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When Peggy is frustrated, she will bark sharply and snap in the air. Sometimes also (but only with me) she'll dart forward, nip once or twice rapidly, and then jump back. She's never broken skin.
If I say "NO" it gets much worse, so I've learned to just shut down, look away, and wait until she settles. If I commit to this, it usually only takes a few seconds before she stops. But it can escalate again quickly if I reach for her or raise my voice.
These outbursts most commonly happen:
1. If she wants to jump in the bathtub and I won't let her.
2. If I run in the house and she gets over-excited and starts chasing me, but then I abruptly try to stop the game.
3. If I ask for too much from her before throwing her ball.
I guess my question is: Is this normal over-arousal behaviour for a puppy? Does air-snapping typically accompany demand barking? And am I doing the right thing to diffuse the situation?
The outbursts have declined dramatically in the past month, but I'm not sure if that's Peggy "growing up" (she's now 6 months old) or if I'm just getting better at instinctively stopping them before they really start.
(I'll be honest - They sometimes scare me and it takes a lot out of me to remain calm.)
If I say "NO" it gets much worse, so I've learned to just shut down, look away, and wait until she settles. If I commit to this, it usually only takes a few seconds before she stops. But it can escalate again quickly if I reach for her or raise my voice.
These outbursts most commonly happen:
1. If she wants to jump in the bathtub and I won't let her.
2. If I run in the house and she gets over-excited and starts chasing me, but then I abruptly try to stop the game.
3. If I ask for too much from her before throwing her ball.
I guess my question is: Is this normal over-arousal behaviour for a puppy? Does air-snapping typically accompany demand barking? And am I doing the right thing to diffuse the situation?
The outbursts have declined dramatically in the past month, but I'm not sure if that's Peggy "growing up" (she's now 6 months old) or if I'm just getting better at instinctively stopping them before they really start.
(I'll be honest - They sometimes scare me and it takes a lot out of me to remain calm.)