Multiple choice! What would you think if someone said ...

[ThePricklySheep]

... a dog had ‘snapped’ at them?

a) it turned its head quickly
b) it ‘bit the air’
c) it bit a person

DH and I do not agree. Can anyone help define how most people use this term?

B

I think. But actually any could work I think. I hope no one is hurt

B

I would say (b). My dog snaps at people's ankles if they annoy her, but she's never bitten anyone. It's certainly more than just turning her head quickly though.

B

Probably B. But could also mean a quick, soft warning bite followed by a withdrawal.

B.

A dog snapping at someone is way more than A, but less than an actual bite (C). It might be a genuine attempted bite that the person or other dog managed to get out of the way of, or a warning.

B

B

B

The snapping means that they did not make contact but made a biting gesture.

B and I'd be asking why. Invariably previous more subtle warning signs have been missed, often repeatedly

I would think B.

Actually, thinking about it, I wonder if a warning bite and biting the air are the same thing from the dogs point of view, it's just that the warning bite is a bite the air that hits the target, or vice versa.

I’d think B

B

Thanks everyone.

No one is hurt.

I’ll explain exactly what happened in a sec.

B

B
I think the intention is to bite but the dog misjudged or the intended victim moved just in time.

Unanimous B then.

B for me, also C if it was a 'soft' bite with no blood.

Thanks everyone.

What happened was that at bedtime the dog went to sit on the sofa that isn’t hers and wouldn’t budge. DH went to pick her up to move her, accidentally hurt her, she yelped and then ‘snapped’ at him, he said. I was a bit shocked but asked exactly what happened and he said she turned her head towards him quickly.

Not snapped for me but it sounds like the whole thing was a change of behaviour that needs to be monitored.

We’ve only had her a few weeks, so she’s still getting into routines re where she sleeps etc.
We are (obviously) still finding our feet too.

@ThePricklySheep I'd advise speaking to your vet for a behaviourist referral (or the rescue centre she came from assuming she was from a rescue rather than a private rehome).

I'd put money on the fact that she was giving off appeasement signals that went unnoticed by your partner. They're very subtle unless you're atuned to them.

Was she asleep ? Is is common and a 'normal' dog reaction. If she growled she was telling you to back off.

Approaching a sleeping dog is like trying to take their dinner off them- we warn children about that but not about trying to wake them up.

Lots of good websites about what to do

I agree with B ,
your DH hurt her completely unintentionally but unfortunately she will not know that he did not mean to her her ( esp as you are all new to each other ) .
Take your time but make sure you handle her lots so she gets use to it . Set the boundaries about where she can ant can't go now, ie if you don't want her on the sofa, a firm loud NO , if she jumps up put her back on the floor right away. Then praise her while she is on the floor