Dogs are awesome. Dogs are very loving and very loyal to their masters. But sometimes that love can be a bit too much. Because of that, the doggo will get overly excited. So they would jump at their owners (in this case, you) and try to show their love and affection by simply nipping you. When your doggo is just a pup, these nipping would be adorable. But when your pup grows big and more muscular, this nipping can be frustrated and even painful. I have personally experienced this, and I know it can be very annoying even though you love your doggo to the fullest.
This happens when your doggo gets overly excited to see, and that’s how they show their love towards you. You have to understand that first because this is not biting due to “Aggression or Anger.” You doggo is not angry at anything. They are simply just too happy and excited. So let’s talk why your dog would bite you and about how to stop my dog from biting when excited.
First, let’s figure out why your dog bites you when they get excited or when they are playing with you or why your dog get aggressive when excited.
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Why does a Dog Bite You?
They think that you like when they nip you.
If you look back at when your doggo was a little pup, you can understand that you have enjoyed their nipping because it was cute. It didn’t hurt one bit when they bit you when they were little, right? So you went along with it, and you probably let them nip you all they want. So your doggo would have thought you loved it when they bite you since you laughed and praised them when they did it.
So, even now, your doggo thinks that you loved it when they nip you. So that’s why your doggo do this to you every time they get excited. You might think that you are not laughing now and not encouraging your doggo to nip you. But unlike us, dogs communicate differently. So your pain and the noises you make when you are in pain due to your doggo’s bite might not be understandable to your doggo. So it’s simple miscommunication. You might think that if your dog gets aggressive when excited. They don’t. Your dog just thinks that you like when they nip you. This is not aggression. It’s affection. Don’t worry, there are solutions for this, and we will talk about them in this article below.
Your doggo wants to play with you.
Sometimes, your doggo bites you simply because they just want to play with you. Your doggo would just grab the nearest thing to them, and in this case, that would be a part of you. Dogs are intelligent. So, they know that we use our hands to play and do stuff like they use their jaws. That’s why they bite your hands when they want to play with you. They might not realize that they are hurting you. They are just simply craving your attention. Sometimes, when they get too excited, your doggo can bite too hard and cause you unintentional pain.
Sometimes your dog will bite you when you pet them because of this reason. For this same reason, your dog can bite you when you come home. You have to understand that that’s just the way they know how to show their excitement towards you. This is not aggression or angry biting, even though it hurts.
Your doggo is doing “Jaw Wrestling” with you (also known as Mouthing)
You may have seen this a lot with dogs. They do this plaything called “Jaw Wrestling.” This is where two dogs open their mouths and mimic biting around the other dog’s mouth and face. This is a playful activity for dogs in general. Dogs do this with other dogs they are familiar with. Since you are someone that your dog is familiar with, your doggo might try to do “Jaw Wrestling” with you. They think that you enjoy it, but in reality, it’s annoying and hurtful for you. When they Jaw Wrestle with you, they can accidentally nip you hard, which can even make you bleed. But keep in mind that this is not aggression. Your dog does not get aggressive when excited.
They want to feel calm.
When dogs want to calm themselves or self soothe themselves, they bite or chew objects. So, if you are the object near them at the time, they might bite or chew you. They don’t do this aggressively but if your doggo is big or has sharp teeth, this can hurt you a bit or annoy you. They also use this coping mechanism when they are anxious.
Since your doggo is comfortable around you, they most probably will choose you to nip due to this reason. So remember, this is also not aggression. Your doggo just wants to calm themselves.
These are the reasons your doggo bites you. So let’s talk about how to stop my dog from biting when excited.
How to Stop my Dog from Biting when Excited
There are different things you can do to stop your dog from biting when excited. Let’s see what they are.
Don’t punish your Doggo.
You can’t punish your doggo when they nip you because that will not help your doggo understand what they did wrong. Instead, punishing your doggo will make them fear you and other humans, which can have a very negative impact on your doggo’s personality. I personally, would not recommend aggressively or fear-inducing actions on your pups for two main reasons. The first one is its animal cruelty. So, unless it’s a life-threatening situation, don’t use these kinds of methods. The second reason is that it won’t give you or your doggo any benefit. However, if you want to stop your dog from biting when excited, you can use the below methods.
Most people might not realize this, but if you punish your dog, for this reason, it can cause tons of negative impacts on your pup. They will develop anger toward you, and that can lead to less trust toward you. This can also lead to actual aggressive biting which can destroy the bond between you and your doggo. So, one might think that punishing will change your dog quickly, but that can lead to many other problems. So use these methods on your doggo instead of biting.
In the USA, approximately 4.5 million dog bites will occur each year, and about 800,000 of them will end up needing medical care. In the USA, 1 out of every 73 people gets bit by a dog each year. Studies show that lots of dog breeds can get aggressive due to aggressive punishing. It also suggests that using methods like these to make your dog behave better can prevent dog bites exponentially.
Give them a Chewing Toy.
As mentioned above, there are multiple reasons for your dog to nip you. So, the simplest method is to replace you with a chewing toy. Every time your doggo starts to bite you or try anything similar, just give a chew toy. Make sure that you give your doggo one chewing toy to get familiar with that one chewing toy. With time, your doggo will get used to it, and when they get excited or wants to chew something for any of the above reasons, they will actively search for that specific chewing toy instead of you. But keep in mind that it will take time for your doggo to get used to that chewing toy. So you have to be patient with this process.
So, if you are using this method, slowly move away when your doggo starts to nip you out of excitement. Then get the chewing toy and show it to your doggo. You might have to shake that toy or play with it a bit to get your pup’s attention toward that toy. After you get your doggo’s attention, give the toy to your doggo, and they will bite it. Since it’s a chewing toy, your doggo will realize that they can nip it all they want without any problem. So, when you do this for a an extended time, eventually, your doggo will get used to their own chewing toy and will stop nipping you when excited.
