Canines almost always nibble out of affection. When they are just little pups, pooches use their mouths to explore and communicate.
Although it is totally harmless, it is always a good idea to monitor and correct this behavior whenever you feel the nibbling is going out of control. If you let it turn into a habit, it might cause many an inappropriate situations once your dog is fully grown.
Usual Causes
As soon as they can (even before they can open their eyes), pups use their tiny mouths to glean information and learn as much about their environment as possible.
If they stumble upon something too hard to nibble on, pups yelp and whine, which is a signal for other pups to stay away from that object.
When they are about 4 months old and out of their litter, pooches start using this habit to show their love and affection toward their master.
While they are still very young, make sure you let them nibble on you every once in a while, as they will otherwise begin nibbling your shoes and clothes since these items remind them of you.
How to Fix this Behavior
Given that your dog thinks of you as part of his litter, it is best to start behaving like you are indeed one of his siblings. You can gradually discourage the nibbling by thinking like a dog. Say your dog starts nibbling your hand – say ouch! or better yet – yelp, as this is exactly what his sibling would have done.
This sudden sound will show your pooch that his nibble is not appropriate. If the nibbling occurs during play-time, stop the session immediately to show him this behavior has a negative outcome.
Make sure you provide some chew toys.
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This way your dog will redirect his nibbling to the toys, and as soon as he starts to nibble the toy, give him some praise so he can associate this behavior with the rubber toy.