play-biting

Question
hi i have a 8 month old lab, he still play bites very aggressively, when ever he
sees someone new who calls him or tries to pet him he goes crazy and tries
to jump on them and uses his mouth on their hands, i have tried the yanking
his leash, shouting at him saying no, he just does not listen, he does the
same with other dogs, if he sees another dog he will go crazy until he can
meet them, and then he will try to jump on them, and some dogs he tries to
bite their ears and chews on them. i have read the pack behavior guidelines
and follow a majority of them. he still takes the slippers/cushions/phones
and runs waiting for us to follow him. hope you can help in him stopping
these problems.

Answer
It sounds like he still doesn't accept you as his leader.  Neutering him if not already would be a big help.  Check www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm  Carefully follow all those rules.  

Consistently is very important in correcting jumping and other problems. Quickly correcting him each and every time he jumps on somebody is very important. He must never get the affection he wants. A number of things have been used. One of the most gentle is to grab his front paws and hold him up. The traditional knee to the chest or step on his paws are fading from use. As part of the the trend away from negative methods, just step backwards leaving his front feet to fall to the floor. After a few tries, the dog may just stand there looking confused.

Young Labs, which I know best, and other puppies tend to very bad about biting. You see a litter of them, and all the ones that are awake are biting another one or themselves. I am not even sure they realize that when they are alone, if they quit biting, they would quit being bitten. At 3 to 4 months they are getting their adult teeth, and it seems they spend every waking moment biting or chewing. One thing you can do at that stage is to knot and wet a piece of cloth. Then freeze it. The cooling will soothe the gums. Only let the puppy have it when you are there to watch it. I maintain a Lab's favorite chew toy is another Lab. Otherwise they settle for any person they can. They keep hoping to find one that won't yelp, jerk their hand away, and leave.

You just have to keep on correcting them, hundreds of times, not dozens. Provide sturdy, safe toys such as Kongs and Nylabones. Avoid things they can chew pieces off and choke on them. Keep them away from electrical cords. Crates are essential for most young Labs and other dogs.

The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not there to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed. I don't trust any of the consumable chews. The dogs just gnaw them down to a dangerous size too quickly. These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive chewers such as Labs.