Studies show that in the USA, 94% of dog owners give their doggos edible chewing things, and 83% of dog owners give their dogs inedible chewing things. In this case, the chewing toy can’t be edible because then your doggo would simply eat it. But most of this, 83% of dog owners don’t provide the chewing toy in the proper manner. You have to make your doggo choose the chewing toy every time they want to nip something.
If you want to know more about the effect of chewing toys on your dog, you can check this study.
Detention Time.
This does not mean you are locking your doggo in a room by themselves. This means you simply just ignore your doggo for a time. When you ignore them when they nip you, your doggo will understand that biting you is a bad thing. So if and when your doggo bites you while you play with them, simply ignore your dog and do something else. Stop acknowledging your doggo for about a couple of minutes. Then, once they calm down, give back your attention again.
But if your doggo bites you again out of excitement, stop acknowledging them and leave the room till your doggo calms down. Then, after a couple of minutes, you can recognize your doggo when they are calm. But remember, if you need this to work, you have to stop acknowledging your doggo every time they nip you. Otherwise, they might not understand that nipping you are wrong. So doing this will eventually stop your dog from biting when excited.
Use Taste Deterrents.
There are taste deterrents you can get for this. You can buy them online or from supermarkets. But make sure that you don’t get poisonous once. You can consults with your vet for a proper taste deterrent brand. They come as spray or drops. This is a suitable method, even though this might not be your first choice. If you take a spray, you can spray that taste deterrent on your body where your doggo would bite when it gets exciting. These taste deterrents are not smelly, so you won’t have an effect on your scent. But, they contain flavors that your dog would hate. So, when they get close to you and try to bite you, they will taste it and will go away.
Keep in mind that if you use this method, only use the taste deterrent on yourself. Don’t spray it on your doggo because that will make your dog uncomfortable or even frightened. And if you use a spray and it gets inside your dog’s eyes, it can cause a lot of pain for your doggo. So use the deterrent only on yourself.
Use a Leash for Your Doggo.
You can use this method while you are training your doggo to stop bite when they get excited. For example, let’s say when you are still in the training stage, and a visitor comes into your home. In a situation like this, you can use a leash to keep your doggo out of reach from the visitor. This will help your dog gets calm down quickly. But keep in mind that this method works only if your doggo can calm down within minutes. You can use a crate instead if your doggo is hyperactive. In that situation, put your doggo inside a crate till it calms down. But make sure that your doggo is already crate trained, and make sure that when you place your doggo inside the crate, your doggo would go willingly and calmly. You can also use the crate method for puppies to stop a puppy from jumping and biting. Make sure that putting your doggo inside a crate for more than 8 hours per day can have adverse effects on your dog.
Praise your doggo when behaved well.
This is the simplest and best way to tell your doggo what they did was right. So when they don’t nip you or calmly behaved with you or with a visitor or even avoiding biting you when they get excited, you should definitely praise your doggo for that. You can do that by giving them doggo treats. Some doggos can be praised by giving them more attention. But keep in mind that you don’t get them too excited while praising them because that can again lead to nipping you.
When you come home after a long day, and your dog doesn’t bite you when it greets you or if your doggo doesn’t get aggressive when excited or doesn’t nip you while you play with them, you can praise them. This will give your doggo a positive message, and after some time, they will know that not biting you is the right thing to do.
A study has shown that domestic dog bites in children have increased by almost 3 times in some areas during the pandemic. But most of these bites are not out of aggression. They are out of excitement like mentioned in this topic. So make sure that your dog is trained well, so they don’t bite you or anyone when they get excited. Because even though your dog won’t realize it but it can cause pain to everyone else. That behavior can be irritating to everyone. So, follow the above methods to stop your dog from biting when excited.
Since this is a wide spread issue regarding dogs, many people have asked me lots of questions regarding this topic.
- Can these methods be used on any dogs?
Yes. You can use the above-mentioned methods on any dog or puppy. But make sure that you take your time because training any kind of dog takes time and patience. Generally, it is easier to train a puppy than a full-grown adult dog, but it is possible. It might take more time and more effort, but you can do it.
- Why my dog gets aggressive when excited?
This is a big mistake a lot of dog owners make. Your dog does not get aggressive when excited. They bite you because of the above reasons. It’s not out of aggression but out of excitement. So understand that aggression biting and biting out of excitement are totally different things. But if your dog is a large one and has long nails and sharp teeth, excitement biting can also be harmful. In that case, you have to stop that. Don’t punish your dog. Instead, use the above methods so your doggo will be calmed when they get excited.
- What breed of dogs bites the most?
In America, Pit Bulls have the most extensive number of bites. Out of all bites per year in America, Pit Bulls have caused 22.5% of it. The second place is held by mixed breeds with 21.2% and German Shepherds 17.8%. Pit Bulls and Mixed breed dogs were also found with the highest relative risk of biting. But despite these statistics, any kind of dog can bite you or anyone out of excitement because it’s their natural way of greeting another living being.
- Which dog breed does not bite?
Breeds like Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Beagles are known to be the least aggressive dog breeds. You can know more about least aggressive dog breeds from here.
But remember, any dog can bite you when they get excited. So make sure that you train your doggo correctly so they would behave well when they get excited.
- Why dog bites your sleeve?
Simply because they are excited and want to play with you. But pay attention that when they want to show you something, your dog might also bite your sleeve and try to pull you to where they want. Since most dogs are intelligent, sometimes they might want to show you something important. So pay attention when your dog does that out of the ordinary.
