# Dog attempts to bite when excited



## jacktl08 (Jun 27, 2008)

I have a yellow lab who is 8 months old. He has two sides to him, one is a very loving and obidient dog..... then he turns and all of a sudden goes mad... running around the house barking and snapping.... this i can deal with, as when playing he does attempt to bite but not attempting to hurt.

However when going out when walking past people he will jump, show his teeth and snap, again i dont think hes threatened or hes being aggresive, just possibly excited. Up till now people have been understanding as the excuse 'hes just a puppy' is being used, but not for much longer, all it takes is one person to complain.

Anyone have any ideas, ive tried the yelping if he bites me but it just gets him excited even more. When he bites i think its just play as he has never hurt me, i know of course it is my fault but want to correct it before he gets fully grown, prefably without resorting to smacking him.

He is a very good dog otherwise and walks superbly its just when he walks past people in the street


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## staflove (Sep 4, 2008)

I think hes getting very excited, but it dose need to stop cos if he dose nip some one they may take it the wrong way, when out walking i would keep him on a short lead and teach him to walk nice at the side of you take some treats out, and when he walks nice tell him good boy ask him to sit and give one to him.

My staffy gets like this in the garden she will be our side sat down the next thing she is running round so fast her back feet nearly overtake he front, i would try keep him calm and when he is snaping tell him NO like you mean it hope things work out good luck.


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## Swish (Sep 18, 2008)

When you do try to teach him bite inhibition, do you just shout "ouch!" or do you shout "ouch!" and leave the room for 15 minutes?

If its the former, then he isn't quite getting the negative reinforcement that he should do, as he'll only see it as a game. As for the whole 'he's just a puppy' excuse, unfortunately pups only grow out of these problems because they are taught not to do so. Biting is okay for a new pup trying to figure out where he is in the family, but as he gets older, the pup's teeth getting bigger and stronger so it really needs to be tackled.

A good amount of patience is needed and it'll help that everyone else in the house follows your example.


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