Some exasperated dog owners have asked me, “How do you train a Pit Bull not to bite?” My answer is always: “That depends.” It will be easier to get your Pitbull to stop biting if it is a puppy. Unfortunately, if your Pitbull is past the puppy stage, breaking the biting habit will be more challenging. But it can be done.
But first, we must be clear about some things. When you say “bite”, do you mean your pit bull bites people out of cruelty? Or do you mean your pit bull puppy bites people when they pass by? However, no reason is acceptable.
Bites due to teething
A pit bull puppy’s teething begins when his teeth begin to grow. The process of teething is extremely painful, so your baby pit bull is trying to find something hard to chew on to ease the pain.
Alternatively, your baby pit bull will try to bite your hand, finger, or any other part of his body to ease his pain.
If he kept motivating himself, it would be easy to excuse his behavior. However, you must reject the behavior quickly before it becomes a habit.
Bite aggression
Your dog’s desire to bite or bite you due to his teething process is quite different from his desire to bite you due to aggression. Your pit bull is trying to show dominance when you try to take a toy from him and he bites.
Never, never accept this behavior from your dog. If you let him have his way once, he will do it every time. He will also learn that to get what he wants, all he has to do is bite you.
Here are 3 tips to prevent your pit bull from biting:
1. Let him chew on ice: If your puppy is teething, give him ice cubes to chew on. The coolness will soothe your sore gums, while the toughness will give you something solid to chew on.
2. Prove You Are the Alpha – Every dog needs a pack leader. Show your Pit Bull puppy that you are the dominant and he is the submissive. One way to do this is by touching his food before feeding him so that the food has your smell and to make him accept you handling his food.
3. Buy a reward-based dog training system: According to scientific studies, pit bulls respond better to reward-based dog training systems.
Lastly, be sure to socialize your Pitbull puppy early on. If your puppy’s bite is based on fear, socializing will allow your dog to become comfortable with other dogs, thus lessening his fears.