Snapping Issues

[Elly]

Our twelve week old female lab pup snaps at us a lot. I know they love to chew anything under the sun but this seems different than her regular chew habits.

If I tell her no and try to teach her to stay down etc she looks at me and snaps the air at me or my hubby. She wanted on the couch last night and barked and barked and kept coming up. My hubby pushed her down and said down in a strong voice and she snapped at him very close to his face.

When she does this it feels like an agressive thing and not puppy play but I could be wrong. Is this just normal behaviour for her age?

Thanks Elly

 

[Bailey+Ralph]

Alot of people will say that it is normal behaviour, but then again just as many will say that it isn't.
I beleive that it is normal, i feel that she is fighting for dominance over you and your husband.
I am not really much help on advising how to go about stopping her though, my eldest dog never done this and the youngest is too young to know whether or not he will............Sorry.

 

[Elly]

Hi and thanks anyway. Hopefully I will get some advice . It is something I am concerned about.

Elly

 

[LabBreeder]

our 10 wk old male is doing much the same thing. he does it to our female, who's almost 2, as well. i believe it's a combination of puppy play and trying to assert dominance...or see how far he can go without getting into trouble. when he snaps at us, and it is beyond the playful puppy nip, i gently grab him around the muzzle and tell him, very firmly, to "stop it!" if he doesn't calm down after that, and does it again, i place my thumb under his tongue (near his bottom row of teeth) and have my index finger underneath his lower jaw. this keeps him from biting and makes him realize (without hurting him) that he is not the dominant one.
as long as you keep play...playful...and do not allow the "unplayful snapping" to start, your pup will grow out of it.

 

[LabBreeder]

Sometimes, you can quickly bend the lips around the teeth of the pup and say "No."... so that the dog learns if he bites you, the response is something that doesn't feel good. Just beware that you don't let this turn into a game.
at the same time, make sure that the correction IS motivational. I.E., if the dog keeps doing the behavior, that's usually a good sign that your correction isn't motivational.It is a good idea to attend obedience school so that your dog learns some
basic commands and you learn to reinforce them. This allows you to control
your interactions with the puppy better. If you make her respond to a
command before giving her meals to her, before giving her any treats, prior
to going on walks and intermittently during walks, all these things help to
enforce your status as a leader. Using a head halter type collar (Promise
Collar tm, Haltie tm) is also helpful, as it gives you a lot more control
over the situation and allows you to provide corrective action (moving her
head away) immediately while not frightening her and worsening the
situation. Keeping this up will often cause a puppy to be less aggressive
since it tends to accept a subservient status better. If the aggression
over being moved off the furniture or put to bed increase it may be
necessary to make the furniture totally off limits.

are there any particular instances, besides being pushed off the couch, that gets the puppy to nip/snap? do you all play rough with her?

 

[LabBreeder]

i would say not to "push her down" next time. pick her up, place her on the floor and tell her "no" or "down". she may have thought he was trying to play with her by pushing her away from him.

 

[Elly]

Hi and thanks for your replies. We have never allowed her on the furniture right from the start. It is something she just started to try and do nearly from the day we got her.

We never play rough with her as I had read that it makes them worse. We never have played tug with her either. Just usually throw the ball or toy and she runs to get it. There is just me and my hubby as all kids are grown and gone so it is fairly quiet here most of the time. I am here all day with her.

When she tries to chew on our hands and we tell her no bite she will snap at us . When on the leash she often tries to grab our legs and run in front of us at the same time.When I try and get her to stop she snaps then as well. Sometimes she will growl and has started to more recently.

I have tried the holding gently of the muzzle and saying no bite to her and after I let go she will snap .

I can try your methods though and hopefully this will work.

I have been trying the nothing in life is free method .

Thanks

 

[LabBreeder]

it sounds like she may think it's ok to snap because every time she does it she gets attention. hmmm...try what was talked about earlier and see if it works. if she snaps after you grab her muzzle and hold, because she was nipping/biting it doesn't sound like anything is being stopped. make sure she knows it is NOT A GAME! to avoid being snapped at while disciplining you could get a rolled up newspaper and "pop" her on the nose or under the chin when she does it. don't make it to hard, but make it where she'll stop trying to snap and look at you like "what'd you do that for?" she'll realize that snapping doesn't feel good because she's getting swatted. she should stop once she realizes it leads to a reaction that doesn't feel good.

 

[Roxy's CD]

She's still pretty young but you have to teach her from the start how hard she's allowed to play bite. Most pups will respond if you yelp like your hurt, she should realize that she's hurt you. If that doesn't work a flick to the muzzle/spray bottle also works very well.

As for the furniture...you have to be clear and firm. Most people do this "AWWW! Come on baby!! How many times do I have to tell you GET DOWN!/OFF!" This doesn't work, they don't understand at this age, they just hear "WA WA WA WA!!" lol

It's so funny because, you should see this, when you REALLY want her to get off the couch, she probably does without a protest. But sometimes, when your not as serious or angry she'll put up a fuss. Be firm EVERYTIME!!!
That Cesar Milan says that "Ssshh" works well, I've found it does. Just make sure that your consistent. If she's never allowed on the couch, than she's never allowed on the couch!

