Anyone who is or has been a guardian of a dog will know that dogs, especially puppies and those who are in the adolescent stage, chew everything and also tip us, from time to time, small bites to us whose meaning can have different interpretations depending on the context and the relationship between the dog and the guardian.
One of these bites is especially curious, since it consists of a series of small rapid and repetitive pinches that the animal gives us when it is calm and feel safe. Have you ever wondered why it does this? If the answer is yes, keep reading! Because in this article on our site we will tell you why your dog nibbles you, what it means when he nips you with your teeth and how you should act in each situation.
What do dog bites mean?
Dogs use their mouths for much more than chewing and carrying objects: it is a means of expression, communication and exploration of the environment. Many times we tend to think that some behaviors that dogs perform are strange, pathological or meaningless, but the truth is that they communicate in a very different way to how we humans do and have a very wide behavioral repertoire, characteristic of his species and therefore completely normal. Among these typical behaviors of dogs are bites that, depending on the context in which they appear, their intensity and the emotion that the animal is feeling, can have a significant or another.
Obviously, a dog gently grabbing our hand with its teeth is not the same as repeatedly biting our feet while we walk. Each behavior has its explanation and tries to express something that we, as tutors, should learn to interpret correctly.
If your dog bites you on a regular basis, these may be some meanings:
- Exploratory Behavior: Puppies and adolescent dogs are very curious and the best way for them to explore the world around them is through through your mouth. Giving small bites they discover new flavors, textures and relate to other individuals. This is the reason why puppies bite everything and play "chase" everything that moves fast, like our hands and feet.
- Game: You only have to go to a dog park to realize that dogs play chase and bite each other and this is something natural, because we cannot forget their hunting nature. Human beings are part of their social group, so dogs apply this same game structure to us and enjoy running after us and nibbling on our body once they reach us. So if your dog bites you loosely, in small nibbles, he may be telling you that he wants to play with you.
- Boredom and demand for attention: Many dogs learn by association to get the attention of their guardians through small nibbles somewhere of his body, or even grabbing his pants or sleeve with his teeth and pulling them. Therefore, if your dog pulls on your clothes, he will most likely bite you to get your attention. Similarly, they can do this to indicate that they are bored or when something is frustrating.
- Space demand: when a dog feels uncomfortable with our presence or our behavior and wants us to move away and leave him alone, he emits a series of signals known as calm signals. These are usually very subtle (for example: yawning, smacking or turning our faces away) and many times we ignore them, so the dog feels compelled to express himself more intensely through threat signals, which imply in many cases growls and small bites of controlled intensity that are delivered with raised lips and a wrinkled snout.
My dog nips me with his teeth, why?
There is a type of bite that is very characteristic of dogs, which is the one that gives in the form of small quick pinches using only the upper incisors and lower, that is, the teeth at the front of your mouth. This behavior is carried out with the jaw practically closed and it gives the sensation that they are chattering their teeth, as we do when we are cold. The curious thing is that they not only do it with their guardians and other humans, but they can also do it on objects, other animals or on themselves and all this has its explanation.
If your furry pinches you with his teeth and begins to give you small rhythmic and fast nibbles in a very delicate way, don't worry! It's not a bad thing, on the contrary,is a way of expressing affection Generally, they do it in moments of relaxation, when they are resting quietly next to you and it is usually accompanied by sporadic licking. When they have this behavior with other animals, whether or not they are dogs, it means that they have a good relationship, as it is also a way of showing affection and it is very common to observe it between bitches and their puppies. That way, if your dog nips at you with his front teeth like we just described, he definitely loves you and wants you to know it.
On the other hand, When dogs nibble on themselves like this, they generally doto scratch or remove any parasite (for example, a flea) or any small object that may have stuck or caught in your hair. It is common to see them pinching their flanks, buttocks or legs. If you see that your dog scratches a lot in this way, make sure you deworm him correctly and offer him enough environmental stimulation, as sometimes excessive scratching is the result of stress or boredom.
It is also possible that you have seen your dog nibble a blanket, a stuffed animal or his own bed in this curious way. In this case, the behavior is called " sucking reflex" and it is an instinctive behavior that dogs develop when they are puppies, in their nursing stage. The movement of its mouth on the object is very similar to what puppies do when they drink milk from their mother and there is nothing wrong or pathological about it, it is simply a habit that some adults maintain and that they perform in moments of relaxation.
What to do if my dog bites me?
If your furry gives you this type of affectionate pinches, never scold him ! Well, all he's doing is showing you appreciation. In general, dogs are very delicate when they carry out this behavior and control the power with which they bite you, so the usual thing in these cases is for your dog to bite you without clenching his teeth. But if your furry one does it too intensely, just move your hand away a little and continue stroking him , the dog won't insist.
Now that you know why your dog bites you and that, if the cause is showing affection, you should not do anything, let's see how to act in all other cases:
Tips to attract attention
Of course, if the type of bites your dog gives you responds to another type of motivation, your way of acting will also be different. For example, if the dog has got used to grabbing your hand with his mouth or pulling your clothes to make you pay attention or play with him and you don't like this behavior, you can subject him to a process number and then replace it with a more suitable one. To do this, you should avoid reinforcing your dog if he nibbles you, that is, you can't pay attention to him at that moment Don't scold him either, because if you do, the dog would also be achieving its objective: that you stop doing what you are doing and focus your attention on him.
When the dog perceives that his behavior no longer offers him the same result as before, a phenomenon called "peak" or "explosion" of behavior will probably occur, which consists in the action that we want to eliminate (nibbles) exaggeratedly increases its frequency, duration or intensity. That is, by not paying attention to the dog, it begins to bite us even more. The behavior explosion is completely normal when we are carrying out an extinction process, since the animal does not understand why its behavior is no longer being reinforced and tries with more intensity. After a while, he finally understands that he's not going to get our attention that wayand the behavior tends to go away. Of course, whenever we stop reinforcing one behavior, we have to start reinforcing a different one so that the dog has an alternative course of action.
Nibbles as part of the game
On the other hand, if your dog bites you as part of a game or if he is a puppy and is still exploring the world around him, you do not have to worry, because this behaviorIt's totally natural and it's he althy for the animal to do it. Now, if your furry is very rough and hurts you with his teeth, it is advisable that you teach him from an early age to inhibit his bite and that you always have Keep stuffed animals, ropes, or teething toys handy that you can offer as a trade whenever he gets excited or too rough playing. Here are some articles that you may find useful in this regard:
- My dog plays too rough - why and what to do?
- Bite inhibition in dogs
- What to do if my puppy bites too hard?
Nibbles due to discomfort
Finally, if you suspect that your dog is giving you small bites because he is uncomfortable, it is important that you respect his space and do not force himto interact with you if they don't feel like it at the time. In this sense, it is advisable to try to identify the reason why your dog may feel tense or stressed and learn about canine language in order to communicate effectively with him and improve your bond. If necessary, a professional educator or ethologist can give you a hand with it, but we also leave you some articles that you can consult on the subject:
- Dog language and calming signals - complete guide
- 10 signs of stress in dogs
