Dogs are among the most loyal pets anyone can have. However, sometimes they start behaving awkwardly. You may have wondered why your dog is getting aggressive and biting you? On the other hand, it is very calm, playful, and affectionate to your husband. You may get to think that whether dogs do not like women, consider them hostile, or have a habit of biting only females under normal circumstances. Well, that’s not a usual case.
So, we wrote this article to help you solve the mystery and help you deal with it. Continue reading to get to know a lot more about your pup!
Table of Contents
Why My Dog Is Getting Aggressive At Me?
Whether your dog is biting random people, attacking you, leaving other people of the family, or barking on inanimate objects, there is always a good reason. It is all because of some aggressive behaviour. There are hundreds of factors that determine a dog’s behaviour.
To specify which thing is igniting your pet, you need to consider all the possibilities among many reasons why your dog bites you and not your husband. The most common one is the psychological factor. You need to be a very keen observer to determine the reason behind your pet’s aggressive behaviour. There can be a chance that the puppy is too young to understand that he is causing pain to anyone. He is just doing another activity during teething. You can also notice if the pet is a regular biter or if he do so under specific circumstances such as stress.
So, to know why your pup is getting aggressive to you and not your partner, you need to consider the following options:
The Puppy Was Taken From Its Family Too Soon
Dog moms tend to train their little baby a lot during the initial months after birth. This includes how to acquire food, protect themselves from enemies, and the necessary skills to socialize. So, if your pet is biting you, there is a massive chance that he is removed from his mother from the very beginning or within a few days after birth. When a puppy is taken from their mother too soon, it gets no chance to develop and learn social norms like inhibition of biting if there is no threat and even using it as the last tool in case of danger.
These are the things that are best taught by littermates and mom herself. No human being can claim that he will lead all that he can learn from his mom while grooming their pet. So, now the pup is all on his own, trying to figure out the things and thinking of carpets and shoes as a casualty.
Your Dog Is Anxious
Anxiety or fear tends to activate the sympathetic system not only in humans but also in animals. It is a simple fight or flight response. So, if your puppy is biting you, leaving your husband alone, it may be an indication it is afraid of you. It can also be a reaction to general anxiety or fear, which may be linked to any kind of past trauma. You can consider it normal for dogs to go on biting rampage in nervousness or anxiety. So, you need to consider resolving the issue, which creates fear in your pet, to manage the problem. Here are the vital signs that the dog is experiencing some kind of worry or is conflicted with interactions:
- It urinates accidentally
- It is rolling on its back.
- It cannot look at a particular person directly.
- It has started yawning more than normal
- It looks or turns its head quickly.
- It is flicking its tongue
- It suddenly lowered his body and head
- It is lifting its front legs.
When you observe these signs, make sure you act accordingly. Calm your pup, look into the surroundings, and remove the things causing the fear. Moreover, do not try to touch or hold your dog in this situation.
Your Pet Is Tired Or Hungry
You can also consider when your pup is biting you, and not your husband is immense hunger or tiredness. Some people reported that their dog tends to bite when it is hungry. The behaviour instantly soothes as soon as it gets food. Many people also said that their dogs start biting them or nibbling when they are too tired and sleepy. The situation arises when someone disturbs them in such a case.
To know if hunger and tiredness are the cause of biting by your dog, you can consider the time. Note the time of the day when he is showing such behaviour. Compare it to the other hours of the day and the dog’s activities during this hour. You will eventually know what might be the reason.
Your Dog Thinks You're Its Plaything
Dogs love their owner and try everything to please them and adjust to them. So, to engage you or gain your attention, they want to play with you. However, they cannot figure out how to play. So, they tend to bite you out of love. You may consider it as one of the dog things. Dog’s cannot communicate verbally, and there is no telepathy to communicate with them or read their minds. However, it is one of the most casual and expected behaviours in the canine world. You can simply call them out, show them how to behave appropriately, and how to play whenever they bite you.
Your Dog Doesn't Like Feeling Trapped
Some dogs, like the hybrid breed Maltipoo, loves to cuddle, play and lick. They can also face depression if they are ignored. However, some do not like it when they loom over them or touch their body parts, especially hair and head.
Your dog may not be a very social one. It may get uncomfortable when people stare at him or reach it from the above. In this situation, dogs may feel a lot threatened and react by biting. So, understand your dog’s condition and give him enough space to feel comfortable.
