No scolding, no yelling, and no physical punishment. Gently take hold of her collar, lead her to a quiet room away from the action, and leave her there with a bowl of water and a chew toy.
It is more than understandable that you are very concerned after your dog snapped at you for the first time because snapping is widely recognized as aggressive behavior.
Finding the appropriate cause is crucial to preventing this event from happening again because there are numerous factors that could have contributed to it.
Although snapping can appear frightening, your dog has a large repertoire of warning signals that it can use to communicate with you.
Finding out exactly what your dog was trying to tell you and how to prevent snapping in the future are your only remaining tasks.
How to React When Your Dog Snaps at You
A snap that appears out of nowhere can be extremely upsetting.
Your dog may have never displayed this behavior before, which throws you completely off guard.
For most people, the natural response would be to gasp aloud and possibly even lash out at your dog.
When something like this occurs, it’s imperative that you maintain complete calm.
We must attempt to manage our emotions as much as possible because an irate owner is the last thing a agitated dog needs.
Take a step back from the situation and exhale deeply.
Once you’ve collected yourself, examine the circumstance objectively to determine the cause of your dog’s behavior.
If necessary, record the dog snapping in as much detail as you can.
As I previously stated, the most typical explanation for why your dog might have hissed at you was to let you know that he felt threatened by what you were doing.
And there is nothing wrong with that.
Did you make a loud noise, corner him unintentionally, or perhaps try to hug him?
Try to recall everything that happened in detail because there were probably many other warning signs before the snap that you might have missed.
Future behavior of your dog should be closely watched, as should his body language.
Photo by Fernanda Nuso on Unsplash
Should I Discipline My Dog for Snapping?
Since snapping is a warning sign, punishing your dog for it would be counterproductive.
Dogs cannot verbally express their feelings to you, so they must instead give you other cues.
If they notice that you continue to ignore those signals, they will have to take additional measures to stop you.
The last thing we want is for your dog to experience more anxiety and fear as a result of being punished for communicating with you.
A well-socialized dog will react appropriately to even the smallest cues in another dog’s body language.
We need to learn and pay close attention to them because we are not as adept at reading those signs.
Your next move will depend on the reason your dog is growling at you.
If the behavior continues or worsens, rule out any underlying medical conditions before thinking about consulting a dog behaviorist for assistance.
When Dogs Growl or Snap: What NOT to do
Your dog may have snapped or growled recently, and you may be wondering why. After all, you might have done your homework and chosen the ideal dog for your family. What would suddenly cause your dog to act aggressively? Does this mean you have to rehome him, or worse, do you have a dominant dog on your hands that you have to train to be submissive?
To us humans, expressions of canine aggression are unacceptable behaviors. However, for a dog, they’re simply ways of communicating. There is always a valid reason for aggressive behavior, in a dog’s eyes. The good news is that growling and snapping don’t always portend worse behavior. Simply put, dogs can’t use words to talk to us. They can’t say, “Please don’t do that to me. I don’t like it. They are unable to convince a young child to stop pulling their ears or from crawling on them. Instead, they use the only channels at their disposal—growling or snapping—to communicate.
Because dogs and humans use different communication methods, there are frequently miscommunications between the two species. Many dogs feel uneasy when they are hugged or approached with their eyes directly in contact. Even though humans usually mean to be friendly when they do this, dogs may interpret it as threatening or intimidating and respond accordingly. There is no getting around the fact that we don’t want dog aggression in our houses. If your dog bites someone, it could result in a bad outcome due to its aggression. The good news is that a growl or snap is your dog’s way of warning you that it is getting tired rather than biting you.
Many dog trainers in the past considered growling and snapping to be dominant behaviors and advised dog owners to respond by performing alpha rolls (forcing the dog to fall to the ground and onto his back), stare-downs (staring at the dog until he looks away, which signals his acknowledgement that you are dominant over him), shaking his scruff, and lengthy, forced “stays” with their dogs. Sadly, despite the abundance of information available today about the risks associated with these training methods, a number of trainers still employ them, including well-known celebrity dog trainers who make them seem efficient through carefully choreographed video editing. Some trainers advise even harsher measures to deal with aggression, like shock collars that let you shock your dog when he exhibits aggressive behavior. It would be best for you to avoid such trainers and advice.
Punishment does not reduce aggression, as any trainer or behaviorist who is knowledgeable about canine behavior and the psychological process involved in behavior modification knows. In fact, punishment often makes the problem worse. If the dog is acting aggressively out of fear, punishing it will only make it more fearful and aggressive. A pushy or domineering dog is likely to become even worse if you try to discipline him. In either scenario, the dog and owner become trapped in a cycle of growing hostility. Punishing aggressive behavior that is territorial, possessive, or protective is likely to cause more defensive behavior and ultimately worse behavior.
Sometimes, dog owners assume that punishment prevents further aggressive behavior. I could have easily intimidated my dog to stop growling at me. But would that have addressed the underlying issue? Not in the slightest.
You won’t be able to change your dog’s feelings about the event that initially caused the growl if you don’t address the underlying problem, which may be possessiveness or fearfulness. The risk here is that, even if you are successful in getting your dog to hold back a growl, your punishment might make him feel even worse. Because of this, your dog will continue to feel threatened and be more likely to bite the next time something similar happens. The dog has discovered that growling is ineffective as a warning, so he views biting as the only remaining option.
It’s also crucial to keep in mind that your dog will associate his punishment with whatever initially made him upset. For instance, if you scold your dog for growling at a toddler who was crawling toward you when the dog was actually just trying to say, “Please don’t bother me!” the dog might interpret your punishment as, “I get yelled at when that child crawls toward me.” Therefore, the punishment might lead to an increase in aggression toward the child.
The lesson of this tale is that we desire communication with our dogs. We want them to alert us if they feel threatened or uneasy, and we want them to know that we will take their warning seriously. They’re much less likely to use further aggression in the future if they growl and we respect the growl. However, the goal of this article is not to suggest that you ignore the circumstances that led to your dog growling or to be lenient with them. If your dog is growling, he is upset about something, and you need to deal with it. It’s critical to comprehend the cause of your dog’s growling and what you can do to prevent the issue rather than respond to it punitively. Having a great relationship with your dog will ultimately benefit both of you; your dog will thank you.
The Other End of the Leash and For the Love of a Dog are two excellent and simple-to-read books written about how dogs interpret human behavior by behaviorist Patricia McConnell.
Visit www. if you have any queries or worries regarding the behavior of your dog. ThinkingOutsideTheCage. org.
FAQ
Should I punish my dog for snapping at me?
If the dog is acting aggressively out of fear, punishing it will only make it more fearful and aggressive. A pushy or domineering dog is likely to become even worse if you try to discipline him. In either scenario, the dog and owner become trapped in a cycle of growing hostility.
Why has my dog started snapping at me?
It may be a sign of a disease or illness if a dog who has never displayed aggression suddenly starts growling, snapping, or biting. Pain is an especially common cause of aggression in dogs. 1 Your suddenly aggressive dog may be suffering from an injury or illness that is extremely painful and stressful.
How do you discipline an aggressive dog?
- Discourage dominant behaviors.
- Watch out for signs of resource guarding.
- Pay attention to socialization, both with your pets and with people you don’t know.
- Use positive reinforcement training.
Can aggression be trained out of a dog?
Is training an aggressive dog possible? Yes. Dog aggression is a serious behavior that should be corrected with the assistance of a qualified dog trainer, whether it is directed at the dog’s owner or other dogs.