Hi I have a 11 month old newfie he isn't a bad dog in anyway he is just alittle hyper at times and when he wants to play you really don't have a choice, will he mellow out? He is about 140 pounds and doesn't know it so when he wants to play he usually just pushes into you until you play with him, if I don't play with him he starts to bark at me and he is showing his teeth at me not growling or anything or being aggressive just showing his teeth, any suggestions would be apriciated.

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If the showing of the teeth looks as though he is almost smiling then it is a sign of obedience and desire to please. My two year old Newf does this all the time and its her way of seeking approval. My Newf never realizes quite how big she is. She often mistakes herself for a lap dog. What I have found is they so desperately want to be a part of you life that they will do anything to be close whether it is climbing on you or nudging you to play. You need to make sure he/she understands who is boss by laying ground rules and being strict. I have found my Newf simply ignores who she doesn't respect but listens to who she does. It also seems to correlate with the size of the person but that is not true in all cases.

My male hid around the corner this morning and when I cam outside he took me to the ground from behind, I pushed him off went to go back in to change and the frigger did it again. God its embarrassing when the neighbours are laughing and your suit is full of muddy dog feet. It's just them playing. I call it the blubbering fool stage where they have no common sense and will walk through anything instead of going around it. They do settle over time. The heavier ones are not as active but I always play frisbee with mine and we go hiking etc. so he is not fat by no means and all muscle. My male is 1 yr, 120lbs and can literally do a backflip. At 3 they begin to settle but with this one I dunno.