Nibbling

I have just got my wee baby staffy, Bella. I introduced my other dogs today and it went well. One of my dogs nibbles gently on Bella. Does anyone know why this might be? Thanks

I'm pretty sure it'll just be a contact thing, Laura. Dogs use their mouths a lot where we would use our hands, and of course while nibbling like that the nose will be right next to Bella so they'll be taking in her smell as well.

Great news that it's all going well - we always worry when introducing puppies but older dogs just know what to do and it's extremely rare that they are anything other than spot on with their interactions.

Thanks LizP. Was worrying that he was hurting her

In all likelihood, you ain't seen nothing yet! Dogs can play very hard, and none harder than a staffy!

All dogs, puppies included, will let another know when they've gone too far and most dogs will respect that and moderate their play accordingly. There will undoubtedly be times ahead when Bella lets out a yelp, you just have to be brave and let them get on with it so they learn each other, what they can do and what they can't. My rule of thumb is to let them to it unless one of them starts to look worried.

Just to bore you with our story to illustrate... we fostered Millie (the little one in the middle of my avatar) because the rescue centre where I volunteer couldn't find anyone else who would take her on. She was 3 months old and had a deformed back, and it was unclear whether she would grow up strong enough to pull through. Our 2 others are gallumphs and play very rough, so everyone had their reservations. We had all sorts of plans in place to keep her safe and knew we'd have to accept if it wasn't working...

ha ha ha! From the word go she's been the worst of the lot! She's made of rubber and steel and if anyone is going to start a full on teeth attack game, it's her! Poor weak little puppy... yeah, right!

That's just to say that they can look after themselves, honest!