Attractiveness is widely known as aggressive behavior, and, understandably, you feel very anxious after your dog assaults you for the first time.
This can happen suddenly and seemingly out of the blue.
Many reasons may lead to this event and it is important to find the right one to prevent it from happening again.
Although snapping may seem intimidating, it is part of a wide range of warning signals that your dog can use to communicate with you.
The only thing left is to know exactly what your dog wants to tell you and how you can address the attraction in the future.
7 reasons why your dog pounced on you
Your dog may have struck you for the first time due to pain, fear, obsession aggression, playing/puppy biting, or past experiences.
As you can see, there are many reasons why your dog might snap at you and we will go over them one by one.
The first thing you need to understand is that catching air is not something your dog does out of spite or bad intentions.
It is just a warning sign that follows a series of more subtle signs.
If your dog is uncomfortable, his only way to tell you is through his body language and facial signals.
Let’s find out why he feels uncomfortable.
- Pain
When sudden changes occur in a dog’s behavior, the first thing that should come to mind is health-related reasons.
One of the most common causes of “aggressive” behavior such as growling, snapping, or snapping is pain.
If your dog is in pain or if you pet a sore spot, he may show his teeth or even blow air at you.
This is his only way of showing you that he is uncomfortable and that everything you do is making it worse.
It is also their way of protecting themselves from further pain.
If you suspect something is wrong with your dog, be sure to bring him to the vet.
- I just woke up
Similar to humans, dogs can be very grumpy when they just woke up.
Some dogs do not like to be moved or touched while resting and prefer to have their personal space when they are tired.
If your dog is still asleep and you suddenly touch him, this can also trigger a negative reaction.
Dread in the middle of a good dream would throw anyone.
Combined with the disorientation that accompanies unexpected awakenings, your dog’s brain may be sending signals that he is in danger and will act accordingly.
This is also called sleep hunger or sleep aggression.
It is best to let sleeping dogs lie down, and if you are in a situation where you must wake your dog up, it is best to do so by calling them.
- Fear
Most aggressive behavior happens due to fear rather than true aggression.
It is a form of self-defense and can be directed toward other people or animals.
A fearful dog will show various cues such as backing away, trembling, licking the lips, and avoiding eye contact.
Growling and biting are common warning signs that occur when your dog is afraid of another person or you.
When the fight or flight begins and your dog tries to fly, the only option left will be to warn on capture.
- Food aggression
If the snapping incident occurs around food or similar items of interest, your dog may be experiencing food aggression or possession aggression.
Resources are essential to every animal on the planet and must be protected.
If your dog suspects that you might take something from him like food, he will try to protect him as much as possible.
This is usually caused by a lack of early socialization and competition for resources in the litter.
If you want to learn more about this, check out my Food Aggression Guide.
- The puppy bit
If you have a puppy who constantly resorts to your hands and/or ankles, this is most likely caused by the puppy biting.
It is very natural for puppies to experience their environment with their mouths and also use them to receive feedback.
Before you take your puppy home with you, these comments are made by his litter mates and his mom.
With proper training and socialization, your puppy’s biting will disappear after two weeks.
- Play biting
A dog who only snaps at you while playing may be doing so because he is biting toys or talking.
This is also a very normal behavior often seen among playing dogs.
They tend to leave their mouths open to “bite” each other in a gentle way.
If your dog exhibits this behavior with you, consider yourself lucky that you have just been promoted to a suitable playmate.
Not all biting dogs play with their owners and many like to use different play styles for different types.
As long as he’s gentle and friendly and your dog is relaxed and enjoying himself, there’s nothing to worry about.
- Waste is punished
This is the reason that is often completely ignored.
Growling is a dog’s primary communication tool to let the world know that he is feeling uncomfortable and that you need his support.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not an aggressive signal and their only way of sharing their discomfort with you.
Growling is a very important behavior because it is part of the different signals your dog sends to you when he is stressed.
You can imagine it like a ladder with the most subtle mark at the bottom and a bite at the top.
If your dog has been punished repeatedly for growling in the past, he may start to skip that step of the ladder and move straight to more direct warnings.
How do you react when your dog snaps at you
A snap that appears out of the blue can be very annoying.
This is the behavior your dog may not have shown before and is throwing you into a state of confusion.
The most intuitive reaction for most people will be to pant loudly and maybe even get angry at their dog.
When something like this happens, you must stay calm like a clam.
The last thing an agitated dog need is an angry owner, so we need to try to control our emotions as best we can.
Remove yourself from the situation and take a few deep breaths.
Once you’ve got yourself together, assess the situation with an impartial mind to find out why your dog acted the way he did.
If you must, take notes of your dog picking up as many details as possible.
Like I said before, the most common reason your dog snaps at you is that he wants to communicate to you that he feels threatened by everything you do.
And there is nothing wrong with that.
Were you perhaps trying to hug him, were you accidentally cornering him, or did you just make a loud sound?
Most likely there were many other warning signs before the snap that you might have missed, so try to remember the situation in detail.
Watch your dog’s behavior in the future and pay more attention to his body language.
Should I discipline my dog for biting?
Since snapping is part of the warning ladder, it would be pointless to discipline your dog for snapping.
Dogs have no way of communicating to you with words how they feel, so they must send you other signals.
If these signals are ignored over and over again, they must go above and beyond to stop you.
Punishing your dog for communicating with you may only increase this anxiety and fear and that is the last thing we want.
Social dogs can notice the subtlest clues in another dog’s body language and will respond accordingly.
We are not well equipped to read these signs so we have to learn them and pay close attention to them.
Your course of action will depend on why your dog snapped at you.
If this behavior persists or gets worse, rule out medical causes and then consider getting help from a dog behaviorist.
My dog snaps at me when I lay him down
A dog that snaps at you when you pet him doesn’t want to be a pet.
Petting your dog can be very intimidating, especially for smaller breeds.
This is why it is best to be at eye level with your dog when interacting with him.
Some dogs can’t be bothered to share a lot of physical contacts and prefer to keep their personal space.
Dogs who have been abused by humans in the past can also bolt as a way of defending themselves.
If this behavior appears out of nowhere, it may be health-related and should be examined by a veterinarian.
My dog hit me when I tried to move him
Trying to pick up and/or move your dog is a higher level of petting and can be even scarier.
Dogs have no way of communicating to you with words how they feel, so they must send you other signals.
If these signals are ignored over and over again, they must go above and beyond to stop you.
Punishing your dog for communicating with you may only increase this anxiety and fear and that is the last thing we want.
Social dogs can notice the subtlest clues in another dog’s body language and will respond accordingly.
We are not well equipped to read these signs so we have to learn them and pay close attention to them.
Your course of action will depend on why your dog snapped at you.
If this behavior persists or gets worse, rule out medical causes and then consider getting help from a dog behaviorist.
My dog snaps at me when I lay him down
A dog that snaps at you when you pet him doesn’t want to be a pet.
Petting your dog can be very intimidating, especially for smaller breeds.
This is why it is best to be at eye level with your dog when interacting with him.
Some dogs can’t be bothered to share a lot of physical contacts and prefer to keep their personal space.
Dogs who have been abused by humans in the past can also bolt as a way of defending themselves.
If this behavior appears out of nowhere, it may be health-related and should be examined by a veterinarian.
My dog hit me when I tried to move him
Trying to pick up and/or move your dog is a higher level of petting and can be even scarier.
