Hi, I have a 5 mth old Doberman. When we play with her she does real good not biting, but when we are done playing we tell her (done) and off. But then she gets on your lap and bites at our hands my husband and son have some really bad bites from her. Same with her if we are outside playing, As we toss the ball or toy she jumps up and bites. She doesn't do me often she knows not to. My husband plays hard with her when he's done she goes after his hands. When he tells her no, she barks and runs around and trys to bite him. I'm teaching my husband, not to scream at her but to ignore her it's working a little. My son really has problems with her he's 11. He can't lay on the floor because she jumps on him and starts to bite. I know puppies bite but this is not a puppy bite. The more he tries to stop her the more she bites. We do have a muzzle which we do use. But after she settles down we take it off (15min.) Then she starts again. I'm not sure which is worst trying to teach my husband and son how to play with her or teaching Whisper (dobie). I hope you can help. Thank You - Debby

Your problem is very common. Your pup is getting all wound up and can't come down from the excitement. First, throw out that muzzle. Often times, muzzles just mask the problem or, worse, exaggerate the existing problem. A viable alternative could be a HALTI collar which acts like a muzzle but will allow the pup to play ball, bark, etc. until you apply pressure and safely close the mouth. Next, I would put a leash on the pup so that you could control it without actually touching it. With the leash, you can silently and calmly keep it from biting you and possibly place it into a SIT. Lastly, I would incorporate the SIT into your play sessions. Make the pup SIT each time you throw the ball, so that the pup will associate SIT with play. After a while, the pup should SIT on its own when it wants you to throw the ball. This teaches a certain degree of control and can be used to keep the pup from getting too excited and frenzied. Have fun with this one.

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