Dog Community

Why does Bubblegum do this?

dyan

Posted : 11/14/2006 4:23:31 PM

Okay all of you knowing dog fans out there.   I have two puzzles for you!
1. Bubby jumped into bed with me this morning after DH got up...you know,, just for a little cuddling. When she jumps into bed she usually rubs her head into be really hard,,,for a little while actually..maybe at least a couple of minutes.. and she DID do that today....and then she buried her head into my neck...for a while...something she does a lot..and then BIT MY SHOULDER! Yes! Now I know she wasn't being mean,,,it was that kind of bite where they do it with their front teeth,,,like a nibble. BUT it hurt and I have a bruise!   Everything is fine,,,just wondering what she was thinking! Any one have a clue?

Then just a bit ago...she did something else that she does a lot. I'm upstairs in my computer room..which is my sons old bedroom. She is laying on her cushion in the hallway where she spends MUCH of her days... DH walks up the steps to take a shower and she jumps up and is going nuts...running to grab a toy. Today she actually picked up her big cushion...and it is big, she can hardly pick it up...but she did try to drag it in here by me. When I told her not to...she ran to grab a toy...looked like she was trying to grab anything she could.....frantically...and brought it and layed down in the computer room watching the door. She LOVES DH...but she sure looked like she was trying to protect something,, not sure what it was.   Wonder is anyone has any ideas.

danehaven

Posted : 11/14/2006 7:40:39 PM

Dyan, You are obviously not giving that Dane enough head rubs. [sm=wink3.gif] They need to have their heads rubbed several times a day. Captain does the nibbles thing once in awhile usually when he is getting feisty. I'm not sure about the toy grabbing incident. Sounds like maybe she just gets anxious when she's not sure what is happening?

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Posted : 11/14/2006 7:59:02 PM

puzzle #1, hhmmm Rory nibbles at my ear if I let her. She only does it when I come home and she hasnt seen me for a while like if I went out of town and left ehr at my moms. She wants to be real close to me and will try and sit her fat butt on my lap. Maybe your baby was extra cold this morning and was happy to be in bed cuddling with mama!
Puzzle #2
Sounds to me like the zoomies.
Zoomies-unexplainable charge of energy that results in acting extremely goofy and leaves humans cracking up or looking at you in awe!
Havnt you notcied dogs act strange when there is a weather change or storm on the way? Could be that too!

Xerxes

Posted : 11/14/2006 8:47:51 PM

I'm going to approach this in a different way: I'm thinking that she thought you smelled good and she wanted your scent on her in the worst way. Then she got a bit preturbed or excited and mouthed you because she wanted to get you involved a bit more.

Problem #2, I have no idea. Just sounded like she was having a moment of confusion.

dyan

Posted : 11/14/2006 9:20:30 PM

HHHmmmm,,,very interesting answers. I do think the first (as sheprano says..lol) puzzle no. 1....she was a little fiesty,,,as Danehaven said. Yeah,,,probably a little excited and happy and didn't handle it the way I would...lol!
The second thing though,,,,,,,,,,,,,I have to say she does this kind of thing every time he walks up those steps (but today she did it more)...not sure if she would do it if I wasn't there...as if it had anything to do with me...or what. He used to spend much of his time upstairs watching tv but since his back has gotten so bad he doesn't walk the steps that much...so she is not used to him coming up there.

DPU

Posted : 11/14/2006 9:39:36 PM

Dyan, is Bubblegum pushing her head on you hard or is she rubbing her eyes and then tasting the goo? For your second issue I thinks she is telling you its play time.

jjsmom06

Posted : 11/14/2006 10:21:25 PM

Zoomies-unexplainable charge of energy that results in acting extremely goofy and leaves humans cracking up or looking at you in awe!

LOVE IT!!! Great name for that! Mine do zoomies constantly...drives their mama nuts![

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jjsmom06

Posted : 11/14/2006 10:27:54 PM

Dyan...Pru has tried to "nibble on my neck before" and I have always taken it as affection and even play. (although i think having a dane do that to me would be a tad more frightening...[sm=eek.gif]

In the morning or when I first get home she loves to get as close to me as she can and she tries to put her head down my shirt (like Ed said...probably wants my smell on her muzzle). Anyway, then she willl sometimes rub her muzzle on my neck and also sometimes try to nibble a bit on my neck or shoulder and then she gets all playful and goes nutty on me. SO with Bubby, I am gonna go with play and affection as the answer for her biting! [

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TexasDaisy

Posted : 11/15/2006 12:14:05 AM

Our Dane used to do the nibbly thing when she was younger (she's now almost 9--practically a granny for the breed). It was always when she got really excited and started being silly. We figured she just so interested in playing that she forgot her manners. That is a really interesting question though...

corvus

Posted : 11/15/2006 12:42:49 AM

Penny has never nibbled me, but I've seen her nibble small, baby animals. Kittens and baby bunnies. She has just about zero prey drive, but seems to get quite excited about baby animals. She noses them and nuzzles into the back of their necks, then she gives them a little nibble there. It doesn't seem like it hurts them, but they are very small and she tries to be gentle with tiny animals. I've always thought of it as being an exploratory thing with Penny, like she increases the pressure until the animal tries to get away. I figured she was either learning how much pressure she could use on the babies, or trying to work out if it was actually alive or a toy, or maybe just expressing motherly instincts, seeing as she was always most fixated with the scruff of the neck when nibbling.

