Nibbling and Bite Inhibition

We talk a lot about Lilly’s stunted or inadequate social skills, likely stemming from poor socialization as a pup (before we adopted her) and from her genetic predisposition for fear. This video, however, shows Lilly deferring well to Ginko’s play advances. I love when he nibbles on her because he is so gentle and shows such deliberate bite inhibition. Lilly nibbles on me this same way. It’s super sweet.

You’ll see both dogs use many calming signals and play transitions, including:

• Lip  licking
• Snorting
• Shaking off the energy
• Paw lifts
• Lower body posture

In this instance, they are keeping themselves occupied on a cold, snow Sunday.