors
You know what they say. A concept is merely information unless you use it for the good of humanity.
If the dogs do not exhibit biting tendencies towards you, there is no assurance that they will not practice the same to others.
By proofing them, you can gauge if they also incorporate the training to people than yourself.
From there, you can decide whether to retrain them or give them more freedom with others.
8. Be observant of their body language
Like what was mentioned earlier, dogs are still hunters on the inside.
Make sure to keep a close eye on their body language to assess what to do, especially when they feel threatened or curious.
By getting their attention and assuring them they are safe, you reduce their biting people’s likeliness.
And get them back to their natural, people-safe state.
9. Seek professional help
The ultimate resort in helping inhibit the biting tendency of deaf dogs is to seek professional help.
These people are well-learned in training dogs and instilling positive behaviors in them.
You will have them every step of the way until your deaf dog learns the ropes they need.
Key Takeaway
Dogs can bite for many reasons. It can be because of stress, pain, instincts, or something else.
You can try to soothe your dog, but it is best to seek professional help if things become too dangerous.
This is even more so if your dog is deaf.
