My partner and I adopted our puppy about 4–5 months ago. He’s an American Staffy/GSD mix, and we got him when he was 10 weeks old. He was neutered early through the rescue we adopted him from. He’s been crate trained since the beginning and honestly loves his crate. He settles really well on his own, he’s very smart, learns quickly, and isn’t reactive. He seems to genuinely enjoy other animals and people.
The issue we’re having is his aggression toward us during play. When he gets frustrated or overstimulated, which can happen very fast, he snaps and starts biting and nipping us. Sometimes it feels like he’s trying to herd or control us. He’s a confident dog overall, but this behavior is really concerning.
Something else I find a little odd is that he never barks at anything. He doesn’t bark at noises, people, or other animals. The only times he’s vocal are when he needs something, and when he’s trying to attack or control us. That’s it.
Most of this happens when we’re outside playing. If we try to stand up or stop the game, he immediately jumps, lunges, and bites our hands and arms. We’re constantly covered in bruises and scratches. We always keep toys nearby to redirect him, and sometimes that works, but other times he gets hyper focused on biting us if we do something he doesn’t like, like ending play or standing up.
He also does this during zoomies. He’ll run around like crazy, then suddenly run up to one of us while we’re sitting, stare for a split second, then bark, lunge, and bite hard.
He gets plenty of exercise and sleeps about 15–16 hours a day, so it’s not like he isn’t getting enough activity or rest. I’m just really worried and don’t know what to do. I need advice.
submitted by /u/NoComfortable4918
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