My dog bites ankles and fingers. How can I stop this aggression?

Question

Is it practical to have a dogs teeth filed down to dull their bite? How do I get my dog to stop his ankle biting behavior. He also nips at my 16 year old fingers pretty hard. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 9 lbs

Sara Farmer, DVM · Accepted Answer

It is not recommended to file teeth or remove teeth as a way to curb aggression in dogs. It is important to determine what is triggering the biting, for example: does it happen when Alvin is over stimulated/excited? Does he seem fearful? Is it when someone is near his food or toys? Does he get aggressive when playing? Once you can identify a trigger you can then try to prevent it from occurring and/or redirect him to something appropriate like a chew toy. It sounds like the behavior is pretty bad if you're thinking about things like filing teeth, so I think it would be best to consult with a veterinary behaviorist to help identify triggers and formulate a behavior plan.

My dog bites ankles and fingers. How can I stop this aggression?

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