Rosalinda van den Ham wrote 06/22/2008 04:56 PM normal for a dog to nip in greeting? #199703 - 06/22/2008 04:56 PM
Rosalinda van den Ham Webboard User Reg: 10-14-2007 Posts: 208 Loc: Aruba Offline	I do not have a problem with my dog jumping on me (he does it only when I allow him to do it), but since my question concerns the behaviour of my dog when he jumps up on me in greeting I post it here. This is my question: I have noticed that when my GSD is greeting me and when I allow him to jump on me (he whines when he sees me), he reaches up to my face and tries to nip my face (soft, small bites). Why does he do that?
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Mike J Schoonbrood wrote 06/22/2008 05:04 PM Re: normal for a dog to nip in greeting? [Re: Rosalinda van den Ham ] #199704 - 06/22/2008 05:04 PM
Mike J Schoonbrood Webboard User Reg: 04-30-2005 Posts: 2784 Loc: Toronto, ON Offline	My dogs do it too, they are excited. Not sure what the psychological reasoning behind it is, but I expect it to happen so I can avoid it easily.
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Rosalinda van den Ham wrote 06/22/2008 05:14 PM Re: normal for a dog to nip in greeting? [Re: Mike J Schoonbrood ] #199707 - 06/22/2008 05:14 PM
Rosalinda van den Ham Webboard User Reg: 10-14-2007 Posts: 208 Loc: Aruba Offline	Thx, Mike, Glad to know other dogs display the same behaviour.
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Rhonda Parkin wrote 06/22/2008 06:38 PM Re: normal for a dog to nip in greeting? [Re: Rosalinda van den Ham ] #199709 - 06/22/2008 06:38 PM
Rhonda Parkin Webboard User Reg: 12-15-2007 Posts: 143 Loc: New Zealand, Auckland Offline	My dog tries to nibble on my clothing - sleeves etc - when I pat him. He does it if the patting makes him excited. I tell him 'no bite' and he stops for a couple seconds, it's almost like he just can't help it. I don't usually mind unless he misses my clothes.
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Jennifer Marshal wrote 06/22/2008 07:12 PM Re: normal for a dog to nip in greeting? [Re: Rhonda Parkin ] #199715 - 06/22/2008 07:12 PM
Jennifer Marshal Webboard User Reg: 08-02-2007 Posts: 1078 Loc: Southern Oregon Offline	It is a natural behavior of greeting for all pack members to lick and/or nibble or "mouth" the muzzle of returning pack members or alpha. This translates to hands, arms, chin, etc on people. Here are some picture examples: http://www.freewebs.com/theanimaltrainer/wp2.jpg http://www.freewebs.com/theanimaltrainer/wp003.jpg http://www.wolfpark.org/images/memoriam/ursa/2013-23.jpg http://members.aol.com/wolfparkphoto/Seneca_rallied_to_by_Tristan_Marion_Miska.jpg Rhonda, the nibbly behavior is generally considered affection unless he is really biting or is mouthing/biting in an attempt to get you to stop or to make you pet him more when you have finished. I don't correct for this in my dogs but many people do and for general purposes it is good to discourage this behavior as other people not dog savvy will view this as a bite/aggressive behavior and can cause a relaxed environment to turn into a dangerous one.
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S Sorenson wrote 06/22/2008 08:11 PM Re: normal for a dog to nip in greeting? [Re: Jennifer Marshal ] #199718 - 06/22/2008 08:11 PM
S Sorenson Webboard User Reg: 06-18-2008 Posts: 7 Loc: Offline	Jennifer - affection? I thought the nibblies, while a social greeting, can be a little pushy when the nibbler is a bossy momma dog or an uppity youngster. Is that why you said "generally"? I've always seen it as like grooming in that while it can be a lovely way for dogs to bond and communicate, it can also be a way for one dog to be bossy. But maybe that's just me having bad memories of Sunday school spit-n-Kleenex face-washes from my own mother....
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Michael_Wise wrote 06/22/2008 09:47 PM Re: normal for a dog to nip in greeting? [Re: S Sorenson ] #199723 - 06/22/2008 09:47 PM
Michael_Wise Webboard User Reg: 07-10-2006 Posts: 4454 Loc: Arkansas Offline	Quote: Edith Sorenson I thought the nibblies, while a social greeting, can be a little pushy when the nibbler is a bossy momma dog or an uppity youngster.  Quote: Jennifer Marshal unless he is really biting or is mouthing/biting in an attempt to get you to stop or to make you pet him more when you have finished. Edith, I think you are on the same page with Mrs. Marshal. Edited to say: I'm not Jennifer, and I hope *I* was reading right. My apologies if I'm the one mis-reading.
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Aaron Myracle wrote 06/22/2008 10:37 PM Re: normal for a dog to nip in greeting? [Re: Michael_Wise ] #199726 - 06/22/2008 10:37 PM
Aaron Myracle Webboard User Reg: 06-06-2008 Posts: 5062 Loc: WA, USA Offline	It's all about setting and context. Sounds like your dog is really happy to see the pack leader back at the den.
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Jennifer Marshal wrote 06/22/2008 11:40 PM Re: normal for a dog to nip in greeting? [Re: Aaron Myracle ] #199732 - 06/22/2008 11:40 PM
Jennifer Marshal Webboard User Reg: 08-02-2007 Posts: 1078 Loc: Southern Oregon Offline	Edith, it depends on the dog and the situation. Just as a bark can mean greeting, warning, or threat/aggression, (among other things) so can mouthy behavior. In pups, mouthing the face is an attempt to get the mother or other pack member to regurgitate and feed them, it is also a greeting, and it is also an initiation to play or pesky type behavior. My current dog, Duke, mouths my hand and holds my arm in his mouth while I hug him because I allow this behavior towards myself, but he does not do this with people that don't want him to, he will just wag his tail and lick their hand in greeting instead. Mouthing can mean many things, it depends on the dog and why it is mouthing. This post, and my post, was specifically addressing mouthing when petting or primarily when greeting your dog from being gone for a bit. Mouthing when grabbing a dog's collar or when touching them to move them or after/during a correction means entirely different things from a dog or puppy mouthing in greeting or grooming you back when being petted.
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Mike J Schoonbrood wrote 06/23/2008 02:22 AM Re: normal for a dog to nip in greeting? [Re: Jennifer Marshal ] #199739 - 06/23/2008 02:22 AM
Mike J Schoonbrood Webboard User Reg: 04-30-2005 Posts: 2784 Loc: Toronto, ON Offline	Context: I uncrate my dog and he jumps up, his paws trying to "climb up me," ears pinned back, doing little hops to jump up with tiny happy snaps at my face with his tail going a million miles a minute. Its excitement, I know exactly what the OP is talking about, all my dogs have done it to some degree. Yasko is the worst culprit and still does it every single day because he's a lil snot that loves to use his mouth for everything LOL.
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