There’s no secret about the fact that our happiness and excitement is directly proportional to our dogs’. Like me, I am sure that everyone loves it when their dogs are jumping from joy. However, this excitement comes with a cost: having your dog bite you or random stuff.
Often, this random stuff can be your lovely couch, the new mat, or worse, your new air jordans. Sounds like a nightmare, right?
Just like you guys, I am the bearer of the same pain. Hence why, I decided to put an end to it. But, don’t worry; by the end, I mean to share excellent ways to stop our precious canine babies from chewing away stuff or their owners.
Here’s how to stop your dog from biting when excited:
1. Toss Food On The Ground
This is a tried and tested one, and trust me; it works like a charm. All you have to do is get a handful of your dog’s favorite treat and scatter it all around the house. Then, your canine buddy will get busy sniffing and collecting the treat, which will surely help calm them down.
Tip: Eating food helps calm down a dog, so it’s a great time to teach them any lessons.
2. Leave The Room
Another thing that you can try, which might sound a bit heartless, is to leave!
I know this sounds tough, but it does yield results. For example, you can leave the room or step behind a door and close it. This is a part of negative reinforcement, and all you have to do is remove something. In this case, you removed yourself.
Making yourself unavailable when your dog does something unpleasant will help his condition to associate your absence with that negative behavior.
3. Act Boring Or Calm
This one is the easiest by far!
All you have to do is act boring or remain calm. Did you know your pets imitate you? Yes, they do, and most of the time, our beloved canine friends get excited because we too act excited by waving our arms or making laughing loudly.
Just sit quietly or relax, and your dog will try to mimic your actions.
Tip: Pair this practice with a treat, and your dog will be conditioned to sit calmly when you are calm and relaxing.
4. The Hand Target Method
Lastly, we can prevent a problem even before it starts by using “Differential ReinForcement”. This means to teach your dog something that he can’t do while nipping.
Many people use sitting, but my personal favorite is the hand target method, in which your beloved pup has to press his face in your hand at the cue. Keep in mind that it requires a lot of training for your dog to learn it.
But once your buddy has learned it, you can use it every time he gets excited and starts nipping.
Conclusion
So that was it! I hope this article was fruitful for you guys in understanding how to stop your dog from biting when excited. All you have to do is keep him engaged and teach him a few tricks, and you are good to go.
