How to Keep a Dog From Snapping

Keeping a dog from snapping can be quite a difficult task, particularly when dealing with a fully-grown dog. There are several reasons why a dog acts out, but it generally snaps at and bites people because this is how it socializes with other dogs, and it believes that it is the "alpha dog" in the pack. It is usually ideal to train a dog not to bite while it is less than a year old and in the learning stage of its life. Otherwise, it becomes necessary to hire a professional dog trainer to rehabilitate the dog's behavior. This article assumes that you are attempting to train a dog less than a year old.

Things You'll Need

  • Chew toy
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Instructions

    • 1

      Let the puppy know that biting hurts. This is best done by whimpering when it bites. Anger or reciprocating with punishment may cause the puppy to think that you are being aggressive, which may cause it to bite more.

    • 2

      Establish dominance by giving the puppy a slight, non-painful nip on the neck with your fingers. This demonstrates your status as an "alpha" and will discourage the puppy from acting out against you in the future.

    • 3

      Give the puppy a chew toy whenever it starts to bite. This will condition the puppy to associate biting with the toy and not with people.

    • 4

      Stop any wrestling or tug-of-war games that are played with the puppy. These games are a show of dominance and will encourage aggressive behavior.