Dog bites when she becomes extremely eager

Seeking help
1

We recently adopted a dog from the animal shelter. She’s about a year old, and we don’t know much about her past.

Usually, she’s very sweet and cuddly, but she sometimes nips when she gets overly excited. For example, when I come home from work, she used to nip at me out of excitement. It hurt quite a bit and left bruises, but never broke the skin (probably a level 2 bite, not aggressive but not playful either). We’ve mostly trained her out of this by redirecting her behavior, not rewarding the nipping, and rewarding her when she’s calm.

Today, we brought out a kiddie pool for the first time since we got her and started filling it with water. I thought she’d be excited because she loves rolling in mud puddles, so I hoped this would be a cleaner way for her to enjoy water!

However, it seemed to really scare her. I stood in the middle of the pool to try to lure her in, but she kept trying to grab me by the back of the legs, almost as if she was trying to drag me out. I probably should have done something different at that point, but I managed to lure her into the pool, and once she was in, she actually enjoyed it. She wagged her tail, calmed down, and seemed to realize it was fun and safe.

The problem occurred when I decided to fill the pool up some more. I grabbed the hose and started spraying water into the pool. She began pacing around the outside, barking, and biting the hose. I told her, “No,” and, “Leave it,” but she wasn’t responding well to those commands. Then she bit me in the back of the leg again, this time hard enough to draw blood!

It’s mostly just a bad bruise with a scratch, but it’s very worrying because I’ve never dealt with this before. I’m not sure how to address this behavior (probably a level 3 bite).

I feel at a loss. What is the best way to handle this going forward?

2

Don’t get her to that excited state. When you notice the excitement rising, stop what you’re doing and let her to self-regulate. Working with highly energetic dogs is primarily a waiting game. I frequently turn around to avoid drawing attention. Don’t issue commands. Unless your dog has extremely high levels of obedience, it will simply add to the excitement.

If you don’t have time for this process, don’t involve her in the matter. Leave her inside her kennel, for example.

3

Your dog’s discomfort with the pool was evident in their attempts to pull you away. While it’s understandable to want your dog to enjoy activities like swimming, it’s important to respect their boundaries.

When you filled up the pool, your dog’s stress signals became more pronounced, including pacing, barking, and biting the hose. These behaviors indicate that they were feeling overwhelmed or anxious.

It’s common for humans to overlook dogs’ body language, assuming we know what’s best for them. In this case, your dog’s stress levels reached a breaking point.

Going forward, review the advice on bite inhibition and continue training. Pay close attention to your dog’s body language, especially in new or unfamiliar situations. Look for subtle signs of stress, like looking away, yawning, or licking their nose.

When your dog was reacting negatively to the hose, it might have been more effective to remove them from the situation instead of trying to force them to calm down. Commands like “no” and “leave it” can be difficult for dogs to understand. Consider using positive reinforcement, like treats or toys, to redirect their attention and create distance from the trigger.

4

When we first brought our little guy home (about the same age, also from a shelter), he would often get excited and start mouthing. Although he never bit down hard or caused any pain, I found a method that might help. For about a month, I always carried a toy with me. I kept one in the car to bring in after work and had one within reach at home. Whenever he got excited, before he could mouth me, I would put the toy in his mouth and say “toy.” If I noticed he was starting to get overly excited, I’d tell him to get a toy. Now, whenever he greets us or gets really excited, he runs to grab a toy. We haven’t had any incidents in years.

5

This has also worked for me with my huge breed dog (who was rescued from a shelter).

6

When my chompy puppy gets too eager, I divert him. Stop the activity. We also discovered he prefers to meet strangers with his favorite toy. It serves as his security blanket. Then he has an outlet for his need to chomp.

7

I agree with the preceding comment. Keep something with you to place in her mouth if she tries to nip or bite.

8

We have a younger dog, and this behavior is still considered quite normal. Things improved significantly for us when we invented a game where she is allowed to bite our arm on command. We use a thick, comfy sock that goes up to the elbow, and on command, she can bite it while we wrestle or cuddle with her.

We also trained her to respond to the command “stop” during this game. When we give the command, we move our arm out of her reach and stand very still while she waits excitedly for the play command again, like “attack.” Eventually, she learned to stop immediately when we gave the command.

Now, when she gets too bitey during normal interactions, she listens to “stop” right away.

9

The occurrence with your leg is, of course, a different type of bite. I believe your dog will improve after she adjusts to her new surroundings and learns to trust you and not freak out readily.

10

It sounds like she has some herding in her hahaha. I’d do what others said; having an acceptable “bite” play time might be helpful. Because she’s a year old, it may be more challenging, but overall, bite inhibition training would be beneficial so that when she nips, she has a soft mouth. I let my puppy play fight with my arm and hand, but he is quite delicate at this time.

11

That is what I was thinking. This sounds like heeler and Aussie nipping. She may have attempted to herd her out of the suspicious pool.

12

My dog does this. She’s terrified of everything. I started training with her, and we’re making great progress.