It’s adorable to get “dog love bites”, and it’s probably an honor to receive such affection. A biting adult dog can be more concerning than when he was a puppy, when the behavior was more commonplace.
These affectionate bites don’t hurt and don’t penetrate the skin, so they are known as “love bites“.
However, what should you do if your dog is biting strangers, small children, or other animals? So, what’s the deal with your dog nibbling on your hand or mouthing it gently?
Love bites from dogs can be caused by a variety of things, including play and affection from you and your dog.
When teething pains are present, puppies, in particular, turn to play-biting as a means of exploring and getting attention.
Dog Love Bites Causes
Wondering why love bites are given to you by your dog? What do love bites mean? If a puppy is separated from its mother too early or has had limited contact with its littermates, it may find it difficult to learn to control its sharp teeth.
It is impossible for a human to learn from interacting with a dog in the same way that a dog can.
Consider going back to the basics and focusing on bite inhibition if you believe your dog has difficulty telling the difference between toys and human skin because of poor training or socialization.
Play biting is the most common form of mouthing, and I’ll go into more detail about each in the next section if you haven’t already.
Why Does my Dog Love Bite Me
Your dog gives love bites to you since it is a common and normal way of expressing themselves and communicating with their owners. Dogs don’t have hands or thumbs, so this is the reason why dogs give love bites.
Additionally, it is essential for them to get feedback on their bite force from another dog.
Because their jaw muscles have not yet developed, puppies have small, sharp teeth. Biting into something that hurts is a necessary step in getting feedback and fine-tuning the force.
It’s not uncommon for a dog to bite its owner’s lips, but this type of biting tends to be more ferocious. Play biting should not be discouraged, but neither should rough play be encouraged.
Until you teach your puppy the proper way to play with you or other people, you will be unable to manage the behavior.
Keeping Your Dog From Giving Love Bites
Most dogs are by nature very energetic, and this also means they are likely to get into a nipping habit. Called “love bites”, this seemingly playful gesture is already obvious in many dogs during their puppyhood. Usually just a few weeks after being born.
It is a play-based habit, but it is also the puppy’s way of asserting itself to the litter and later on, when it grows up, to the pack that it belongs to.
The dogs’ mother usually takes it upon herself to teach the little ones not to bite. But of course you cannot expect that the puppies will remember this lesson when they grow up and are finally separated from their mother.
On that note, a dog that is separated from its mother before it is supposed to – or a dog that does not have any littermates – is likely to not learn about this.
In addition, if you as the dog owner give the dog free reign to mouth your digits while they are young and experience teething, they will accept this habit as something that is normal.
Such a behavior is seldom likely to result in injury or violence. But we have to admit that this can scare some children and adults and may cause a mess due to doggy slobber. For these reasons, having a good grasp of the habit is very important.
The video below shows you a few tips that you can follow to teach your dog that his biting behavior is not acceptable.
Tips to Stop the Nips
Stopping this behavior is actually doable, but it will require you reteaching the dog about the proper or acceptable ways to play.
The first step is to show that you refuse to respond to this type of behavior. If your dog jumps or nips at you, simply turn your back and refuse to acknowledge them.
If every person in your house does this every time the dog demonstrates nipping behavior, it will quickly learn that it will not lead to any good or positive results.
The idea is to cast a dog out, socially, and this is a very good strategy, as dogs do not like social rejection when they are in the mood for acceptance.
Stopping your dog from nipping also includes avoiding responses that show anger or violence. Doing so is counterproductive and has a good chance of developing aggression or hostility – or even real biting – on the part of your dog.
Show Them That It Hurts
Another trick that has proven to be effective with puppies that do a lot of nipping is to communicate that the act of nipping causes you pain.
You can show this by making a small whining sound or an audible yelp. Such sounds register in their brains as bad results, and indicate that you, someone they love, are hurt.
This sound is familiar to them because this is what they hear in their littermates growing up together, causing the same reaction when nipped.
Preventing your dog from nipping or giving love bits is also made easier when you spray your arms and especially your hands with something that has a taste which your dog does not like.
True, the experience you get out of it may be unpleasant – because who likes catching a whiff of bitter apple spray or pungent garlic on their hands?
However, this is really good in getting your dog to be turned off with the results of mouthing and nipping when the unpleasant taste gets in their mouth.
A word of caution on this: under no circumstances should you use anything harmful, because it will be dangerous to both your dog and yourself.
When Should You Be Careful?
While nipping and mouthing are seen as playful habits, there will be some situations when these are not so.
In fact, it will actually be a sign of dominance assertion, and will have a high chance of your dog developing aggression. When this is evident, you must exercise all caution and tread carefully.
