Q: My dog nipped at someone and idk what to do. I have a 6 year old lab mix who has never nipped at anybody before. Today he nipped at my friend. He didn’t make contact or bite him he just nipped at his hand. My dog was sitting on an air mattress and my friend wanted him off of it but instead of telling him to move he reached to grab him by the back of the neck and that’s when my dog did it. This friend is always very rough with my dog and I can tell it scares him. He’s literally started shaking before when he sees my friend come over. I’m at a loss of what to think or do about the situation.

A: Your friend was the aggressor here, and if he is always so invasive and rude and rough with your dog, then it is your job to advocate for him. I would never let anyone grab my dog by the back of the neck and drag him. Not only is it rude and uncalled for, it is asking for the dog to defend himself.

You need to put the dog somewhere safe with a long lasting tasty treat when this friend comes over. You need to advocate for your dog's space and sense of safety and tell your friend he cannot treat your dog that way. This is likely to keep escalating if you do not into an actual bite because the dog will feel it has no other choice.

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