What Is Nibbling in Dogs?
Nibbling is a term used to describe a dog’s gentle, repetitive chewing process. Unlike biting, biting is an innocent behavior that lacks aggressive intent. Unlike gnawing, which involves a dog’s canines, when dogs gnaw, they mostly use their incisors, which are the dog’s front teeth.
If you’re wondering why dogs bite, it’s helpful to first learn about dog incisors. Dog incisors are manufactured differently and have different functions compared to other canine teeth.
Introducing your dog’s incisors
Adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth. More specifically, they have 20 teeth in the upper jaw, while there are 22 teeth in the lower jaw.
If we want to get into the delicious details, dogs have six incisors, canines, eight premolars and four molars in the upper jaw, while the lower jaw has six incisors, canines, eight premolars and six molars.
Your dog’s incisors are small, flat teeth found on the upper and lower jaw just in front of the mouth. They are teeth with one root. Dogs have 12 incisors, six in the upper jaw and six in the lower jaw. More specifically, dogs have two central incisors, two middle and two lateral.
These chisel-shaped teeth are designed to perform a variety of tasks, from chopping off pieces of food to grasping objects (as you would with tweezers).
While dog incisors work well as multi-use tools, the good news is that they are not very useful since they rest on the jaw.
This means you won’t get the strongest bite from these teeth, although the occasional unexpected impact can sometimes feel like a traumatic pinch!
Why Do Dogs Nibble With Their Teeth?
Dog cutouts aren’t just for decoration. It turns out that dog incisors are designed to perform a variety of functions. The causes of dog bites can vary depending on what is at stake. What does your dog do? Let’s take a closer look at why dogs bite their teeth.
1. Scrape the meat from the bone
If we watch a dog carefully chew a bone, we will see how he will strategically place the bone so that he can use his back teeth to work on it.
With the bone held securely between his paws and tilted toward his head, the dog uses his premolars to break the bone into fine pieces. These teeth are equipped with tissues that help in the wear process.
In addition to using their premolars, dogs also use their molars when chewing bones. These large teeth have a flat surface, making them ideal for crushing and grinding bones for easier digestion.
While dogs mostly use their back teeth to chew bones, give them a bone with some meat on it, and they’ll switch to chewing with their incisors.
By gnawing, dogs can tear and scrape flesh from bones in the same way that humans scrape corn kernels from corn husks.
2. Keeping the Coat Tidy
In addition to scraping meat from bones, dogs can use their incisors to keep their coat looking its best. After all, who said cats are experts at taking care of their coats? Dogs can clean up quickly too!
When dogs gently scratch their fur, they use their incisors in a comb-like manner. This brushing process helps dogs remove any dirt, debris, tangles or irritating dander stuck in their coats.
3. Scratch the itch
Dogs deprived of mobile hands and fingers use their front teeth as their main tool for scratching scabs. Doesn’t mean they can ask us to return them! Therefore, itchy dogs rely on their incisors to get some relief from the annoying itch.
The common rump area is the scratching area right near the base of their tail, which is an area that cannot be scratched, so nipping with the incisors is considered “back scratching”, which is the best alternative.
Of course, if your dog is scratching his fur frequently, consider this a possible sign of a problem that requires some investigation. He may have fleas, allergies, or perhaps a problem with one of his front teeth.
4. Engage in social grooming
Sometimes, you may come across dogs that breed with each other. This phenomenon is known as “social grooming” or “isolated grooming” when it is directed at one dog, or “mutual grooming” when two dogs groom each other at the same time.
The two dogs can be seen lying next to each other as one begins to gently scratch the other dog’s fur, resulting in a gentle exchange of grooming.
5. Showing Their “Affection”
In this case, the dog gently nips a specific person, which owners often interpret as a sign of “love” because the dog is very gentle with his mouth. This gnawing behavior can go by many names, ranging from “chipping” to the affectionate term “gravel gnawing.”
In greyhounds, biting a human’s skin is called “nutting.” According to the Greyhound Welfare Newsletter, biting “involves scratching one’s skin as a sign of great pleasure (not aggression). Causing a wound may be difficult, but it is intended with great affection.”
Similar behavior can be observed when dogs encounter a cat or the family cat. It’s as if they are “taking care of them” like dogs do to little puppies.
6. Learn to stop biting them
As puppies mature, with gentle guidance and excellent “cute” signaling, they should learn to restrain the force of their bite.
Through the process of bite prevention, puppies also learn that the face is a particularly vulnerable area where they should be especially gentle.
“Most puppies, even the most steadfast and enthusiastic, show a marked difference toward the hands and face,” explains Stephen Lindsay in the book Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training.
As puppies learn to be gentler with their mouths, they can be seen aggressively biting their arms and legs, but then immediately stopping when offered a ‘kiss’ on the cheek. Lindsay also notes that they gently nip the ear. When they do this, they should be praised with cheers.
7. Attention seeking
Your dog may also scratch when looking for communication or when he needs something.
A sharp “pinch” directed toward the owner’s back when rotated can sometimes be seen in playful or attention-seeking dogs. Herding dogs are particularly susceptible to this.
Our female Rottweiler, when she was young, would give us this “pinch” when my husband and I least expected it. After we told her it hurt, it turned into a “from the car” lick to the back of our thighs, which we called the “love lick.”
8. Reducing some problems
Biting with the front teeth can also trigger an object, such as a blanket, when a dog feels anxious. This can be a behavior that dogs engage in absent-mindedly, such as humans biting their nails.
9. A Soothing Action
Blanket nibbling can also act as a self-soothing action, perhaps reminiscent of when your puppy was nursing. Your dog may scratch his blanket or paws before bed as part of his bedtime routine.
Young dogs may nibble on blankets or clothing to soothe their irritated gums as they bite their gums.
Sometimes, Nibbling can be seen in dogs that are experiencing some type of discomfort or pain.
10. The beginning of madness
There is gnawing in the dog world, and there is gnawing in the dog world, and one type that can be particularly annoying is the persistent kind when a dog engages in chewing behavior without stopping.
It may start out of boredom, as a way to draw attention from an underlying (albeit treatable) medical problem, or even to reduce some anxiety through a coping mechanism (such as displacement activity).
The next thing you know, your dog is stuck in a rut, and it’s hard to get him out of it.
For example, flank sucking and blanket sucking are compulsive behaviors often seen in Doberman Pinschers or cases of psychogenic alopecia/limb licking dermatitis.
