Dog bites in play and wont stop

Question
My sister has a male Bloodhound who is 8 months old.  He is a loving dog most of the time but when he plays he will not stop.  His way of playing is grabbing your arms, legs, any body and biting and chewing.  It has gotten worse esp with the kids.  He tackle the kids and grab them by there neck, shoulders head ect..  He has been biting a lot harder and is hurting the kids.  Most of the time you will be just standing there and he will come up and just start biting.  We have tried the firm command of NO which he rarely listens to.  My sister will allow he kids to smack him if he is biting which i dont approve of, but it only makes him more aggressive.  I don't like for people to hit their pets and have forbid my children to do so, i keep him most of the time since she is gone a lot.  I just don't know what to do with him.  He has a kennel here and i won't allow him to run loose in the house when he is like that but i let him spend a lot of time outside in our backyard since we have a privacy fence.  Also there is another dog who is a 1yr and half Saint bernard, the bloodhound is really dominating of him but not in an aggressive way though.  Everytime the st. bernard eats or drinks he comes up and starts to drink or eat and the other dog doesnt eat unless he is by himself now.  If you now of any way to curb his biting or any tips please let me know i am willing to try anything.  thanks

Answer
Hi Stephanie;
Dogs are just like kids.
If they aren't taught the proper way to behave, they just go by what they want to do.
Biting and roughhousing is a dogs natural way to play.
They have to be TRAINED to know how hard and when to and not to bite.
What is needed very badly here is an obedience class, for both dog and humans.
Since you have the dog most iof the time, it would be better if you were the handler in class.
Your sister and all the kids could come and sit and watch the training class sometimes, and they would learn how you get what you want out of the dog.
He is at a good age to go through this kind of class, and it would benefit the whole family, especially the kids and the dog.
I agree with you, your sister is WRONG to allow the kids to hit the dog. It only encourages him to bite more, and stops the forming of a loving bond between the kids and the dod.
Petsmart and Petco stores have weekend classes.
They are group classes where a qualified trainer teaches you to handle the dog. The proper commands to give, and they way the dog is to behave to the commands.
Teaching them to sit exactly the right way, and to walk on leash the right way is very important.
Using the right commands for a certain behavior is very important.
It is very exact, but it instills discipline in the dog, and teaches out the nonsense.
the dog learns what is play and what is serious.
The fee for the classes is nominal for what you get, because once you go through the course, you know from now on how to train a dog without paying a fee for classes again.
without being there to demonstrate the moves and how to do the exercises, trying to do it in a letter would only be confusing.
You go to the class one day a weekend, and workk a while every day on what you learned in the last class and the other classes before.
The dogs start to shape up really fast.
By watching you at the classes, the kids would hear the commands, and see what you have to do, and watching you work the dog every day, they would learn how to get the dog to do what he is supposed to do when they are playing with him.
He will be able to give the kids a good romp that he and the kids will love, and nobody will get hurt.
But the hitting HAS to stop !
By them hitting him when he bites in play, it will teach him to bite for REAL when they do something he doesn't like.
That is the reason a lot of the time for kids getting muled by a family pet.
she is making a dangerous situation for her children, and other children.
I encourage you to get him into a class as soon as possible.
If you don't have a Petsmart or Petco store in your area, check with the SPCA in your area, or ask your Vet to recommend a trainer that does group classes.
Man's Best Friend is a business that does this, and they have stores all over.
Charlotte
Please get him trained before one of the children gets hurt badly, and the dog has to be put down. That would be a terrible shame.
Charlotte