Teaching a dog to take a treat gently from your hand requires a little patience.
Most dog owners want their dog to be well-behaved. A dog that snatches treats from people's hands makes giving a reward a less enjoyable experience. Training a dog to take a treat gently from your hand, instead of snapping at your fingers, is easy. A puppy can be taught and a mature dog retrained. It just requires commitment, a little patience and a few simple steps.
Instructions
1. Stop giving treats to your dog when it snaps at the food. Often, dog owners still allow their dog to take a treat, even if it is almost amputating fingers to get to it. Avoid confusion by never giving your dog a treat if it lunges at it. Withdraw the treat and firmly say "No."
2. Give the command "Sit." Hold a small treat in your palm and curl your fingers over it. Present your closed fist to your dog and allow it to sniff your hand. When your dog pushes your fist with its nose, open your hand until it is flat. Keep your fingers together and your thumb pressed into the side of your hand. Your dog should calmly take the treat from your flat hand. Repeat at least 10 times.
3. Keep your hand steady when giving your dog a treat. Never quickly pull it back, even if it appears the dog might snap. Quickly removing your hand, with the treat still in it, gets your dog excited and makes it more likely it will grab quickly before the food disappears.
4. Be quiet when you present a treat to your dog. Some dog owners use a command such as "Gentle" or "Nicely." This is a mistake because your dog may be given food by other people. If they do not know the correct command, your dog may still grab the treat from their outstretched hand, possibly biting fingers in the process.
5. Stand up and walk away if your dog will not stop snapping at the treat, and do not go back until it has. After you remove the treat from the scene a few times, your dog will realize it must be better behaved if it expects to receive it.
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