A dog that has dominance issues as well as aggressive tendencies is considered dangerous. That is if you make attempts to change its habits with the use of unpleasant sprays or downright ignoring them.
What will work though is for you to first assert your status as the alpha. And continue asserting it so that the dog knows you are the leader and it should not undermine your leadership.
Some dogs might not cow down, and even try to elevate the aggression in an attempt to match the level that you show yours. This showdown is not something that will have a good thing come out of it.
If it turns out that the situation has progressed to the level that your own dog is issuing challenges for the leadership position or making attempts at aggression, the best thing to do is to seek professional help and intervention to curb this downright dangerous behavior.
Do not even make attempts to work out these issues by yourself, DIY style.
You might not like any of the possible repercussions, which can also include a trip to the hospital to treat a dog bite. Or a trip to the store to replace the stuff that your dog has broken while it was in one of its destructive, authority-asserting spells.
The goal here is to settle the issue of alpha leadership, and once that has been addressed then you can move on to fixing the other concerning behaviors.
While playing with your dog is certainly a fun activity that does a lot to reduce your own personal stress (especially after a long day at work), this therapeutic time can give birth to future problems when your dog is a lot bigger.
You can even see it as something that other people will have a problem with while you yourself do not see it as a big deal. (think: your friends’ kids getting traumatized at how a strange dog suddenly puts their fingers into its mouth).
But for as long as you address this behavior early, it will not be as stressful to have visitors come to see you.
Redirecting your dog
• Another option is to simply reroute the mouthing. Rather than putting love bites all over your body, he can learn that you’d prefer to play tug of war with him.
• Make sure you’re not rewarding behavior that’s just for the sake of getting attention.
• The toy should only be given to your dog once he has stopped chewing on your clothing.
• It is important to keep a toy on hand in case the behavior is triggered, so that you can stop the mouthing before it starts.
• The best way to learn is to avoid mistakes in the first place. Set your dog up for success at all times.
• Use a favorite toy and engage in play with your dog when you have guests over.
• As long as you don’t leave it in your dog’s cave, it’s easy to use and extremely durable.
• Keep the tugging as low as possible if your dog is prone to biting or jumping on you when excited.
• Dogs should be ignored if they bite, even if they are playing. It is expected that good behavior will be rewarded and bad behavior will be ignored.
Keep These Things in Mind
• Love bites are defined in the beginning of this post and how your dog should not apply pressure.
• A little bit of licking and nibbling can go along with a harmless love bite. When the dog is giving you a love bite, it will have a calm face and body posture.
• Snarling, baring teeth, and pulling their lips back are all signs of aggression in a dog. Serious snaps can be painful, but they don’t always have to puncture the skin in order to be painful.
• Consult a dog behaviorist if you suspect that your dog has aggression issues and you want to avoid any further harm.
Do not do this with your Dog
• Pulling your hands away will set off your dog’s natural prey drive and cause him to start chasing after your fingers. Act calmly and wait for your dog to come back before reacting. Remove yourself from the situation if he won’t relinquish control.
• Keep your hands out of his mouth. I know it’s adorable to play with your puppy’s tiny face, but doing so will only encourage him to bite.
• When your dog is excited and playing, he may start mouthing or biting at your hands if you yell at him. Your dog will only become frightened and confused if you yell at him.
• Not hitting your dog will only make him bite back more aggressively during rough play, so don’t slap your dog when he’s bitten or mouthed you.
Dogs cannot understand physical punishment, making it an inhumane form of discipline.
Inadequate punishment leads to fear and, eventually, aggression towards you and other people because of the pain and confusion it causes.
Things to Do with your Dog
• It’s possible that your dog’s mouthing and excessive grooming are just a way to get your attention.
• The daily physical and mental needs of your dog must be met, as well as the availability of sufficient exercise.
• Never leave your dog alone in the yard all day. Keep him busy with stuffed toys or other puzzle toys when you leave the house.
• To satisfy your dog’s chewing urge, give him fun chew toys like the Chew Toy.
• A favorite toy of my dog’s is also a good way to prevent separation anxiety or other conditions that can arise when your dog is alone.
• To keep your dog calm and well-behaved, he or she needs to interact with other dogs as much as possible.
• You and your dog will have a much better time at a dog play class than you would at a dog park.
Conclusion
Many dogs express their love and affection by gently mouthing each other. Dogs of all ages, from puppies to senior citizens, can show the same kind of affection.
You should be able to stop the mouthing if you have successfully taught bite inhibition during the puppy biting phase of training.
Are you having a problem with your dog love bites? What are your actions for your dog’s love bites? Share it with us by commenting down below!
Related Resources
8 Signs You’re Not Showing Your Dog Enough Affection
Dog Mouthing Affection: What Does It Mean & How Do I Stop It?
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