holding on to other pack members cheeks~

JennABJennAB
edited March 2011 in Behavior & Training
Just wondering why my pup does this ... my 8 month old pup always bites onto the other pack members cheek fur and doesn't want to let go. Some of the other dogs don't care and just walk with her until she lets go ... others get mad and put her in her place. Is this a confidence issue? Or acceptance issue? Her ears go down and she will even piddle a bit! Opinions please!

Comments

  • CaliaCalia
    My guys love grabbing each others cheeks during play, seems to be a favorite chew spot. Sometimes though, when Tetsu doesn't want to deal with Tikaani he will grab Tikaani's cheek for a few seconds, while making a whiny growly sound, as if to say "Stop bugging me"
  • LosechLosech
    Conker will do that to my Mom's dogs every now and then. He'll let go on his own, be ignored or get corrected by the other dogs depending on the nature of the cheek-grabbing.
    I think it's mainly a play thing.
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited March 2011
    Here is my best guess... It's an instinctual appeasement behavior. Probably related to how a pup licks the mouth of their mother to get her to regurgitate food. It probably is annoying to the other dogs but I think that is by design as it also helps teach the pup social etiquette and individual rule structure (and seniority).
  • lindsaytlindsayt
    Some of my adolescent shiba pups have done this, some more than others and it tended to be the more unconfident adolescents that did this (they smile, whine and drop their ears when doing it). They only do it to the patient fatherly figure dog (Ike), or me. He just stands there with a little curled lip and lets the girls drag him around by his orangutan cheek skin unless they bite too hard. He's quicker to correct the young males. It is super annoying tho just watching it, and I don't want the adults to over correct and injure anyone, so I try to distract them from it or body block. If I scold them at this point, or if Ike does, it makes it way worse and they go into a full throttle grovel which is beyond irritating.

    I agree with Brad, it appears to be an appeasement behavior.
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