Any advice on how to stop a generally lovely dog from being snappy when we want him to do something he does not want to do?

[Freddieready]

We have a lovely 2 year old Wire Fox Terrier who is very independent and stubborn. We are fine with this, however sometimes his behaviour is not acceptable. As an example if he is curled up on our lap, or sat on a chair if we go to move him, after trying to encourage him to move himself, he will generally growl a warning as we start to gently lift him but then he will snap at us. Once on the floor he is fine and quite happy. We have tried raising our voices and letting him know we are not pleased but that has made no difference. We feel we need to try something else, has anyone got and advice?

Stop letting the dog on your furniture and your laps.
A growl is a good thing, it's a warning, however if you are letting him do whatever he likes then he is going to be annoyed.

I would probably put a house line on him and ask him to get down then treat when he is on the floor. If he didn't move I would move him with the lead to avoid my hands getting bitten.

Saying that, I also wouldn't allow him on the furniture at all if he can't behave on it!

Don't make it a confrontation. Store some super tasty treats in the fridge and whenever you are trying to move him, use the treats to lure him off then reward him. Always say the same command (e.g. "off") and after a few petitions you should be able to ask him, he gets off and then you reward without having to lure him first.

Eventually, he won't need the reward every time.

The treat has to be more tempting than staying comfy so make it a good one! Tiny cubes of roast meats or cheese often work.

Maybe don't let him on the furniture.
Use a slip lead to move him or even better toss treats where you want him to be.
Ignoring a growl is a bad thing. It can cause massive escalation.

How's the rest of his training? e.g. Can he do sit, down, paw etc. etc.? PestDog's overall behaviour has improved enormously since I started doing basic obedience with him (and gave him more exercise) - though we didn't have this specific problem.

If it's lacking, there's never any harm in brushing up on it - if you're struggling with him and his stubbornness, try local dog training classes as you will be able to learn the basics and often have a quiet word with the trainer afterwards about this specific issue. Classes aren't necessarily expensive - small group ones I go to are £10 for an hour long class.

Well I’d be tempted to just stand up and let him fall off but I can’t stand spoilt dogs. Keep a pot of treats handy and chuck some on the floor to encourage him to want to jump down.

Failing that, do my first suggestion. A few times of being unceremoniously dumped on the floor might make him behave himself.

Have you taught him "off" for get down? With treats, and high praise? So that rather than physically man-handling him (which most dogs don't like) or telling him off if he doesn't (negative) you have reinforced the good behaviour?

Sounds harsh but stand up when he jumps on the sofa. I'd assume it's not the sofa he wants to be on but the cuddles he gets from you-which is why he wants to stay. It will take a few times for him to realise but you need to show that the sofa is your place to sit only. When he jumps down (which he will, eventually) give him a treat when all four paws are on the ground. 'Good boy, floor' & give a treat. But treats must only be given when he is fully on the floor. I think if you tried to train him the 'off' command now it would just make him a lot angrier and more snappy which you obviously don't want.

Our lovely Golden Retriever is not allowed on the sofa because he used to get growl you when asked to get off - he doesn't now on the rare occasions he sneaks on ( or DD encourages him to)
Our trainer said that most dogs are fine to let on the sofa but some just aren't and you can train them out of the snappiness when asked to get down in most cases OR you cannot allow them on in ten first place
Sounds obvious I know but we went with option 2 and it's worked much better for us.
When ddog was about 8 months old he went for a trial at a possible holiday dog sitter and despite being asked not to she allowed him on the sofa all weekend. When he got home his behaviour was awful and he got very aggressive when told to get off the sofa so in our case we feel NOT having ddog on the furniture is the best option

I used to have a spaniel who did this but was

Posted too soon! He was lovely except when being moved. Lure him off with a treat and reward, everytime.

Posted too soon! He was lovely except when being moved. Lure him off with a treat and reward, everytime.

^ What Greyhorses and Wolfie said!

My Patterdale terrier is working stock and was unusually grumpy and snappy from as young as 8 weeks. She's now 10 years old and still grouchy and snappy, she won't change - she has chronic spinal pain and is fearful. We allow her on the bed and furniture and we can move her when necessary, with a bit of harrumphing from her - but she is not allowed on the furniture when visitors are the house as she is likely to bite. In fact she is usually segregated from visitors and door knockers by a complex system of doors, as sadly she has form.

Take it from me, follow the excellent training advice above so you don't end up having to manage a biter later on - and do ensure that the dog isn't in pain somewhere too!

Thanks everyone for the tips, I will follow the advice above especially with treating him. I think I have been unfair to him a little, the issue is more regular "harrumphing" rather than constant biting, although he does sometimes snap. We are lucky that he is totally treat driven so we feel that is a great way to go with him. May I also thank BDdaughter for mentioning about pain, that is so important especially for Freddie, he suffered with Paneostatis when he was a pup and we did not know, because of that we are always concerned about him being in pain but is something so few pet owners think about as a first thought.