dog snapped at me.

N

nc527

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Mar 22, 2009
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Ok we have had our dog daisy for almost 2 years now, and she has never even growled at us. We could take her toys or food away while she was eating/playing. But tonight when I gave her some sweet potato fry leftovers, I tryed to pick up the plate to put them in her bowl. When I tryed to get it, she growled and kinda snapped at me. Not hard or anything, just telling me off. I scolded her for it. Any ideas why she did this, when she has never done anything like it before? The reason I asked here, is because there are a lot of dog pic threads and such, showing off our dogs.
 
Do you have kids?

Snapping can be accidental, and kids are good at unwittingly promoting it.

When offering food to a dog, kids tend to pull their hands back to avoid being bit or slobbered on. What this teaches the dog is that if you want the food, snap at it before they pull their hand back. That can be corrected by showing kids to offer food forward, and never pull it back.

In your case, she had the food and became protective. This can be caused by people teasing the dog while eating by trying to grab the food (unlikely in your case), or catching her unawares...and she snapped to try to hang onto the food that was left.

The latter can happen if people in your household pull food away from the dog while she is still eating it.

Other dogs nearby can also make a dog more protective over food.

Scolding, sad as it sounds, is the right thing: she needs to know that this is unacceptable and you do NOT approve. The alpha (you) controls the food supply, so she should be letting you give and take food when YOU are ready.

Your scolding reminded her who is in charge, and she probably feels bad.
 
check her she has no wounds just in case that can make her more sensative and on guard.
 
What's your weather like ? I guess dogs can have off days just the same as we can and if the weather where you are has been as hot as it is here then this could make the dog more irritable !!!!

Did your dog look guilty and submissive after the event, showing that it knew it had done wrong?
 
pitdog, the weather around here today has been nothing but storms. Earlier that day we had to spank her for chewing up a rug. could she have still been scared from that? I dont believe in beating the dog with a belt of anything like that, so I didnt hurt her spanking her. Before now, she could have been chomping down on something, but you could reach down there and pull it away from here if you wanted. She also has a very soft mouth. I might try to replicate the situation tomorrow with a leather glove on. But tonight after she snapped at me, she did look sad, and was happy when I would pet her, and tell her that I loved her.
 
You might consider the NILIF program for a while to remind her of her place in your home. Recreating the situation might be a bad move.

She could have had a fear-aggression reaction from the earlier spanking, been exhibiting food guarding or aggression, or have been asserting what she thinks is her dominance. Maybe a combination.

She is not human and does not have human reactions.

Try reading some of the free info here.
 
stingray4540 said:
Maybe he/she just really liked those sweet potato fries?!
Click to expand...

Darn you Stingray!!!!! I wanted to say that!!!!!! :D:o:cool:

You do have to let her know who is boss. I like the offer food forward. My lab in the avatar is very hand gentle even with bacon!!!!!! I also do the food forward.
 
Charles Helm said:
She could have had a fear-aggression reaction from the earlier spanking,
Click to expand...


This is pretty unlikely. Dogs possess very limited, if any, episodic memory. Basically, the dog didn't even remember the spanking earlier. Dogs have very strong associative memories, however. They rely on the ability to associate your smell, voice, etc with your actions. This is based on reinforcement. It is easily seen in a young puppy that only warms up to a few people who feed, bathe, and care for it. Unless the spankings are occurring regularly, highly unlikely, the dog doesn't associate that kind of action with you and the "snap" was a result of: A. Hunger, B. accident (misjudged playing) C. Testing her limits. (dogs, like kids, see what they can and can't get away with) or D. some other outside environmental effect.
 
http://leerburg.com/dominac2.htm

read the article above Bro--you will thank me

What this translates down to is this "if your dog growls at you when you go near his food bowl or if it growls at you when you go to bed and it's laying on the bed - or if it growls at you when you try and take its toy away from it - the dog does not feel that you are a higher rank in the pack than it is." When a dog growls at the wife or kids in the family, it sees itself as a higher rank than family members. When that happens there is a problem brewing.
 
