Natural Pet Health

---

Free PDF Pet Ebook of the Day

Putting Your Pet's Best Paw Forward

    Simply Right Click and choose Save As to save to your desktop!  More FREE Natural Health, Wellness and Pet Ebooks at Remedies4.com!

---

Monitoring pet behavior to avoid biting triggers

While a furry friend may usually make a great companion, they can sometimes act out of character with aggressive behavior—leading to nips, bites, and potentially even attacks. Often the underlying signs of aggression go unnoticed, but sometimes there are indicators… in any case, dog and cat bites are a serious problem.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 800,000 dog bite victims require medical attention in the United States annually, while countless more go unreported and/or untreated. Cat bites are not as frequently reported, but an estimated 700,000 people a year are thought to be bitten. However, almost half of all cat bites become infected… making both dog and cat bites worthy causes of concern!

Although Mother Nature may inexplicably interfere with a pet’s behavior at times, there are luckily many precautions to take that can minimize the risk of biting.

Unknowingly (or perhaps just unwisely) some owners actually encourage aggression in their dogs, or allow signs of aggressive behavior to go unchecked. Self-monitoring of a pet is one of the biggest steps toward bite prevention.

Biting Behaviors in Dogs

As biting is a part of basic aggressive dog behavior (arising from an innate attribute of dogs to dominate a pack), it is necessary to determine whether this behavior has been initiated as a result of an interaction with the dog, or whether it is just an inherent trait that must be controlled using training methods.

In many cases, dog biting arises out of fear or when a dog finds himself in an inescapable situation. If this behavior is not corrected in its early stages, dog aggression may reach unmanageable proportions.

Young puppies are prone to biting, but this should not be ignored as playful behavior, as any biting can develop into aggression. Young puppies may also feel compelled to bite due to teething. Their mouths need stimulation, which is provided by biting. In such cases, provide chew sticks and bones for the puppy to chew on.

Properly socializing puppies is also important, allowing the dog to familiarize itself with normal interaction situations– thus lessening the chance of feeling uncomfortable or scared.

Other common causes of dog biting include sickness or physical discomfort. Healthy dogs do not normally bite humans, but the potential still exists. If a dog is prone to biting humans or neighboring animals, the best course of action is to first get him checked for any underlying disease.

Older dogs do tend to have more physical discomfort associated with normal aging, which can lead to “snappy” behavior. Consulting a veterinarian is the right way to rule out medical conditions that are causing discomfort.

Cats That Bite

Unlike dog aggression, feline aggression for the most part is a playful activity. Cats seldom indulge in aggression without provocation, but they are likely to react aggressively if provoked too much.

Unlike dogs, a fearful cat is more likely to try the escape route and hide behind a sofa than bite, but biting is still a possible result of fright. Therefore, caution should still be exercised when a cat is exposed to a new environment or there are guests present in the home.

Physical distress is another factor that can provoke a cat to bite (whether related to the normal aging process or illness), so consult a veterinarian if it is suspected that the aggression is linked to discomfort.

Cats are actually very predictable animals, and seldom do anything without a reason. Cats that bite or indulge in excessive scratching often develop the habit due to human negligence.

Playful biting and scratching are integral parts of cat behavior, so an effort must be made on the part of the owner to establish boundaries. When a cat is not taught that human hands are not toys, they are bound to bite or scratch whenever they feel like playing.

Remember, it all boils down to giving a pet the attention it needs and deserves. By doing so, it will be easier to detect anomalies in behavior—thus leading to the ability to address aggression problems before they become an issue in the household.

Related Products for behavior from PetAlive

* Aggression Formula
* Grief and Pining Formula
* Gumz-n-Teeth (Dogs in pain may bite)
* PupTeeth
* Muscle and Joint Support
* Performance Plus
* PetCalm
* Problem Pet Solution

Related Products for bites not requiring immediate medical attention:

For animals:

* Wound Dr.
* PetHeal
* Clenzor

For people:

* Pure-Clenz Solution
* RealHeal Massage Oil
* RealHeal Plus

Pamper Your Dog: 130 Treats for Your Canine Friend - Free Ebook > http://www.remedies...-dog-130-recipes.pdf

Pamper Your Cat: 100 Treats for Your Feline Friend - Free Ebook > http://www.remedies...-cat-100-recipes.pdf

For Guaranteed, Effective, 100% Natural Herbal Remedies for Pets, please visit PetAlive!

An I.D. Tag can save your pet’s life or bring him home again. Visit Tags For Pets now!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!