Table of Contents
Our dogs get too excited at the worst of times. Whether it’s when shopping for groceries, or taking a stroll through the local park, our four-legged companions love to play and make sure they’re having a good time.
However, they can go over the top and start to bite sometimes. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re being aggressive though! We’ve looked into the potential reasons for this and how you can get them to stop. It’s perfectly normal and there are ways around it to ensure that the health of you and your dog are kept in place.
Is Biting Always A Sign Of Aggression In Dogs?
When they’re young, puppies will always find a way to play. Whether that’s with their favorite chew toys, other puppies, or with their owners. A lot of the ways that young dogs play is through their mouth and their teeth. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re being aggressive or over-excited, it’s just the way that they choose to feel and discover new things.
It’s perfectly normal to let your dog bite you when they’re young. Puppies always need to find surfaces and objects to help them get through the teething process. Much like human babies with pacifiers, dogs need something that will help distract them from the pain of their teeth coming through. It’s completely normal and is nothing to worry about, but you need to make sure they don’t bite too hard.
When a dog starts to bite you when they’re young, make sure it stays to the playful nibbling that we’ve come to live with when you have a puppy. However, if it starts to stray into the gray area between playing and biting too hard, you need to make sure they know when to stop.
If a dog bites you too hard when they’re young, let out a sharp noise as if you’re in pain. Use some stern words to make sure they know not to do it again. If you don’t try and stop this early into their life then they may think it’s acceptable when they’re older and have more strength.
Why Does My Dog Bite Me When Excited?
As previously mentioned, the most common reason for a dog biting when they’re excited s because they’re playing and feeling through their mouth and teeth. The usual targets for this biting habit can usually be narrowed down to the hands, feet, and anything closest to their mouth at that given time. This is usually because your hands and feet are moving the fastest, making great targets.
This can obviously seem like aggression and can make many dog owners stressed when they see it in dogs from a young age. However, this isn’t always the case and is usually just a sign over the hyper activities and lifestyle they’re going to have for the next few years until they start maturing. There are ways around these early signs of your dog’s behavior and are easily sorted.
Ways To Stop My Dog Biting Me
Of course, a lot of dogs can bite humans and other dogs as a sign of aggression or dominance, but it’s not always the case. There are lots of different types of training regimes out there that can teach your dog that it’s not okay to bite aggressively and how to know their own strength.
On top of this, these training courses can help your dog to understand the importance of obedience and make sure that they know when not to get too over-excited.
With regards to dog behavior specialists, they’ll say a lot about playing if the biting occurs when at a young age, and will also mention the teething process and how it affects your dog’s behavior. However, a lot of behaviorists recommend that being firm with your puppy and using encouragement can make a huge difference with regards to helping your dog mature.
However, if you’d like to try and sort the situation yourself then it could strengthen the relationship between you and your furry best friend even further.
By providing treats and lots of cuddles and compliments, your dog can learn to stay a bit calmer. For example, this can help when other humans come over and your dog can calm down, rather than get too excited.
One method that a lot of people tend to choose, is to send your dog to their bed in another room to the front door. Dogs will associate their bed with calm features for their day. For example, dogs can nap a lot and will see their bed as an area to chill out and relax.
By sending your dog to bed, they can relax. Let them wait there for a few minutes until they’re used to someone else being in the house, then allow them to calmly socialize.
Another method that’s often used by dog owners is to use tough love. puppies get overexcited all too frequently, so sometimes they need to have time to cool off. By putting them in a time-out if they start biting, they’ll have to calm down before continuing with playtime.
This is a useful method that can then be applied to different scenarios if your dog is misbehaving in the future. However, try not to be too harsh when giving your pup a telling-off, after all, they’re only young!
Final Thoughts
In many ways, dogs are a lot like children. They love to play, we’re a huge part of their lives, and they can get excited. Whether they display that by biting, barking, or running about, they can go over the top sometimes. But that’s okay!
Remember that every dog needs to have as much love as they do order in their lives, so if they are misbehaving, remember to make sure they know that you still love them. They need as much reassurance as humanly possible. By including lots of close contact and treats, you can show your dog that being a bit calmer is definitely not a bad thing!
