What do you do when your puppy growls at you or snaps at you? Is there a (kind) punishment so that they learn not to do it? Also, what do you do if the dog tries to bite you when you go to cut her claws? Geez, I can't even get close, my husband tried to hold her while I tried to cut, she was furious and wiggled and growled so much I couldn't do it. I hate to use a muzzle but . . .

[puppylove2009]

First of all I would have a professional do the nails. Take her to petco or petsmart and they will do the nails for around 9 dollars.


(Though for grooming I have a real good groomer I wouldn't do grooming at Petsmart of Petco)


As far as the snapping and biting. If she tries it....Pull your hand back and say "Ouch!"

Your dog doesn't want to hurt you and may not realize she is doing so.


I would look into some basic puppy classes at your local Petsmart or Petco.....sometimes they also offer them through you local SPCA. Puppy classes did wonders for our pups behavior and taught us so much plus it made our girls bond much stronger with us and ours with her.

Good luck

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful

Originally Posted by makahana

What do you do when your puppy growls at you or snaps at you? Is there a (kind) punishment so that they learn not to do it? Also, what do you do if the dog tries to bite you when you go to cut her claws? Geez, I can't even get close, my husband tried to hold her while I tried to cut, she was furious and wiggled and growled so much I couldn't do it. I hate to use a muzzle but . . .

Growling or snapping: If the "puppy/litter mate" advise that puppylove gave does not work go to Momma dog response. A momma dog would either walk away from the dog, thus punishing by isolation OR she would use a mild correction by either: 1) putting her mouth around it's neck or 2) taking it by the scruff and giving a gentle shake. So, what you can do is either walk away from the dog and ignore it until it calms down OR you can put your hand in a claw shape and put your figures over the back of it's neck and say "knock it off" OR you can take the scruff, shake GENTLY while saying "knock it off".

Nails: As with all grooming, you want to teach the dog that this is a good thing. First, it needs to get used to having it's feet handled. Then, you can progress to clipping. Some dogs just have a problem with having their feet handled but you need to overcome that aversion. How to: get a bunch of "high value treats" (liver, cheese, something it really really really likes...very small pieces so you can treat allot). Take a paw in your hand and hold it with only as much effort/force as necessary to keep the puppy from pulling it away from you. Do not allow it to pull the paw away. At first, reward a second or two--release and treat. Build up the length of time you can hold each paw. Do this with all four paws. Only when the puppy allows you to hold the paw for a good length should you begin to work on clipping. Clip a nail, treat. Clip a nail, treat. Goal is to be able to clip all the nails before treating.

You should also begin training for other grooming/vet procedures like having the mouth opened, the ears messed with, brushing, etc.

Remember to subtract food from meals to account the the calories in the treats you are giving so you don't end up with FAT PUPPY.

Originally Posted by makahana

What do you do when your puppy growls at you or snaps at you? Is there a (kind) punishment so that they learn not to do it? Also, what do you do if the dog tries to bite you when you go to cut her claws? Geez, I can't even get close, my husband tried to hold her while I tried to cut, she was furious and wiggled and growled so much I couldn't do it. I hate to use a muzzle but . . .

Watch god whisperer on animal planet. Great tips!

Originally Posted by makahana

What do you do when your puppy growls at you or snaps at you? Is there a (kind) punishment so that they learn not to do it? Also, what do you do if the dog tries to bite you when you go to cut her claws? Geez, I can't even get close, my husband tried to hold her while I tried to cut, she was furious and wiggled and growled so much I couldn't do it. I hate to use a muzzle but . . .

Oops.........I meant dog whisperer.....close though

[puppylove2009]

Regarding the dog whisperer....I know some people swear by him but his methods aren't the best In my honest opinion....and the advisory of don't try this at home...concerns me.

I do strongly suggest you watch "Its Me or the Dog" on Animal Planet. Victoria Stillwell has kind methods and they work great. I use them on my dog.

Just wanted to suggest that.....I'm not comfortable with Cesar Milans (Dog Whisperer) training Techniques.

But everyone has their choice of training and I don't want to start a Cesar/Victoria smackdown here

I don't think I would start with Cesar's methods in this case...you aren't dealing with a dog in need of rehabilitation. You just have a puppy in need of education on how to behave in the first place.

Cesar rehabilitates VERY aggressive dogs and dogs with extreme issues. A regular puppy biter is an ever day thing. I agree with the scruff thing. I dont shake my dogs when I do it, but I will just grab the scruff and say "Thats enough!"

Make the nail clipping very fun. Clip one nail, and if she doesnt bite or growl, give her a treat. Do that for awhile and work up to if she is good for two nails...treat...then one paw...treat....up to where you can trim all 4 paws without any problems.

It would also be good if while you are doing the one nail, have your hubby or someone hold a treat RIGHT at her nose so she's concentrating on getting that treat.

Those are all great ideas, thanks so much, GOD I LOVE THIS FORUM, it has really helped me since this is my first puppy. Mahalo is thank you in Hawaiian. She lets me touch her all over, she is the sweetest except for a few growls here and there. Oh, and I am going to a puppy class, the trainer is really good, I think. I like her alot. Zoe though doesn't like to go. She won't even take a treat at class, but I do the training as taught at home and it is cool. She will sit, lay down and "leave it" so far. Smart, no?

Agree with you makahana...
All the ideas are great...
Anyway if I have a situation...
Like my dog growls or snaps at me...
I think I will try to understand him...
And find out why he do that....
I will not going to be mad at him...
Usually when a dog growls their irritated...
Ans there are instance that they are being protective...

When my dog was a nippy puppy, the yelping didn't work very well, so we did the "mama dog," by just giving her scruff a light shake (not hard enough to lift her off the floor or cause her to yelp), and instead of saying words, we actually growled at her-- it worked like a charm. It also was very effective at teaching her not to dig up my garden perennials, too!

[Piti Longstalking]

The Bite Stops Here