Kiba gets too aggressive when playing!

[Poonchi94]

Kiba is almost 7 months and he has had a lot of behavioral issues but with training, he is much better. Except for an important thing, if i am throwing a ball for him or playing tug-o-war, if he has too much energy then he will start to get VERY aggressive and start barking, growling and hop around and try to bite me. badly. He draws blood everytime and once he was so bad i had to literally tackle him to the ground because i just couldnt get him to stop biting me. So i had him down until he began to calm down. His breathing was slower and he seemed back to normal, so i slowly released him. Bad idea, because he took that as an opportunity to bite my arm badly and i was a bloody mess. This ONLY happens when i play with him and he gets too hyped up. I just dont have a clue what to do about it. He obeys all of the time, sometimes he gets too hyper, it seems like he's lost it!

Its also very upsetting because this only happens once in awhile and everytime it does, i'm always very shaken up...
what should i do? :'C

[MollyATL]

Because you've alluded to other issues with Kiba, and it strikes me as odd to have a host of behavior issues in one so young, my first suggestion - if you haven't done so already - is to get a full blood panel (including thyroid) and physical to make sure nothing is out of balance medically.

Assuming all is well there, I'd focus on a ton of self-control work with him. All games should have "on/off" rules of play punctuated with quieter obedience work ~ sit, wait, focus, settle. Use these "off" periods to establish your personal space. If he knows hand signals or remote cues, make sure to have him do his sit/wait/etc. a couple feet away from you (if he doesn't - work on that). Keep a drag line on him. If he violates your personal circle to play "mob the human," use the leash to lead him to time-out or clip him to a fence (do not use your hands; adolescent male pups especially see that as an invitation to roughhouse). When he chills, refocus him on the game. I don't like equipment for anything other than safety ~ I want dogs to learn SELF control ~ so the drag line, body blocks, and hand signals are my only suggestions.

Find ways to burn off more energy in non-physical ways. If you are feeding him from a bowl, consider using food toys to make eating a workout. Nosework can be excellent, because it satisfies an innate need to sniff and hunt, and you can build up to some pretty elaborate searches. There is also no physical interaction between you, but it does build a good working bond/partnership.

I am concerned about his lack of bite inhibition. A dog using his mouth harshly when over-aroused is a lawsuit in the making. He needs remedial mouth work. I don't believe in the "your teeth never touch skin" method, because I think they'll loose their skills that way. I do some mouth-wrestling with all my dogs (using my hands, obviously ) to keep them able to moderate their pressure. Do some hand-feeding if you can withstand it, releasing a piece of food only when the mouth softens. Or try using a small stuffed Kong in your hand that requires him to lick and gently mouth out the food. Pair it with a cue ("nice" or "soft") that you can use in other contexts.

I hope these ideas are of help to you, and that others may also contribute their insight.

[Poonchi94]

Thanks for that helpful info!

Well, i've worked on mouth training with him recently and he's doing a really good job. We had him checked (twice) and both times were told he is normal and that because he wasnt burning off enough energy, he became that way. He's also calmed down alot because i'm at the butt crack of dawn trying to exercise him and i think that is really helping.