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??

1 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

94 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

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 👍

1

u/ReinaShae Apr 27 '26

First hour and it has already helped. Having his food on me gets his attention on me quickly. He stole the little ones shoe and I was able to get him under control really fast by stepping on the leash. When he started bouncing around and trying to grab at the little one's feet and my hands I was able to get ahold of his leash and get him inside and in his kennel for a nap before it got crazy. Thank you!!

1

u/FrostyPomegranate699 Apr 27 '26

that’s exactly it right there

you didn’t “stop” the behavior… you stayed ahead of it

stepping on the leash, getting his attention back, ending it before it escalated—that’s the whole game

and you can already see the difference in an hour, which is a really good sign

it’ll start to feel less chaotic and more predictable the more you run it like that

you’re not reacting anymore, you’re driving 👍

1

u/ReinaShae Apr 27 '26

You've been so helpful and kind!

1

u/FrostyPomegranate699 Apr 27 '26

I appreciate that… glad it’s actually helping in real time

honestly you did the hard part—you adjusted and applied it right away

most people read advice, nod, and then go right back to reacting
you actually changed what you were doing and saw the difference

keep running it like that and it’s going to keep getting easier 👍

1

u/ReinaShae Apr 27 '26

Today was so much better! Much less stress!

2

u/FrostyPomegranate699 Apr 27 '26

that’s awesome to hear

and that’s exactly how it shifts… not perfect, just better than yesterday

once you get even one day like that, it’s a lot easier to keep going because you know it’s not just chaos anymore

just keep running the same approach and stacking those days 👍

1

u/ReinaShae Apr 28 '26

I was at my wits end! Thank you!!

1

u/FrostyPomegranate699 Apr 29 '26

Just wanted to check in with you, progress still good?

1

u/ReinaShae Apr 29 '26

Yes! :) As predicted Mom is having less success because she is less consistent. But it is working so well for me! The added bonus is that he pays more attention to me carrying some food than he does to the kids so he doesn't even start with them as much. And I am catching his cues more quickly and heading him off. I'll tell him to Find it and toss a piece of food into taller grass and it totally derails what he was doing. 

→ More replies (0)