Have You Ever Bitten Your Dog Before? I Have…
There's a story in the news about a man in Brevard County, Florida who got angry when his four-month-old puppy named Phoebe started to act up, so he decided to "teach the dog a lesson" by biting her. Then, when his brother called him out on being abusive, he bit his brother. He was arrested for animal cruelty and battery.
It's time to confess: I've bitten my Husky before. Yes, it was on purpose. Hear me out before you report me to the authorities for animal cruelty.
When Caesar was young, he did what a lot of frisky puppies do -- He tried to hump everything around him, including my leg. I tried a few training methods I read about online or heard about from other dog owners, but nothing worked. Caesar is a very stubborn dog. Finally, I spoke with a professional dog trainer about how to remedy this behavior, and she told me the next time he did this, to get down on all fours to his level, and bite him gently on the nose. Why? Because Huskies are pack animals and that's how they communicate with each other. At first, I was mortified. There was no way I was going to do this. Then one day, I couldn't deal with Caesar's behavior anymore, so I got on my knees and bit him... Gently, of course.
It worked! Caesar never did his business on my leg again.
I would not suggest that you try this, unless you know for sure your dog won't bite you back. And if you do use this technique, "gentle" means barely touching your dog's nose with your mouth. No teeth!