Dogs are the most exciting creatures on earth. They do things which you can not understand at first. And “dog nudging puppy with nose” is one of them. Many years back, my father brought a new puppy into our house, and that’s when I experienced the situation first. And after that, I have seen it quite a few times as I have had the privilege to own multiple dogs at a time over the years.
I was as confused as you when I first saw the situation. To understand why the dog does this to the new puppy, let’s remember our childhood or understand a child’s behavior when another child comes into his house as a guest. The possible things that can happen to the child’s mind are:
- The child is confused about seeing the guest child and doesn’t know how to deal with the situation.
- He/she tries to say “hi” to the guest child.
- He/she tries to invite the guest child to play with him/her. Or
- He/she is behaving arrogantly towards the guest child.
The exact circumstances can happen in a dog’s behavior when he sees a new puppy in his home. But how will he communicate with the new puppy? He is not a human who can talk to express his feelings. That’s when a dog does things like nudging, which is a way of communication with them.
The reason behind the dog is nudging puppy with the nose:
Now we have understood that nudging is a way of communication for a dog, or he tried to say something through nudging. Let’s discuss why a dog nudges with the new puppy in the house.
- As a gesture of greeting: After seeing a puppy in the house, it is normal for the dog to be a little bit curious about the whole situation or doesn’t understand how to get along with the new puppy in the house. So first, he nudges the new puppy as a gesture of saying hi to him.
- Invitation to play: As a new member in the house and as a junior, the puppy may also be slightly afraid of the dog. Sometimes the dog tries to be friendly with the puppy and wants to play with him. So when a dog nudges a puppy, it can be a sign of invitation to play with him.
- Tell a direction: The dog does that when he wants the puppy to go or run in a specific direction. Also, some breeds of dogs nudge other animals with their noses because of their herding behavior. They nudge a puppy or dog when they want to bring him into their family or group. German shepherd, Australian shepherd, rough collie, bearded collie, puli, and other dogs’ breeds belong to the herding group.
- To show dominance: Sometimes, your dog nudges the puppy with its nose to establish authority over him. It’s like the dog wants to tell the puppy that he is the boss here, and the puppy should not mess with him. Often the dog is too aggressive to show dominance over the puppy, and you will see other signs like excessive/extreme barking.
Older dog attacking new puppy- What should I do?
Dogs are territorial animals, so some dogs will react negatively or aggressively to the new puppy. There are a few things you can follow If your dog reacts like that.
- Keep them separated for some time.
- After separating for some days, leave them together under close supervision. Give some time to them to get along with each other.
- Give commands to the older dog if he gets aggressive with the puppy. Reward him with treats if he stops after hearing your order.
Conclusion
Dog nudging with its nose is a very common thing. A dog can nudge a puppy, items or even you. Through these acts, he expresses their emotions, so you have to understand by his behavior what he needs or what he is trying to do. And by reading this article, I believe that you will appreciate it very well next time your dog nudges you or your puppy.
