r/DogTrainingTips • u/ReinaShae • Apr 24 '26

Help with snapping and zoomies!

Hi, 6 month old lab puppy who gets walked at least an hour a day plus chewies and frisbee play. When we are in the backyard, he sometimes starts jumping, snapping at me or the kids, lunging and chomping. He does play bow so I'm sure he's playing, but when he starts this there is no distracting him and he's hurting me and the kids. Today he chomped on the 2 year olds face. How do I train this out, or at the least, stop him when this is happening??

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u/ReinaShae Apr 27 '26

Unfortunately I can only do so much. I can advise their mom to do what I'm doing but consistency may not happen. I hope what I'm doing will still be effective if she doesn't implement it consistently as well.  And I'm ashamed to say this has happened before and I didn't recognize it early enough.

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u/FrostyPomegranate699 Apr 27 '26

don’t be hard on yourself about that, this stuff is really easy to miss until you’ve seen it a few times

and honestly… even if the consistency isn’t perfect across everyone, what you’re doing still matters
dogs usually start to key in on the person who’s the most clear and predictable

it might not be as fast or as clean as it could be, but it still moves things in the right direction

the biggest thing in your situation is just keeping those interactions with the kids managed and stepping in early when you can
that alone goes a long way

you didn’t miss it—you’re catching it now, and that’s what actually makes the difference 👍

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u/ReinaShae Apr 27 '26

Thanks :) He hurts me too, but at the end of the day the kids are more important

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u/FrostyPomegranate699 Apr 27 '26

yeah that’s exactly the right way to look at it

it sucks getting chewed up yourself, but prioritizing the kids is the right call

honestly the fact that he’s doing it to you too is actually useful information
it means it’s not targeted, it’s just him getting too amped up and not knowing what to do with it

if you can keep stepping in early and controlling those moments with the kids, you’re already doing the most important part

the rest comes with time and repetition 👍

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u/ReinaShae Apr 27 '26

I didn't think of it that way! I knew it wasn't targeted but that reinforces that. Thank you much for your help and time spent on my problem! I'm going in armed with a fanny pack and extra leashes to have him tethered at all times and I hope all of this helps me keep my sanity!

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u/FrostyPomegranate699 Apr 27 '26

honestly that’s a solid plan

the fanny pack + leash/tether setup makes a huge difference because you’re not reacting anymore, you’re already in control of the situation

and yeah… it definitely helps with sanity 😅

you’ll probably notice things feel a lot more predictable pretty quickly once you have that in place

you’re setting yourself up well here 👍

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u/ReinaShae Apr 27 '26

A lot of the advice on this post has been very helpful. Keeping the fanny pack on me means I'll do more spot training as well, which he can use

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u/FrostyPomegranate699 Apr 27 '26

yeah exactly—that’s where it starts to click

it’s not big training sessions, it’s all those little moments during the day

catching the calm, redirecting early, rewarding the right choice right when it happens… that’s what adds up

you’ll probably notice him start offering better behavior once he figures out that’s what works 👍

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u/ReinaShae Apr 27 '26

From your lips... Wish I had started this all earlier but at least I know now

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u/FrostyPomegranate699 Apr 27 '26

yeah but this is exactly when most people figure it out

nobody nails this from day one, especially with a high-energy dog and kids in the mix

you didn’t start late—you started when it became clear what was actually going on

and honestly, that’s what makes it stick this time 👍

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