Does your dog snap at you when something doesn’t suit him?
This is not a nice experience with your four-legged friend. Therefore, you should quickly find out when your dog is snapping at you and fix this problem.
Since there are different reasons and solutions for this behavior, you will find important information here.
My dog snaps at me when something doesn’t suit him – causes
If your dog snaps at you, be sure to take it seriously.
Your dog usually wants to create a distance to you and shows you that he doesn’t like something.
Your furry friend has a reason for his behavior. So you need to figure out why he’s reacting that way.
1. Your dog is in pain
Often there is a painful problem behind a dog’s snapping. Maybe he has back or joint pain and therefore does not want to be touched.
At the painful touch, he grabs your hand to tell you not to touch him.
Most of the time, this doesn’t happen without warning. It enters into this action Growl ahead or your dog will try to retreat.
2. Your dog wants to play
You were just playing nicely with a dog and suddenly he grabbed your hand?
Perhaps he is cocky and bite inhibition has not been sufficiently encouraged.
3. Your dog wants attention
Your dog jumps at you and snaps at you? And you realize: «If I scold him, it doesn’t bother him.»
Aggressive behavior is rarely behind it. As a pup, he did it to his mother to protect hers to attract attention.
Young dogs can demand attention in this way.
4. Your dog is defending itself or its food
Your dog is lying on your blanket with a chew and you want to take it away because it has eaten enough. Suddenly he grabs your hand.
He defends his food. Something quite normal in the animal kingdom.
5. Your dog is stressed
You are with your dog vet and you’re supposed to lift him onto the examination table and it’s happened: he grabbed your hand.
In stressful situations, your dog can react differently than you are used to from him.
And a visit to the vet means pure stress for most dogs.
6. Your dog is scared
Like every first Saturday of the month you want to cut your dog’s claws and every time he snaps at you when you try?
Your dog may be scared as they associate clipping their claws with a negative experience.
Maybe a claw was cut too short and caused your dog pain. Or he finds this part of personal hygiene unpleasant.
7. Your dog is startled
Your dog just snoozed peacefully on the sofa. Suddenly he’s shooed down and grabs your hand.
This can happen if your dog is startled or you don’t recognize his calming signals.
How do I react when my dog snaps at me?
First of all, you should keep calm.
Realize why your dog snapped at you.
Don’t take spontaneous parenting actions out of anger or frustration.
Consider whether your dog shows this behavior more often and whether it has already signaled to you through its behavior that it doesn’t want something.
How do I break the habit of snapping in my dog?
While playing
If your dog snaps at you while playing, that’s him time to pause the game.
You can also make a loud, shrill sound, like the puppies do to each other.
After a short wait you continue the game. If your dog snaps again, it will be interrupted again.
Important
You decide when to continue playing, not your dog.
While eating
If you need to take your dog’s food or toy away from you, offer a replacement.
This can be another toy or a treat.
This way your dog can learn that it is worth giving something away.
For fear
snaps your dog under stress and fear, can you try to distract him
When you visit the vet, you can play with him early or give him his favorite treat at the practice.
It’s important that you stay calm and don’t let his behavior irritate you.
If your dog gets away with snapping, he’ll learn that he can tell you that way if something doesn’t suit him.
More attention
If your dog wants more attention, he may try to get it by snapping and jumping.
It is important that you tell him if he behaves like this do not caress soothingly. He could take that as praise.
Try to keep your dog busy. This can be with a long walk or a job for his head.
Can a dog school or trainer help?
If you often observe this behavior in your dog and cannot find a solution, you should seek professional help from a dog school or a dog trainer.
In addition, you will find further valuable tips for these and other training questions in our large dog training book.
Conclusion
There can be many different reasons why your dog snaps at you. It is important that you address this issue.
If you can’t find an explanation for your dog’s behavior or simply don’t know what to do, find someone else professional help from a dog trainer or dog school.
The situation and the framework conditions often have to be seen as a whole in order to get to the bottom of the problem.
How do you deal with unwanted behavior in your dog? Tell me in the comments.