Originally Posted by
QCKLime
I don't see any issue with a dog that nips out of excitement or affection, in my opinion, it's no different than dogs that urinate when they get excited -- it's more of a personality trait than something you could train or socialize them out of. I have a few nippers/nibblers, one that only does it when she smells new things (she reminds me of a horse that curls their lips back in a "flehmen" expression when they smell or taste something new or interesting) but she won't actually nip at you, I have one that is a traditional "excitement biter" and will grab anything out of excitement, and I have one that nibbles at fingers when she wants attention, it's an affectionate gesture, but she'll get rougher with it the more excited she gets - you give her a firm "no" and she goes right back to nibbling. The middle example is the only one that I don't tolerate, as it's the only one that poses any issue. A lot of people misconstrue a dog's actions and end up trying to give "corrections" for things that aren't correctable, which only confuses and frustrates the animal -- much like the the conversation that was on here about dogs that guard their food, there's a fine line between what needs to be worked on and what needs to be respected.
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