If you’re looking for answers to the question, “why does my dog bite me when excited?” then you’re not the only one.
Let’s face it, owning a dog comes with its fair share of challenges. There’s potty training, socialization skills, not to mention the consistent effort of teaching your dog what is and isn’t acceptable.
And while over time, most dogs will develop into the calm, relaxed, lovably member of the family that we want them to be. Others will need a little more help to steer them in the right direction.
Biting, for instance, can be innocent enough when you have a young pup who lacks the capability to bite hard.
However, it’s a different case entirely when you’re dealing with a fully grown adult dog with the potential to cause some real damage.
So what can you do to stop it?
Well, the first step is always to identify ‘why’ your dog is biting in the first place. Only then will you be able to put measures in place to limit how often it happens.
For example…
…Maybe your dog gets excitable and goes on a biting frenzy whenever you pull the leash out for a walk.
…Maybe they go nuts whenever you home from work and bite as a result of their over-excited behavior.
Or maybe it’s something else entirely.
But whatever the reason, figuring out the root cause is what’s going to make the behavior more manageable when it comes to applying the second step.
Which is? …teaching your dog how to control their emotions.
See, emotional control isn’t a naturally learned behavior in dogs. It’s also why more common dog training methods fail to result in permanent lasting change. Basically, they don’t apply the fundamental rule of teaching your dog how to remain in control when it really matters.
This is why before you do anything else, I’d highly recommend watching the short video below from Dan Abdelnoor over at The Online Dog Trainer.
During the video, Dan talks specifically about why emotional control is the missing piece of the puzzle dealing with unwanted behavior like biting. Before revealing how to make this a reality by applying some of the calming techniques found in his Dog Calming Code Program.
Watch the video, apply the training Dan recommends, and you should see a huge improvement in your dog’s ability to refrain from biting when they get excited.
Here’s the link to take a look: Click Here To Discover How To Finally Stop Your Dogs Overexcited Biting Habit Using A Few Simple Exercises That Take Just Minutes A Day To Implement… Even If You’ve Tried & Failed Before!
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Why Does My Dog Bite Me When Excited?
It’s a natural instinct for dogs to bite when they’re feeling threatened or in danger, but what about when they’re excited?
Well, that ultimately depends on the severity of the problem.
Fortunately, there are several helpful ways you can train your dog to stop biting before it becomes a little too overbearing.
However, before we get into the detail, it’s first important to understand the behavior before putting it right.
So take a look at the most common reasons why your dog bites when excited…
…Do any sound familiar?
Lack of socialization
Socialization is an extremely important part of any young dog’s development. Socializing a puppy involves taking them out to different places so they can interact with the dogs and humans that are in that particular place.
For dogs that have been raised poorly or have spent most of their lives in kennels or shelters, they won’t be particularly well socialized. This means they will fear or become overstimulated when responding to the everyday situations that most dogs treat as normal occurrences.
Few interactions with people in the past
Even if your dog has been socialized to an extent, if you find that they only bite humans, they might not have had much interaction with people in their lives.
Again, this is common for dogs that haven’t been raised in family homes or surrounded with much love.
Because they haven’t interacted with humans a great deal in their past, they’re not aware of what’s wrong and what’s right. So if they haven’t been taught boundaries in the past, you can’t expect them to instinctively know right from wrong.
They haven’t learned bite inhibition
Bite inhibition is just a fancy way of saying that dogs know it’s not okay to bite other dogs and humans. They usually learn this during their time as puppies when they’re playing. If you watch a group of puppies playing, you will notice lots of wrestling, chasing, and even pouncing.
As part of this, they also bite one another all over. Occasionally, a puppy will go too far and bite a playmate too hard. When the puppy yelps out in pain, the other puppy stops and realizes they were too forceful.
As you can see, if your dog hasn’t experienced this as a puppy, they won’t be able to distinguish the boundaries between play and aggression. Which, in turn, could be one of the reasons why they’re biting.
They’re used to playing rough
Certain breeds of dogs enjoy roughly playing with one another. By charging around and releasing lots of energy, this rough brand of play can often result in your dog baring their teeth and ripping your skin.
If you notice that your dog usually only bites when playing with toys or when chasing you around, it’s probably because they believe it to be a natural part of playing.
Again, this can stem from a lack of previous interaction with humans or poor socialization from a young age.
Related Post: How To Calm An Overexcited Dog – Instant Calming Techniques
How To Stop Your Dog From Biting When Excited
If some of the above situations resonate with you, that’s great! You’ve identified why your dog might be biting you when excited, and that’s the first step towards fixing your dog’s worrying behavior.
Now that you’ve understood the issue, you can now try one or several of the following ways to stop your dog from biting.
Be mindful that every dog has a unique personality and characteristics, so you might need to try one or more of the following methods to stop them from biting.
Now might also be the time to check out the Dog Calming Code I mentioned previously.
As well as teaching your dog how to stop unwanted biting, it’ll also teach your dog how to keep their emotions in check in any situation that triggers it.
Increase socialization
Every dog needs to be socialized. If you’ve bought an excitable little puppy home or have rescued a young dog from a shelter, the chances are that they won’t have been properly socialized before coming home with you.
Think about socializing your pup in the following ways:
- Take them to different places for their daily walks so they can encounter new smells and environments.
- Introduce them to as many dogs as you can. Make sure they’re on the lead at first, so they don’t lash out or become scared.
- Take your dog places where people hang out, like a local park, and encourage your dog to interact.
When your dog becomes socialized, you’ll notice they will begin to feel at ease in new situations and won’t be as hyper or excited.
If all goes well, this will have a knock-on effect on their inhibition to bite.
Teach bite inhibition
Bite inhibition is an essential part of a dog’s development. For instance, if you’ve recently welcomed a puppy into your home and you notice them biting you when they’re excited, consider organizing play dates with other puppies.
By encouraging your pup to play with other dogs, they will learn about the important boundaries between play and aggression while learning from their fellow dogs what is and isn’t acceptable.
It’s all part of your pup’s exploration of boundaries, and it will help you get their worrying biting under control.
Use positive reinforcement to condition them
Instead of scolding bad behavior, focus instead of reinforcing positive behavior. When your dog responds to certain commands and does things that you expect of them, reward them with a treat and make a fuss of them.
When they do something they shouldn’t, ignore them. Dogs learn by positive reinforcement, so they will know what is expected of them when you reward them with treats and love.
On the occasions where your dog doesn’t bite your hand and sits and waits patiently to be taken out for a walk, do your best to reinforce the behavior by showering them with praise and attention.
Over time, they will learn to repeat this behavior and avoid the actions that you ignore.
Teach them how to control their emotions
Training your dog isn’t easy, but it’s incredibly important in the long run. A huge part of teaching your dog how to behave is encouraging them to control their emotions.
A calm dog is a happy dog, so you need to teach them to avoid being hyper and overexcited all of the time.
Again, the Dog Calming Code goes into great depth about the psychology of dogs and why teaching them emotional control is the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to getting them to behave.
When applied consistently, you’ll notice a huge improvement in your dog’s ability to refrain from biting when the occasion doesn’t call for it.
Wrapping Things Up
Even if your dog’s little nips or playful bites don’t hurt or frustrate you, it’s important nonetheless that they learn the behavior isn’t appropriate.
It might be innocent enough while your pup is young and their milk teeth haven’t come through. However, as your dog gets bigger and older, playful bites can become painful as their teeth become sharper and their bodies become more powerful.
As you can see, there are several simple ways that you can try and stop your dog from biting when excited. And while some might work better than others, I’m confident that if you apply them consistently, you’ll eventually get the result you desire.