"What this translates down to is this "if your dog growls at you when you go near his food bowl or if it growls at you when you go to bed and it's laying on the bed - or if it growls at you when you try and take its toy away from it - the dog does not feel that you are a higher rank in the pack than it is." When a dog growls at the wife or kids in the family, it sees itself as a higher rank than family members. When that happens there is a problem brewing."

Exactly that. No big deal - practice. You need to take possession. Item X is yours not his. Nothing major required. Quiet confidence is the key. No yelling or flailing about needed and certainly no hitting. Put food down and put yourself between him and it. Be confident and stand your ground. If it tries to get past you to get at the food obstruct him. Make him wait. Make it clear that it is yours and he can only have it when you say so. Ignore him. It's your food. Walk between him and the food like he doesn't exist. You need to take ownership of everything. If you don't he will.

I've volunteered a lot of time teaching young kennel hands the basics at the Dogs Trust. Most of these are fragile young girls up against red tag dogs. Quiet confident assertiveness wins every time. Even with the type of dogs that are supposedly vicious they are usually armed with nothing more than a broom. It takes a truly lost the plot dog for it to not respond. Happily such cases are amazingly rare. Dogs deliberately trained to be a pain, police, military, attack dogs are a bit different, but domestic dogs just want to be part of the pack that you lead. If you don't lead they become insecure and problems kick in. Let him know you are king and everything in your land is yours.


EDIT: Sorry to her for addressing her as male. I was in a hurry.
 
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My pups, three Labs, have distinct personalities. The youngest is still feeling his way in the world, and likes to push the boundaries. It helps that he is not yet a year old, and almost a hundred lbs, of rock solid muscle! The oldest one will often chastise me for not bringing him inside for bed when he wants, not being fast enough with dinner, or not fast enough with giving him his treats. The middle pup, poor boy has definite middle child syndrome, has a hot temper. I've lifted him off the ground, almost breaking my hand every time, by the gruff. I've done it to all three. They give up really quick.
 
Update: Today I gave her a piece of bacon the same way as last night, but today she lets me take it away from her easily. I am also trying the thing where I stand betwen her and the food. she stayed where she was untill I released her. As I type she is laying on her bed beside me. I guess she must have been cranky last night for some reason or another.
 
Might try...if there is a next time...immediately gripping the pup, flipping and holding it on its back, while suddenly and sternly saying "NO!" Alpha thing, really. Other advice is along the same lines. Dog society doesn't tolerate delays between infraction and retribution. They don't hold grudges, just want to know the rules, really.

Best of luck. Should be no problem.
 
This situation is very simple, and also (to me) a good thing. YOUR DOG HASN'T LOST ALL OF ITS INSTINCTS...YET. It is more natural than other peoples dogs that have been completely brainwashed (like many people). I dont trust my masters, why should dogs trust theirs?
 
nc527

Please read the article I posted above.

The man that wrote it has been training dogs for over 40 YEARS.

Do not take opinions from people that have only trained a few dogs---

He has raised over 400 litters of German Shepherds-and is one of the best(if not the best man on the PLANET) to give you advice backed by experience.

Dog training is like Fat Loss(my subspeciality).Every one can tell you how it's done--but few people get long term results.

Your dog growling at you is a VERY big deal.

Again---PLEASE read the article I attached above

If you do--I assure you--you will thank me

Sincerely

Dr.Bill
 
Your dog snapping at you might not be a good thing to you (i said that FOR ME, its a good sign). What he did to you means that he's not completely conformed. This is the part that i like about your dog. Im not trying to be disrespectful, i just see things from your dogs point of view. Its not hard seeing other "things" point of view, since we are all the same. I too, like your dog, would like to be able to do whatever i want, all the time. Its the punnishment afterwards that keeps "things" in-line. If "things" can see past the punnsihment, and know that there is never anything to be AFRAID of, than the "thing" is then free, and fearless, and now knows that it always is creating its own reality.
 
WILLIAM.M said:
nc527

Please read the article I posted above.
Click to expand...

+1

I posted the general Leerburg link as well. I am not so sure that giving your food to a potentially-dominant aggressive dog and letting it on your bed are good ideas, especially so soon after it snapped at you.

What kind of dog is it and how big? Did you post that and I missed it?
 
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