I have a friend that just e'd me a question about her dog, he is mixed breed and around 8-months-old now. I am not confident enough to answer her so I am hoping someone here can help out. I will copy and paste:


I have a question I don't know if you can answer but it is something I have wondered at and when I read about dog "training", really the whole "alpha" thing, it comes up. I am referring to biting or "mouthing". I am reading that it is now allowed AT ALL but my dog does it when I walk in from being away, like coming home from work. He is always happy to see me and it seems to be something he "has" to do to greet me but let me explain it a little clearer. After I get in and get my stuff all settled, when I am ready to greet him he always takes my hand in his mouth and, I don't want to say bite because that is not what he is doing but he is gently "biting" maybe that is what is referred to as "mouthing" my hand. It seems to be quite a "loving" gesture, not in anyway harmful to me or painful. Do you know what I mean? Do or have your dogs done this with you? I am a bit puzzled because my instincts tell me it's actually a submissive gesture but what I'm reading says that may not be the case but I don't see how it's dominant, not how Raj is doing it. He just does once and that is it, not like he's gnawing on my hand or anything.


Thanks for any input.

At 8 months and with the mouthing not being a biting painful issue, she can probably start using a "no" command and redirecting the dog to do something else like sit or down and then praising well when the dog does what she wants.
She could also try ignoring the dog completely and stay still and when the dog stops the mouthing and does something else, like looks up at her or sits in front of her, then she comes to life and praises the dog up.

I'll pass that along. Thanks!

Barbara, I've had submissive dogs "nibble" my hands with their front teeth when I first arrive. It's similar to what you'll see lower-ranking pack members do to the chins of the alphas. They're not really bites, it's more similar to a grooming behavior.

The way your friend describes it (or how I'm picturing it anyway), it sounds to me that it is a greeting gesture and one that actually means that the dog sees her as a higher-up.

But it's hard to say without seeing it: Some dogs get pushy with their mouths...either by demanding attention or play. That's a different matter and pushy behavior (even if it appears friendly) isn't anything I allow. It's just a matter of respect.

If it's the "grooming" behavior, your friend can train the dog to offer some more acceptable behavior, like Carol said, if she doesn't like it or she can just let it go if she doesn't mind it (I don't mind it, personally).

If it's pushy behavior it should certainly be addressed, IMO.

Amber, I don't think my friend thinks it is pushy behavior, just more of a greeting and maybe an affectionate gesture. I don't think she minds it, she seems to be more unsure of why the dog does it and doesn't want to be missing something if she isn't reading the behavior correctly.

I don't live by her so I have never seen the dog do it.

I will also copy and paste your response to her.

Thanks!