How do you feel when your dog nibbles you? More often than not, we enjoy whenever our puppy nibbles us, however, we cannot deny the fact that it would be a different case for a fully grown adult dog. As dog owners, we need to be aware of whether our dog’s behavior is acceptable or not.
Young dogs learn to explore the world with their mouths. This leads to a puppy nipping or biting at anything that comes near its face, including you. They would also try to destroy anything around the house its teeth can get on.
Why Does Your Dog Nibble You?
Even if nibbling during the development stage of a dog is normal, this can be a serious problem when it comes to adult dogs. If the dog grew up in the environment and situations that didn’t address properly his needs in order to shape his behavioral pattern, this will bring a problem to his adult stage. Here are some of the reasons as to why your adult dog nibbles you.
1. Affection And Closeness
It could be a sign of affection & closeness as your dog explores with his mouth. It would be a way of showing his trust to you. Your dog is the happiest when you let him be a dog. They would usually do this to you when you’re at home, perhaps during the weekends when work is being set aside and your dog wants to enjoy your company.
2. Incitement And Playfulness
Sometimes, your dog will show you a playful gesture. He may nibble at you gently if he is overly excited or in a cheerful mood during playtime. Several dogs only nibble and nip as puppies and eventually grow out of it. However, some dogs might keep this behavior through their adulthood.
3. Giving You A Warning
If dogs give you a hard nibble, he is trying to send a warning. Before biting, sometimes a dog will warn you that he is feeling overwhelmed or not comfortable. In a situation like that, give your dog a lot of space and do not to make him feel challenged or confronted.
4. Attention Seeking
In most situations, it can be a kind of attention seeking action. It indicates that to some extent the dogs learnt that they can control the surrounding environment and your reactions by this behavior. This might be very risky at times as dogs have a tendency to increase the pressure to get what they need or want. So in several cases, it can become actual bites.
There are some different methods that you can use to resolve dog nibbling issues. However, always bear in mind that it’s essential to stick to safety first. If you are unsure of how to read your dog’s signal correctly, or if you are unsure of what or/and how to do, it is better to ask a professional for his assistance.
Tips to Control Nibbling Dogs
As early as possible, it’s necessary to teach your puppy how to control his mouthy behaviors. The ultimate purpose is to train your dog to stop biting and mouthing other people. However, the first and most important goal is to help him learn that people have a sensitive skin, so he should be very gentle while using his mouth. If puppies can learn how to be gentle with each other, they can also learn the same lesson from you. Here are some tips:
- TIP #1. Control the environment by creating situations at home that does not encourage your dog to have a chasing-biting action. If he is exposed to this kind of environment, your dog will produce stronger reaction to movements and often respond with his mouth in these circumstances.
- TIP #2. Respond to the behavior by providing signals to your dog on how to stop the activity. A dog in the early stages of its lives is influenced easily. This can be a way for you to train your dog. When your dog has gone too far, stop the mouthing and nibbling behavior by using a loud sound or noise distraction.
- TIP #3. Assert your dominance. Take time in getting his attention. You do not reward his begging or whining. You make all the decisions about what he gets and when.
Over To You
Dog owners love their pet dogs and spending quality time with them would really help ease the long day’s stress and pressures. However, there are times when we become worried or annoyed with the overly-done nibbling behavior of our pets. With the factors and reasons why they nibble you, you can identify how to deal, manage, control and somehow train your dog.
If you think you cannot do it yourself, you can always contact a professional to assist you in training your dog and even, getting advice on how to manage them as well. You will be amazed at the harmonious relationship you can develop with your dog and he will be able to respond appropriately to your energy based on their instincts. These tips to manage their behavior will also help you take the initial steps in improving your dog’s interaction with you and with the rest of your household.