 

[tinksmama]

I think if you really follow the NILIF program,she'll learn who's boss- I don't advocate hitting(even gently) a dog who does this- it usually makes thme even more aggressive- it's god to catch it and stop it now, before she's old enough to really harm.
Try keeping a leash on her at all times when she's with you, I find the firm quick yank down on the collar,at the SAME time giving a correction, really gets their attention- nothing rough, just so she feels it, kind of like the mothers shake theory- then when she tries to jump up, just hold the leash so she can't -give her the command,like"NO" and then praise and good stuff when she stays down, even for 20 seconds!
What worked for my older dog really well, was I'd look away and growl in my throat if she didn't listen,sometimes say her name, and then growl- she'd immediately know i was "talking" to her, it just got her attention-

 

[Julie]

Please don't swat, pinch, or pull lips.
It will not help anything in the long run!!
As a matter of opinion, it will teach untrust.
And YOU WILL RUIN YOUR DOG if you hit with a newspaper or hands for that matter.

The thing I would do is: Everytime she is biting air, nipping, growling, etc.
All interaction with her stops. Walk away...leave the room.......no attention at all until she regains composure. It might take a while but she will figure it out......When "I" do this......I don't get attention. It will stop....because it will be no fun!
Even negative attention, like swatting, pinching, etc. Is attention.......and the pup would probably rather that, than no attention at all.

Best Wishes.

 

[LabBreeder]

i was just trying to give methods i found online to see if they'd work. the only thing i've ever personally done is the thumb in the mouth routine. it doesn't hurt them but they can't snap either.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Please do a search on BITE INHIBITION, and DOMINANCE AGGRESSION.

Please get in puppy training class IMMEDIATELY with this puppy. She needs somethign to do with her brain.

What age was she taken from her litter?'

Have you spoken to her breeder about this?

 

[Elly]

Thanks for all the advice and help . It is great to have the support. Last dog I had was many years ago and nothing like this one so never experienced this.

I am intending to get her into obedience as I thing we BOTH need it

I may have bitten off more than I can chew with Zoe but I dont want to give up on her yet anyway as she is still very young and still trainable I believe.

I got her at eight weeks of age and I was visiting her regularly. You are right that I should talk to the breeder. I also met the mother and grandmother and both are so extrememly gentle . Maybe this is a faze? I hope so.

She is a sweet dog other than this habit she has. We do have loving moments and I believe there is a bond there. Maybe she is just a more dominant personality and I have to learn as I am here how to curb that. Also spaying I heard does wonders to.

Thank you guys so much.I will keep you informed on how she is doing and be here with other questions as well.

 

[Dobiegurl]

She is asserting her dominance over you and your husband as everyone stated already. It is natural but should be corrected.

When Chico was a baby he wouls snap all the time and he had serious toy pocession issues. When he snapped, I lifted him off the floor, brought him close to my face and said "uh-uh" in a growling voice, baring my teeth and looking like a fool, but it worked. However, I would not suggest bringing her close to your face because those teeth hurt if she was to get you, but a safe distance away from your face and act like her mother would. Her dam would not tolerate that behavior and neither should you. You are the new mama, and she needs to know her boundaries. Now remember once your pup is older, it would not be wise to take such direct ways to stop a behavior. She's still a baby.

 

[Elly]

Hi Dobiegurl

Thanks for your help also. I have tried the method suggested of putting my thumb under the tounge and other finger under the chin and it seemed to help at first but now I find when I do it she somehow manages to pinch my finger as I am removing it.

I got so fed up yesterday I did what you have suggested only without the holding her part. She snapped at me and I practically GROWLED and stood up at the same time. It was just a reaction to her constantly doing this.

She took off with her tail between her legs into a corner.It was funny but I dont want her to be afraid of me. I didnt make up to her though a I was just so fed up and tired of her constantly pushing me.

I ended up leaving the room and coming back and cuddling with her later and she was ok and a little more subdued for the rest of the day. She is back at it again today though.

I hope this doesnt take months to change as I dont think I can handle it that long. I am no spring chicken.

 

[bubbatd]

I hope things work out for you. Growling and snapping is NOT acceptable ! Good luck !

 

[Angel Chicken]

Kona had the same problem.

Sorry if someone already said this.

We just grabbed her snout, and said "No Bites" in a stern tone.

If she did it again, she would go to her crate. Finally she learned that when we pet her or tell her no, that she doesn't feel the need to snap.

Easy fix for us. Try to remember that not everything works for every puppy. My best advice is to try different methods, and see which one works best for you.

Hope I have helped!

 

[Dobiegurl]

Hi Dobiegurl

Thanks for your help also. I have tried the method suggested of putting my thumb under the tounge and other finger under the chin and it seemed to help at first but now I find when I do it she somehow manages to pinch my finger as I am removing it.

I got so fed up yesterday I did what you have suggested only without the holding her part. She snapped at me and I practically GROWLED and stood up at the same time. It was just a reaction to her constantly doing this.

She took off with her tail between her legs into a corner.It was funny but I dont want her to be afraid of me. I didnt make up to her though a I was just so fed up and tired of her constantly pushing me.

I ended up leaving the room and coming back and cuddling with her later and she was ok and a little more subdued for the rest of the day. She is back at it again today though.

I hope this doesnt take months to change as I dont think I can handle it that long. I am no spring chicken.

Don't worry it will all work out, eventually.

 

[tinksmama]

I think the trying again the next day was just testing,if she sees that every day you reac the same,and she doesn't like it, she'll stop- it's just important to do it EVERY time, so she gets it. It might take a week or so, depending on her stubborness, I have a very stubborn pup,and those days of fresh behavior can seem like months, but then suddenly she gets it!