Hi everyone, been a little while. I had a trainer come out today who noticed Marley was air snapping, I knew he was doing this it started around 2 weeks ago. I've been reading up online and now am worried it's aggression etc, and being teamed with him and my son with Nipping (And yes I have been separating and monitoring them more, from the great advice on my last thread). I feel like I'm at a loose end, as I never seem to improve or do the right thing and now I've been told how I've trained him etc is wrong and I don't have control, or a good bond hence why he doesn't focus on me outside, so feeling pretty deflated now and like a awful dog owner. Xx
She didn't suggest much at all, just told me she thinks I have no bond, and haven't taught him impulse control, that I have no control, and he air snaps because of frustration.
And now Google has been my worst enemy and it's signs of backing off, that the next step could be bites etc. So now I'm worried, and feel horrible that I've obvisouly done this to him
Hi @Marley ❤ Okay, can you fill us in on your current level of interaction with your dog? 1. Will the dog sit on command? 2. Sit stay for how long? Down stay for how long? 3. Walk on lead(?) or harness (?) without pulling? 4. Will your dog come? 5. How much training do you do each day? What activities do you do? 6. What toys does the dog have? 7. What games do you play with the dog? 8. What do you do when the dog nips? 9. Do you think your dog listens to you? On what evidence do you base that conclusion? 10. Why do you think the dog started air biting two weeks ago? 11. Are you prepared to contract another trainer? In what part of the USA do you live? Town or city? 12. Do you take your dog to obedience training? Feel free to offer any other information. I'm not saying that we will be able to here improve things for certain. It would be highly useful to see you interacting with your dog. Feel free to post a video. Purely for purposes of observing what is taking place. We might be able to suggest some way forward, even if it's only a training organisation to contact.
I think we need a bit more information than just 'my dog is air-snapping'. This could mean many things to different people, we need a much more detailed description of the behaviour: What is happening before it occurs; what situations it occurs in; what you are doing when it occurs; what the dog is doing; what actually happens in descriptive neutral language... Frankly there are a bazillion trainers and behaviourists out there who are not very good, or worse than that, so I wouldn't go condemning yourself on the basis of what one trainer has said - especially if they didn't give you any advice on how to manage the problem or prevent it and just said negative things about you and your dog.
Buddy air snaps, I think it’s quite cute, I hope there’s nothing wrong..... but he never ever shows any aggression, it’s just if we are playing with him and he’s half interested in something else and we are holding something, he kind of does a nonchalant air snap towards the toy and carries on sniffing something else. So, as others have stated, it all depends on the situation I guess?
Hello, it's anytime we do some training sessions, if anyone comes into the living room and he's trying to be all over them, he will do it. It's concerning me as I don't know what or why he is doing it. We have play sessions throughout the day, he is walked for 35 mins as by the 5 min rule, he has kongs, snuffle mats, plenty of other toys to play with. It has been happening last 2 week's, I noticed it when we was doing some training but it just has increased and is happening more.
Hi @Marley ❤ Without seeing the behaviour in question, I can think of two possible explanations: 1. You are inadvertently reinforcing the air snapping. It might be as little as a gesture on your part. If I were you I would film the next training session and see if you can pick up whether you are reinforcing the behaviour. 2. He may be frustrated and air snapping is his way of leaking his emotions. Try exercising him on a long-line during the training at a new spot. Use the long-line and give him a release cue, when he has done some exercise particularly well. Play with him. Use a hard rubber ball.. Let him also run around and sniff. Then call him back and do a bit more training. Then release him again.
Well it sounds to me just like mis-directed play. Dogs play with their mouths and do lots of air-snapping at each other - 'fake' biting each other to 'tease' the other dog to 'fake' bite them back or wrestle with them. Of course they're going to do this to people too... It doesn't sound like aggression. The best thing is just to have loads of toys, especially soft floppy rope tug toys and 'unstuffed' soft toys (the floppy ones) so you can redirect this behaviour onto a toy and show him a more appropriate way to play with you. I'm more worried about this behaviourist who came to your house and left you feeling like this when this really isn't (from your posts here) a serious behaviour problem. Behaviourists and trainers are supposed to empower you and leave you feeling better about your ability to train and cope with your puppy, not leave you feeling like a failure...
Hi jo, thank you for your reply. It really did make me feel like I was failing him somehow. And I know it sounds silly but it's like someone just kept telling me I was a awful parent for a good hour n half.. I'm glad you don't think it could be aggression, if you saw him with my kids etc and even complete strangers how friendly he is with them all, there's no way any one would think that. That's why I couldn't understand why she was saying such things. X
I think it would really help you to go to a force-free puppy training class - that way you can see that this kind of thing is really quite common as puppy behaviour; you have an ongoing source of support in the class tutor (rather than someone who just sees you once like this behaviourist); and you have time to practise and work on material, in between sessions - so can get the next steps, when you are ready... Are you signed up for a puppy class somewhere?
Hi jo, it went really well we worked alot with the trainer for this lesson. She said we did fab and that she doesn't know what the other one was on about. She said he was doing really well with his impulse control and that his down was firm etc. Which I must admit made me feel better as we have been working alot again on the basics the last week or so. Ive been giving him more mental stimulation, using kongs, and some enrichment games from a facebook page im on. Looking forward to the next one now. Marley seems better in himself aswell and has become this huge soppy pup all over me Lol. Xx
Oh no you shouldn't feel that way. Our 12 week old Daisy does that too , and the trainer said it was normal puppy behavior. When Daisy does that I tell her noooooooo, she looks like she wants to gobble me up. She usually does that right before she jumps up to nip. When I tell her noooooo, long and deep she looks at me, thinks and then I distract her with something else. I have days too when I feel like a failure, but this site has made me feel like I'm not alone. I've started to look at her progress in longer time frames so I dont get discouraged on the short term.
