How to Read “A biting dog is hard to call back”
Kamiau inu wa yobigatashi
Meaning of “A biting dog is hard to call back”
“A biting dog is hard to call back” means that people engaged in fierce conflict won’t listen to outside calls or attempts to stop them. They become difficult to handle and control.
This proverb is used when fights or arguments have escalated. The people involved become emotional and can no longer hear what others are saying.
Even when a third party tries to mediate, the fighting parties are too excited and have lost their composure. Calm advice and calls to stop simply don’t reach them.
We still see this situation today in heated meeting debates, family arguments, and workplace conflicts. Issues that could have been resolved through discussion before the fight started become impossible to address once emotional conflict develops.
No one’s words can get through anymore. This proverb expresses not only the state of those fighting, but also the difficulty faced by those trying to stop them.
Origin and Etymology
The exact first appearance of this proverb in literature hasn’t been identified. However, based on its structure, it likely came from observing dog behavior.
Imagine dogs fiercely biting each other in a fight. Even when their owner desperately calls their names, the dogs are in an excited state and don’t respond at all.
Even normally obedient dogs, once they enter battle mode, can no longer hear external voices.
This proverb contains the wisdom of ancestors who saw the essence of human conflict through this observation. Dogs have long been familiar animals in Japan, and many proverbs about human nature emerged through observing their behavior.
What’s interesting is that this proverb focuses not just on the state of “fighting,” but on the difficulty of control expressed in “hard to call back.”
It emphasizes not the conflict itself, but how hard it is to stop those caught up in it from the outside. This is extremely practical wisdom from the perspective of mediators and arbitrators.
It likely emerged from experiences of dispute mediation in village society.
Usage Examples
- Two people started arguing intensely in the meeting room, but a biting dog is hard to call back—they won’t accept anyone’s mediation
- When siblings start fighting, a biting dog is hard to call back, so you have to stop it before it escalates
Universal Wisdom
“A biting dog is hard to call back” teaches us deep insights about the strength of human fighting instinct and the blindness it brings.
Once conflict begins, it takes on a life of its own. What started as a minor difference of opinion transforms into emotional confrontation.
Eventually, the parties involved lose sight of why they’re even fighting. This proverb brilliantly captures this aspect of human nature.
Why do people become unable to hear others during conflict? Because their consciousness focuses on winning and proving themselves right, their perspective becomes extremely narrow.
Adrenaline flows, and emotion takes over reason. This is also a biological defense instinct.
Our ancestors overlaid this human essence onto the familiar sight of fighting dogs. What’s important is that this proverb includes not only the perspective of those fighting, but also that of third-party observers.
It contains wisdom for maintaining society—the difficulty of stopping conflict and the challenge of mediation. It teaches the importance of prevention, that conflicts should be stopped before they begin.
When AI Hears This
An owner continuing to call dogs that are biting each other is a classic example of the “sunk cost effect” in behavioral economics.
The psychology at work is not wanting to waste the investment of training time, food costs, and affection poured into the dogs. Research shows people feel the pain of losing 10,000 yen about twice as strongly as the joy of gaining 10,000 yen.
This “loss aversion bias” distorts calm judgment.
What’s interesting is that the act of continuing to call itself creates new losses. The longer it takes to stop the biting dogs, the higher the risk of injury.
Yet the thought “if I give up now, all my previous efforts will be wasted” causes people to pour in even more time and energy. This is exactly the same psychological structure as investors who can’t cut their losses or managers who can’t withdraw from failing businesses.
What’s truly rational is switching to different methods the moment you judge calling is useless. For example, spraying water or making loud noises.
But the human brain becomes trapped by “previous investment” and repeats ineffective actions. This proverb brilliantly expresses the moment when emotional attachment robs us of judgment, using the familiar example of dogs.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is the importance of prevention before conflict begins. SNS arguments, workplace confrontations, family discord—modern society has seeds of conflict everywhere.
What matters is the self-awareness to notice when you’re becoming a “biting dog.” When emotions run high and you stop hearing the other person’s words, that’s a danger signal.
Take a moment to breathe deeply and view yourself objectively.
This proverb also offers important insights when you witness others’ conflicts. Throwing logic at people in fierce opposition won’t reach them.
Rather, it’s important to engage preventively, before the conflict escalates.
Above all, this proverb teaches the value of “wisdom not to fight.” Avoiding conflict rather than winning. Preserving relationships rather than asserting correctness.
This isn’t weakness—it’s life wisdom our ancestors discovered. Try incorporating this perspective into your daily choices.
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