If your dog has been biting your husband but not you, this post will show you likely reasons why and what you can do about it.
So, why does my dog bite my husband but not me? Likely reasons why your dog has been biting your husband but not you are that the behavior has been encouraged, over excitement, intimidation or because your dog thinks that they are protecting you.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your dog bites your husband but not you and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Why does my dog bite my husband but not me?
Below are a number of possible reasons why your dog has been doing it and what would make each of them more likely.
Encouraging the behavior
It could be the case that your dog has learned that the behavior is rewarded. If either you or your husband do things such as give your dog extra attention or other rewards when they bite him, your dog will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.
Intimidation
It might also be the case that your dog has been doing it due to intimidation. This would be more likely if your husband can be loud or aggressive around the dog or if your dog does it when he is operating loud items such as a lawn mower.
Over excitement
Another possible cause is that your dog gets overly excited around him. This would be more likely if your husband gets very energetic with the dog and if he is also the one that tends to take the dog out for walks or he plays with them a lot.
Your husband did not give your dog any training
If you are the one that gave your dog training and your husband did not give your dog any training, it might be the case that your dog has not been able to transfer the training over to your husband. In this case, it would help to try to get him to give the dog some training.
Your dog thinks they are protecting you
It might also be the case that your dog thinks that they are protecting you. This would be more likely if your dog shows signs of aggression such as snarling and barking. It would also be more likely if your dog does it when your husband is arguing with you or when you are mad at him yourself. Instead, it would help for both of you to be calm when around the dog.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main cause.
If your dog did not always bite your husband
If your dog did not always bite your husband, it would help to consider what else happened when your dog first started doing it. If your dog started doing it suddenly, it might be due to things such as learning that the behavior is rewarded, you both started arguing with each other or because your husband started interacting with the dog differently.
If there is a certain time that your dog bites him
If there is a certain time and situation that your dog tends to do it in, it would also help to consider what is different about the timing. For example, if your dog tends to do it more when he is able to take them out for a walk or when he arrives home, it would be more likely that your dog is doing it due to excitement.
The way your dog bites him
It would also help to consider the way that your dog bites him. If your dog does it aggressively, it would be a lot more likely that your dog is either doing it due to intimidation or because your dog thinks that they are protecting you. Whereas, if your dog shows signs of excitement when doing it, the cause would be more likely to be learning that the behavior is rewarded or being excited about things such as getting a walk or getting fed.
How to get my dog to stop biting my husband?
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Avoid rewarding the behavior
As mentioned above, it might be the case that your dog has learned that the behavior is rewarded. Instead, it would help to give your dog rewards when they do not bite and to avoid rewarding the dog when they start biting. It would help to give the dog a “time out” whenever they start biting and to avoid giving them any attention until they are calm. As soon as they start biting again, you would give them a “time out again”. Repeating this process should teach your dog that the behavior is not rewarded.
Be calm with the dog
It would also help for you to be calm around the dog since it is often the case that the dog is actually reacting to your emotions.
Why does my dog bite my wife but not me?
If your dog bites your wife but not you, it would be likely that your dog has learned that the behavior is rewarded, your dog gets overly excited around her or that your dog is reacting to her behavior.