My 6-month-old large puppy bites hard when he gets excited. Help!

Question

I have a behavioral queation. I have a 6 month old mixed breed large size puppy that we rescued from Louisana. He is generally a good natured pup however when he gets wound up he likes to bite and I me snappy biting where hos teeth clap together and I am afraid that he will hurt someone. What can I do to stop this??? HELP! Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 7 months and 8 days old | 45 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

Duke is adorable! Thanks for posting pictures. Play biting and being excessively "mouthy" is very common in puppies and is commonly worse when they are very excited and less control over their excitement. I have not personally had luck with the techniques of saying "No!" or holding the muzzle. I that makes puppies more excited. My general rule for puppies is that you make a high pitches squeak (like a littermate puppy would do if they bit too hard), then walk away from the situation. More than anything, Duke wants to play with you. If you walk away, it is negative reinforcement, so he is less likely to do that behavior again. Depending on the puppy, the goal is to get them to look away from you or start doing something else before you engage in play again. I found that a long rope toy made a good toy to play with my puppy because there was lots of toy for him to bite at without touching my skin. I also found that allowing him to play with other dogs was a great way for him to learn what is appropriate play. I took my dog to doggy day care twice a week as a puppy which really helped with his energy level as well as appropriate play technique. And finally, start a puppy class. A basic obedience class is so important for a puppy. They want to behave, but don't know what to do with their energy. I hope that was helpful! Good luck! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My 6-month-old large puppy bites hard when he gets excited. Help!

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