Biting ankles while walking is one of the dog’s common behaviors, especially when he is a puppy. But, unless you carefully handle it, your dog will continue biting ankles and pants even after growing. So it becomes stressful for you and other people with whom you stand to exchange friendly greetings.
How to stop a dog from biting ankles?
Inhibiting, distracting, redirecting, and awarding are some fundamental ways to stop a dog from biting ankles. Basically, the main idea is you have to teach your dog that good things start to happen once he stops bad behavior.
However, you must identify the reasons for biting your ankles before stopping it. This guide is tailored to let you know the dog’s ankle-biting reasons, how to stop it, and some FAQs. So dive into the discussion.
Why Do Dogs Bite Your Ankles?
First, you must know your dog’s behavior pattern to diagnose the reasons for biting your ankle. As there are several reasons, some may be solvable with proper attention, and you must visit a professional dog trainer for some reasons.
1. Puppy stage biting
At the teething stage of your puppy, he feels discomfort. Here chewing anything helps him to reduce discomfort, and for this, he bites your ankle. It was not painful in his puppyhood. But when he grows, his teeth will be very sharp, and the biting will be painful and even cause bleeding.
2. Chewing alternative toys
Your dog probably has many toys like joggers, chase balls, nylabone, kong, squirrels, etc. to chew and play. Chewing the toys is one of the most enjoyable games for him. If you move, the dog chews your pants, and you laugh. Your dog finds it as a tug-of-war game.
3. Seek your attention
Your pants and ankles are the easiest reach spot for your dog to get your attention. It mostly happens when you play with him, but suddenly you stop playing and start walking and talking to others. This time, he feels you ignore him. So he starts biting your ankle to get back your attention to him.
4. Want to take your control
Usually, your dog is habituated to playing with you at a fixed time. So, if somehow you won’t play with him at that time, he wants to take your control. That’s why he bites your ankle to remind you that now it’s his playing time with you.
5. Ankle biting is a fun game
When your dog bites your pants or ankle, if you unintentionally encourage his biting, he thinks you love his acts, and it’s a fun game. So he feels good and repeats these activities.
6. When the dog is afraid
If you take your dog to any unknown place full of strangers, sometimes he feels uncomfortable and afraid because of their vigorous walking. In this situation, as you are the only person who is known to him, that’s why your dog bites your ankle and seeks security.
7. Dog bites ankles when leaving
When you want to leave, your dog tries to herd you by mimicking the livestock herding behaviour bred for. So it’s common to nip at your ankle.
8. Dog jumps and bites when excited
When your dog is excited (Here you can make an internal link “dog gets aggressive when excited”) and highly aroused by something that isn’t usual for him, he starts to bite your ankle to inform you about that. Besides biting your ankle, he can also react by spinning and barking.
How To Stop A Dog From Biting Ankles
So now you know the reasons why your beloved dog bites your ankles. Fortunately, most of these you can easily handle with love and care to stop your dog from biting your ankles. Let’s have a look how to stop biting
1. Offer some chewing toys
If your dog is in the teething stage (around 3 weeks to 6 weeks) and for this, he bites your ankle. You can offer him some chewing toys, as it is a good idea to distract him from biting your ankle. Benebone Wishbone Dog Chew, Petstages, Himalayan Dog Chew, and Bully Sticks can be your savior to stop him from biting your ankle. Even those toys will be your puppy’s good friend to reduce his discomfort at his teething stage.
2. Offer new toys
Sometimes, he gets bored with the same toys and starts to chew your pants. In this case, you can do two things. The first one is, don’t laugh at him when he nips your pants; instead, make a “shhh” sound to let him know you don’t like this. The second option is to give him some new toys to encourage him to chew these.
3. Distract your dog's attention
Everybody loves to feel special, which is also true for your furry best friend. So always pay him attention, especially when it’s his playing time with you. However, if sometimes you have to leave him in the middle of his playing, first you should distract him from you. For example, scatter some kibble or cooked pumpkin how to cook pumpkin for dogs carrot bites opposite you to distract his attention to the treat. So the dog will be occupied with finding the kibble, and you can easily leave him.
4. Don't ignore your dog
Always focus on your dog’s playing time, and try not to get busy that time with others. If, for any reason, you can’t play with him, keep him busy with other enjoyable activities. First, reinforce him to sit beside you and make him understand that he will be rewarded with his favorite treat to obey your words.
5. Don't establish ankle biting as a fun game
Never intentionally or unintentionally establish biting ankles as a fun game by encouraging his acts. When he bites your ankle, stop walking forward. Immediately turn to him and make a louder “shhhhhhh” sound, and point your finger to sit. As soon as the dog sits, scatter his playing toys or treats to redirect his attention.
6. Feel him secure
It’s not wise to take your dog to any gathering who are unknown to him. Even, don’t take him to walk in a busy place where there are many people. You can choose a natural place for walking.
However, if you take your dog in a busy place, always keep attention to him and the surroundings to check whether your dog feels uncomfortable or afraid. For example, if he feels afraid and bites your ankle, don’t shout at him; instead, pick up and sit him on your lap to feel comfortable, safe and secure.
7. Visit skilled dog trainers
If, after doing all those things, your dog bites your ankle every time you leave him. Or if your dog repeatedly gets excited and highly aroused. In that case, you must visit a dog trainer because the trainer can train him by understanding his behavior using scientific and technical skills.
FAQs
Why do dogs bite legs when playing?
When the dog is playing with another dog, and if suddenly he stops playing, not paying attention to him, your dog bites your legs to inform you. Because, your dog thinks you must tell the other dog to play with him.
Why does my dog jump and bite me on walks?
If your dog is bored or tired from walking a longer path, he starts jumping and biting your ankle on the walk to make it shorter.
How do you get a dog to stop biting legs?
Once you and your dog playing is over, leave him alone as a potty break and give him some treats. If he bites your legs, stop moving, take and gently put him to his crate to rest.
Final Words
So now you know how to stop a dog from biting ankles. These tips take time to train your dog to stop his biting habits. You should apply those tips in a quiet room to interact easily with your dog. You must follow these tricks patiently, as they won’t bring results overnight.