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What does Ruby's "nose-punching" mean? (tacran)

Posted : 12/26/2013 4:44:50 PM

First, let me clarify what I mean by "nose punching" so you don't get the wrong idea!!

Sometimes when Ruby is really enjoying a toy (especially a soft, fuzzy one, which we rarely give her unless she's 100% supervised, because she shreds them in 2 seconds), she will stop chewing or tossing it and "punch" it with her nose. We first thought it was an attempt to "hide" it by pushing imaginary dirt over it, but it's not a covering motion. It's a sharp jab, like a chicken pecking the ground, but with more power.

It made us curious to see her do it with her toys, but she also does it to US if she's really amped up in her play (usually with DH, since I don't engage with her when she's in her hyper mode). The scene is usually this: she's been playing tug with DH, then she takes off with the toy and does some zoomies, then she jumps back up on the ottoman in front of him. If she's dropped the toy somewhere, she tries to get close to him, face to face. When she gets close enough, she does the same jabbing nose punch. It's not just a random motion where her nose/snout gets too close to his face -- it's a deliberate thing, almost like a head-butt. If you're not careful, she can hit your nose and it is not pleasant. If her mouth is open, it's even riskier.

This is not something we encourage, and DH firmly tells her no and either gets out of the chair or makes her get off the ottoman. Any other ideas of (1) what this motion means (besides attention demands) and (2) what else we should do to address it?

JackieG

Posted : 12/26/2013 6:31:14 PM

Tracy. look what I found when I googled dogs that nose punch. Interesting and it's all about the context of the behavior. It sounds like Ruby's demanding attention and if your husband encourages her to play rough, she thinks it's ok. Another dog might either accept it or correct her if they found it too forceful. I'd end play immediately when she did it. He might also ask her for a sit when he sees she's getting ready to nose punch him if he can time it well. Asking for a behavior he can reward can often help extinguish a behavior if the unwanted behavior isn't rewarded. Sometimes verbally correcting a dog doesn't work because when a dog is playing excitedly, any sort of attention, even negative attention, is a reward. Stopping play immediately is a powerful lesson. She may not get it right away but if everyone is consistent, maybe she'll stop.

www.patriciamcconnell.com/.../muzzle-punches-air-snaps-and-tooth-clatters-revisited

tacran

Posted : 12/26/2013 8:08:42 PM

Holy moley, Jackie!!! First of all, I'm an idiot for not thinking to Google it myself. I never dreamed "nose punch" was a phrase that other dog owners have used. Well, muzzle punch is more accurate, actually.

Anyway, I just read the summary and have started through the comments. It's so fascinating! I can see I will need to spend much more time with that web page and the related links and discussions. I'm also going to print a lot of it for continued and careful reference for me and DH.

Reading her summary made me remember something I'd forgotten. We rarely take Ruby to public events with lots of dogs in close proximity, but have tried a few events held by our local shelter where we know lots of people and it's fairly controlled. This summer we went to Yappy Hour, and Ruby was fine with all the people, and we kept reasonable distance when moving by dogs in the crowd. At one point we walked by a woman with a large shepherd or husky mix. The woman was turned towards a companion, and the dog was a few feet from her (leashed). As we walked by, Ruby muzzle punched the dog on the side! Luckily he didn't do anything and we moved quickly by. It happened so fast that I didn't see what body language either dog was showing in the seconds before it happened.

Also, the article mentioned teeth clacking. Ruby does this, too. Not chattering ---a definite clack, like the thing they start a movie scene with. Most of the time she does it when standing at the door to tell us she needs to go out to potty, but she occasionally does it to get someone's attention, like my neighbor when he's weeding on the other side of the fence. It can be disarming to see it since her teeth show.

Anyway, thanks for this great link! What a treasure trove of good info!

JackieG

Posted : 12/26/2013 9:01:02 PM

I love her blog. :) I've never had a dog who clacks their teeth. Twister did the teeth chattering when he was excited/frustrated. The clacking would be disconcerting if it was in a different context, like in your face, with a hard stare as McConnell said happened to her once.