Puppies are cute, we would love to cuddle them all day long. But puppies are also cheeky and playful.
So it’s not so unusual when a puppy snaps your hand once.
But what if he Puppy snaps during reprimand? The following guide explains what is behind it and what you can do.
Is it normal for puppies to snap?
Biting puppies is completely normal. Because the mouth and the first teeth are a way to explore the environment, especially in the first weeks of life.
Scuffles with siblings are part of everyday puppy life – teeth are also used here. In fact, a puppy learns here how to use its bite «correctly».
If your pup snaps at you, it’s sort of a continuation of the sibling game.
Behind this is usually just a play instinct – which of course can still be quite painful for your hand and is not acceptable behavior in the long term.
Why does a puppy snap when disciplined?
As the saying goes, «The tone makes the music.» Too harsh a discipline can cause a puppy to to bite and snap because he is afraid.
Other reasons such as insecurity and discomfort as well as a lack of socialization can also cause a puppy to snap when disciplined.
Let’s take a closer look at these triggers.
Fear
Around the eighth week of life, a puppy gets to know the emotion of fear. This means that he is not only insecure here, but also possibly skittish.
Loud discipline, perhaps combined with unintentional, abrupt movements, can cause a puppy to snap—at the discipline.
malaise
Your pup may have just moved in with you and are not quite sure what to think of their new home.
He’s uncomfortable. Snapping can be an expression of this – even if the puppy has been disciplined.
Lack of socialization
Puppies go through several socialization phases in which, among other things, the dog mom is involved.
In these phases, puppies not only learn how to get in touch with their peers, other animals and people – they also learn where their boundaries should be.
These limits include snapping. In the course of puppy socialization, the little fur nose should learn that snapping is not always appropriate.
If the puppy is not socialized appropriately, it can happen that a puppy snaps when disciplined.
playfulness
Puppies are extremely curious and playful. Anything moving and new needs to be explored with whatever a pup has. So also with the teeth.
Your hand is such a new thing to play with. There is no aggression behind the biting and snapping – just curiosity.
And a puppy might snap when disciplined, too.
What can happen if a puppy snaps when being disciplined?
One thing is clear – puppy teeth are sharp and pointy and can in the worst case to an unsightly injury lead to you, which can also ignite.
In addition, the snapping behavior can get worse in the long term – especially if all remedial measures seem to be unsuccessful.
IMPORTANT
Please never get physical when your pup snaps when disciplined. This is a sure way to aggravate the situation and lead to aggression in the dog.
By the way, snapping at reprimand is no reason to give up your puppy/dog. Instead, take the time to break the habit with the following tips.
Can a puppy be trained not to snap at people?
A puppy can by learning the so-called bite inhibition are trained not to snap at people.
Even with appropriate commands and signals, your puppy can learn not to snap at you and other people.
Weaning your puppy from snapping can take a few weeks or months. Age, breed and training also play a role here.
This is even more true for older dogs, who can also be trained to break the behavior.
You should plan a lot more time here – especially because you don’t know the history of the fur nose.
bite inhibition
Puppies overestimate themselves and don’t realize how uncomfortable their snapping and biting can be. Therefore, you should teach your puppy what bite inhibition is.
He learns this by first allowing him to bite clothes, hands and feet while playing.
If he gets too cocky, you break off the game, you can use «ouch» or «stop» as a signal word.
The muzzle grip is also useful. With him, grab the puppy’s snout from above and then gently squeeze the upper and lower jaws together.
Your puppy will learn to be a little more careful with your hand than, for example, with its siblings.
Please complete the training by the 16th week of life. Then a puppy loses its milk teeth due to the change of teeth and the much sharper teeth take their place.
Commands & Signals
Does your puppy grab your hand and bite you? Then make it clear to him with the command or termination signal «Ouch» or a cry of pain that it hurt you.
Since dogs also learn from our facial expressions, you can emphasize the command with a pained face.
Once he’s learned that snapping isn’t okay when disciplined, you can reward him with positive reinforcement like a treat.
pause game
Since snapping is usually part of a game, if your pup bites you, you can just pause the game and ignore him.
Due to the sudden interruption of the game unit, the little fur nose is confused at first and quickly learns that biting and snapping shortens the game units drastically.
Did your pup snap when disciplined? How did you break him? We’d love for you to share your tips with us in the comments.