Your Dog Is Teething
Teething is a difficult time not only for human babies but also for puppies. Dogs feel very irritated during teething and tend to bite every single thing that comes in front of them. Soft things are easy to chew, so they tend to bite you instead of your husband’s rough hands. This kind of trait is heavily dependent on the breed you have.
As mentioned earlier, the reason is the most common and general ones, but it is not the only one. You can say there can be multiple other case-specific reasons that your dog is biting you and not your husband. Here are a few less common ones, but when it comes to considering every probability, you need to consider them too!
Dog’s are attracted to smells. You must be surprised to know that the dogs emit a specific smell from their anal glands when they see each other. That’s the reason puppies smell each different rear when they meat and tend to lick each other. So, if you emit a specific type of feel or smell, your puppy may not resist it and tend to bite you.
Your puppy is not a cuddle pup and among the least affectionate breeds. Moreover, it is also possible that the dog is not groomed properly.
Your dog is doing so to deliver his message. He is not doing it to cause any kind of pain. Just because he thinks you can understand him. Moreover, suppose you are ignoring a thing that is disturbing for your pet continuously. In that case, he may bite you to draw your attention to the matter.
Either way round, if the challenging play is beyond limitation, you can do certain things to stop your friend from misbehaving.
How To Make Your Dog Stop Biting You?
Now, you know the reason why your dog is misbehaving. Whatever your reason, maybe there are solutions to mend your dog’s habits and teach your dog what is right and according to social norms. So, if you are wondering, “why does my dog bite me and not my husband?” you need to consider the following solutions:
Feed Your Pet By Yourself
Always feed your pup alone. Canines tend to make the vital member of the family their leader and do not try to revolt against them. So, make your pet think of yourself as a dependable leader. Make them perceive that only you are responsible for their health. Do not let anyone do it, at least in the very first week. Establish your role as a provider and leader. You can do it only in the very first weeks.
Find A Substitute
As discussed earlier, your pet may consider you as a toy. So, you can give it an alternative. Moreover, if your pup is doing so due to teething, you can solve it by giving your dog a chew toy. You can simply put the toy in front of its face and tell it to chew it instead. Then you can say to it that it is okay to nibble or bite the toy but not anyone’s hand or another body part.
Correct The Dog Immediately
It is the most important thing you do every time your dog tries to bite you. Reprimand by saying, “Do not bite!”. Use a loud authoritative voice to enforce your command. Stop playing with it instantly when it does so. Show it that you are incredibly disappointed in your behaviour. Never reinforce its bad manners. Ignore them as much as you can so they may think they did something very wrong.
Whenever they try to come to you, turn your back. In this way, they may think that they are showing a negative attitude and something of their behaviour is very disturbing for you. Be very consistent and don’t let this matter slide away.
Establish Control
Establish your control over your pet. Never punish it by placing it inside the crate. The crate is supposed to be your dog’s den and a safe place for him. This behaviour will provoke more bitings. Simply attach a leash around their neck and let them move freely with it. Whenever they try to attack you, you can pull it away with the leash.
Once your dog gets the idea that biting is not a good thing, praise it, and offer him its favourite treat. You can also hire a dog trainer to help you with this.
Conclusion
Naturally, the puppy tends to bite only one of the family members. The habit can be really devastating when it becomes too persistent. It may make you question if the puppy is in the right mental state or even if he loves you? The key is staying alert and focus on pets’ alternative behaviours to determine the critical reason.
Biting can also indicate that your puppy wants to share something or is in a lot of pain, and you cannot see it. Never ever punish the dog to the extent that it starts considering you hostile. You can use other methods to train. Create a balance between love and authority, and you will never lose the affection of your pup.
Hey, I am a licenced veterinary practitioner. Since my childhood, I have always dreamed to be a vet and play with these adorable creatures all day long. My love to write and spread awareness pushed me towards blogging. So, I decided to merge both of my passions and create highly knowledgeable blogs for the people struggling with their new pets. There are multiple cases you may face with your pets in everyday life and also multiple odd behaviours may pop hundreds of questions into your mind. Every behaviour has a reason, and I am here to provide the very logical reasons and easy solutions. Let us take care of our pets in the best possible way!