I'd say the second puzzle was zoomies, too. [

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dyan

Posted : 11/15/2006 7:12:28 AM

DPU,,, good question and I have thought of that,,wonder if she is rubbing her eye...but she does put her head into me for affection. She is also a dog that buries her head into you if she got in trouble for something,,,kind of "to make up!" She will bury her head under your arm pit or into your stomach or such. She LOVES to be hugged..and when you stop she keep pushing her head into you...so I'm thinking that is what she is doing...EXCEPT for the nibble. LOL!

Lynn

Posted : 11/15/2006 9:09:36 AM

Dyan,

Just about everytime I come home, one dog will get the "Zoomies", he always grabs the first toy he can and starts running to me with it, then away, and back. He just must have a toy in his mouth when first greeting me. I think it's just sooo much happiness that I'm there, that somehow a toy is needed to take part in the festivities. Since your husband doesn't go up the steps as much, maybe he is extra excited to see him there. After all, your are now both on the same level of the house, so he get's both of you in his area at the same time! I think it's just a super happiness thing.

No clue about the nibbling ----hhmmmm, you didn't happen to have a flea on you, did you? [

] hehe.

DPU

Posted : 11/15/2006 9:29:03 AM

Original Dyan:
DPU,,, good question and I have thought of that,,wonder if she is rubbing her eye...but she does put her head into me for affection. She is also a dog that buries her head into you if she got in trouble for something,,,kind of "to make up!" She will bury her head under your arm pit or into your stomach or such. She LOVES to be hugged..and when you stop she keep pushing her head into you...so I'm thinking that is what she is doing...EXCEPT for the nibble. LOL!

The behavior of Bubblegum is exactly like my Blizzard. More times it is for eye rubbing than for self head pats, cuddle, and comfort. At dog showings (Blizzard is the organization mascot) she does bury her head in my lap or under my arm just to get away from the public. Outside she uses the boxwoods to tickle and scratch her face. Either one it HURTS from that big boney head. This is why I taught her the "go about your business" command, taught in such a way as to not hurt her feelings.

For the nibbling, could Bubblegum have found a hair that wasn't there the last time she checked. I had a foster who nibble my ears for the peach fuzz and also yank out the hair on my legs. Very irratating.

Does Bubblegum position herself in your lap? When I am sitting in my lounge chair, Blizzard goes into my lap by carefully balancing herslef between the two arms of the chair. She gently then rest her chest on my lap, proceeds to do the head pushing into me and then I rub her eyes or pet her below the ear. This is why I love Great Danes so much because they are so considerate of their size and weight and I swear Danes have radar in their paws.

kpwlee

Posted : 11/15/2006 10:42:19 AM

#1) Bugsy does the nit nibble as I call it - he does this real fast nibbling that doesn't hurt or damage fabric (when he chews fabric has a hole nearly instantly yet when he does htis there is NO damage) Reminds me of monkeys eating the bugs off each other - thus the nit nibble moniker

#2) Bugs will not greet anyone empty handed errr empty mouthed. Potentially she had forgotten dh was home and wanted to greet him - with a gift
we get a kick out of Bugs with this one because he will stop in his tracks if he realizes that he has gone to greet without something and run around to find something. Anxiety elevating as he realizes time is of the essence. Very cute

Embarrassingly he buries is head in my lap for his head rubs
Lastly that definition of zoomies is awesome!

brookcove

Posted : 11/15/2006 2:00:04 PM

We call it knibbling (pronounced "kinibbling"). Doug the Dog does it, as did my dear departed Bubo dog. Most BCs are way too dignified for that stuff.

On the other hand, the zoomies are a lifelong blessing or curse associated with the breed. Usually happens either early morning or just before bedtime.

I love to watch how the dogs themselves express affection. It's so different from us. My two guard dogs (Maremmas, the size and general shape of Great Pyrs) adore each other and will chase each other, love on each other, and lay together snuggling for hours. But they don't do stuff we do - most of their touching is side to side - pushing away rather than dragging around (that's what a hug is - dragging the other person closer). They rub on each other but don't mess with each other's hair, though my old female will groom my young male. The male will mount the female (spayed) in play and then run away when she grumps at him (I swear he's hee-hawing at the joke) - and then it will turn into a huge chase game all over the pasture.