Snapping

[Red]

Hello.
My (5-6 month old) puppy has taken to snapping when she is picked up. It isn't biting very hard, but its clear what she is doing, and it needs to stop.
I'm thinking she associates being picked up with being put back in her kennel. She especially does it if she is on her back at the time. Other than this (and being put in a kennel in the car, for some reason) she never shows any real aggression.

What would you guys recommend I do? I'm really, really nervous about this to the point of feeling sick, simply because I don't want her turning into an aggressive dog.

[MaggieRoseLee]

Not so worried about real 'aggression' from this, but it is an unwanted behavior and can hurt if the teeth connect.

I'd be working on teaching my dog to WANT to do what I'm asking so I didn't have to pick her up any more. Use the collar leash to get her up hop up into the kennel if it's in the car. If you can teach her to WANT to put her front feet up, and then you just boost her rear in that will help.

ARE YOU CLICKER TRAINING!???? REally teaches our dogs to want to dog things and want to offer behaviors. Rather than having us MAKE them do things that they may not feel like doing. Always better to have a member of my team enthusiastic about 'the plan' rather than a reluctant participant.

Intro to Clicker Training (perfect for puppies!) has great info to get started.

Also there's a wonderful DVD called 'Crate Games' that gets our dogs crazy loving their crates! Clean Run: Crate Games for Self-Control & Motivation DVD

[Red]

Originally Posted by MaggieRoseLee

Not so worried about real 'aggression' from this, but it is an unwanted behavior and can hurt if the teeth connect.

I'd be working on teaching my dog to WANT to do what I'm asking so I didn't have to pick her up any more. Use the collar leash to get her up hop up into the kennel if it's in the car. If you can teach her to WANT to put her front feet up, and then you just boost her rear in that will help.

ARE YOU CLICKER TRAINING!???? REally teaches our dogs to want to dog things and want to offer behaviors. Rather than having us MAKE them do things that they may not feel like doing. Always better to have a member of my team enthusiastic about 'the plan' rather than a reluctant participant.

Intro to Clicker Training (perfect for puppies!) has great info to get started.

Also there's a wonderful DVD called 'Crate Games' that gets our dogs crazy loving their crates! Clean Run: Crate Games for Self-Control & Motivation DVD

She can hop up into the car herself, and sometimes will, but she is pretty small. (Not pure shepherd, only about 15 or so inches tall and no idea how big she'll get)
The weird thing is, she is almost perfect in the crate inside. Since she was 2 months old, she'd sleep through the night without any problems, and when crated she behaves incredibly well. Its just the act of actually getting her into it in the car.
She was a stray, so I was sort of thinking she had a bad experience when animal control caught her, or something.
Yes, we are clicker training.