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The doghouse

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Original poster

How should I interpret a snap?

23 replies

GreyishDays · 15/10/2020 09:21

Having rescued an adult dog, I’ve missed the puppy stage, so, daft question a lot how most dog owners interpret this. I’ll deliberately not say whether we were on the receiving end or the perpetrator!

If a dog ‘snaps’ at yours do you feel

a) just dogs communicating to each other
b) your dog is trying to bite my dog

?

Thanks Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
GreyishDays · 15/10/2020 09:21

*about! Not ‘a lot’.

OP posts:
Els1e · 15/10/2020 09:28

For me that would be a. Communicating a warning to back off or something like that. But I’m not a dog behaviour specialist so could be wrong

OrigamiPenguinArmy · 15/10/2020 09:29

My dog stays away from other dogs so has never been on the receiving end of a snap. However she has done it a few times and it's definitely a warning not an intent to bite. To clarify this has happened when an off lead dog (mine stays on lead) has continually pestered her, often trying to hump her or pounce on her to get her to play. The only time it's upset the owner was when it was a very bouncy puppy, and just for context my dog is tiny, 35 kg and the puppy in question was a giant breed and already twice her size so it wasn't in any danger.

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 15/10/2020 09:32

It's usually a Fuck Off And Mind Your Own Business, but do keep an eye on it.

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 15/10/2020 09:33

just for context my dog is tiny, 35 kg

We all seen to have different standards on size! Grin

AriettyHomily · 15/10/2020 09:36

35kg isnt tiny! Mine is 10KG and not tiny:)

Mine is a lovely, grumpy, old man terrier. He will snap occasionally and it is basically fuck off and leave me alone. It's not a warning to bite IMO.

Original poster
GreyishDays · 15/10/2020 09:37

Maybe it’s 3.5kg? Grin

Thanks everyone, interesting.

OP posts:
OrigamiPenguinArmy · 15/10/2020 09:38

3.5kg 😳! I'm on my phone and my middle aged eyes can't see the tiny screen that well 😂.

Astella22 · 15/10/2020 09:40

A warning to whoever was snapped at.

HartnellAvenue · 15/10/2020 09:42

My little dog was happily playing with a huge dog until he scared her so she snapped at him. I took that as my cue to take her home. She was showing other signs of being afraid though as well

BeansBehindMyKnees · 15/10/2020 09:44

It's a warning. Dog's don't miss accidentally, so if there was no contact/injury then there wasn't ever any meant.

The warning should be heeded, though. The snapping dog in uncomfortable and action should be taken to address that (e.g. remove them from the uncomfortable situation) asap.

It should also be treated as information for possible training and help the dog needs to cope.

Redbirds · 15/10/2020 09:50

It’s a warning to the other dog to back off. My very placid Lab would sometimes do it when she got elderly; especially to dogs sniffing her back end.

Original poster
GreyishDays · 15/10/2020 10:37

Thanks so much everyone. It’s our dog that’s done the snap, just a couple of times when she’s been on a lead and another dog has approached her. I just haven’t known how apologetic/horrified to be. I do remove her straight away when it happens.

OP posts:
PollyRoulson · 15/10/2020 12:31

It would be a "go away in dog swear words. BUT it is really important to recognise that the dog would probably have given politer signals but the dog/person did not pick up on them so was forced to up the anti to a "f..k off"

As an owner I would now avoid all onlead confrontations with other dogs - there is no need to be apolegtic for her just save her from having to do it again

vanillandhoney · 15/10/2020 12:43

It's a warning, but it's not necessarily a bad thing and you don't necessarily need to apologise, either.

In your scenario, the dog shouldn't have approached yours in the first place. A lead should be a signal to other owners that your dog isn't up for play. LOTS of dogs are reactive on a lead because they have no way of escaping and their body language is limited by the situation.

I walk a dog who can be quite snappy but he has never once made contact with another dog. He was poorly socialised and spent the first six months of his life alone in a garden - and he finds young, full-on dogs quite stressful. Generally he will ignore strange dogs but if they persist in bothering him he will snap.

Today, I introduced him to a new dog - he snapped twice (he was about two metres away from her so no danger of contact) but after that he was fine and they ended up playing together with no issues. For him, it's nerves and uncertainty rather than aggression. Once he realised she was friendly and not a "threat" he wasn't bothered by her at all.

If I thought he was a danger to her I would never have introduced them. He plays with dogs he knows with zero issues whatsoever and his confidence is increasing day by day. I am much more careful with strange dogs though and will call him away or distract with his ball just in case.

tabulahrasa · 15/10/2020 15:00

In that situation it just means, get lost... you’re too close and I really don’t want to interact with you. She’s very probably given them stiff body language before that and they’ve still come over.

She’s either not hugely sociable - which is fine btw, some dogs just can’t be bothered with other dogs or it’s because she’s a little bit scared, possibly with her being on lead... that’s fairly common.

35kg is like, large Labrador, small Rottweiler size... so I’m assuming that’s a typo.

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 15/10/2020 17:13

It's definitely a 'fuck off!' IME there is almost never any follow through. A dog on a lead did it to our youngest dog today and my attitude was that it served her right: she's been around other dogs enough to know when she should back off, and she opted not to, and to ignore a recall as well.

ferretface · 27/10/2020 08:35

Air snap or even inhibited bite (contact but no damage) is a warning. If dogs want to cause real damage they can and will.

The ladder of aggression is;
Head turn
Lip lick/yawn
Freezing and a hard stare
Growl
Bark/lunge
Air snap
Bite no pressure
Bite with pressure

Don't allow greetings on lead, they're stressful for the dogs who do not have the option to move away if they don't want to say hello.

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 27/10/2020 08:58

It's really interesting how other dog owners handle it too - around here, the experienced dog owners will say 'that's you told' to their own dog and walk off, other owners can be... less understanding. I will usually say sorry as it's not massively nice. He did it twice to the same dog yesterday but that was my fault for not moving him on after the first time. So I did say sorry as actually that was my fault.

Mine only ever does it on lead and I try not to let other dogs greet him on lead unless it's dogs he already knows.

FlyingSquid · 27/10/2020 09:04

@ferretface

Air snap or even inhibited bite (contact but no damage) is a warning. If dogs want to cause real damage they can and will.

The ladder of aggression is;
Head turn
Lip lick/yawn
Freezing and a hard stare
Growl
Bark/lunge
Air snap
Bite no pressure
Bite with pressure

Don't allow greetings on lead, they're stressful for the dogs who do not have the option to move away if they don't want to say hello.

Thanks, that’s very useful as we’ve recently been walking dogs other than our own (to help out the odd isolating neighbour). One of them is a grumpy old git - the dog, not the neighbour.
Sitdowncupoftea · 29/10/2020 18:49

Some dogs don't like other dogs approaching them. I would say the air snap is telling the other dog to go away. One of my dogs does this as a warning. Personally I would not let other dogs approaching that close.

Lurchermom · 29/10/2020 18:56

Mine is a grumpy git (she's muzzled when out) but her snap is a "mind yourself" rather than any intention to cause harm. She's never laid tooth on another dog (even before she was muzzled). We only muzzle her to stop other owners getting funny.

CulturallyAppropriatedName · 29/10/2020 19:00

Mine is a young intact male, 1 year old. I have only seen him snap twice, both times at puppies who have been jumping in his face. I sort of think of it as him saying "Manners!"

He is generally a very docile good natured boy.

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