Nibbling on the new puppy?

[zanna.russell]

I have a new PWC puppy who's 12 weeks old. She is exuberant and fearless, as a proper Corgi should be, and she and Captain the Doberman are really into one another. I monitor their play sessions so everyone has a good time and stays safe. So I think all is going well...

My question is about nibbling. Captain nibbles her every chance he gets - all over her body and she just lays there for it. It is my understanding that it is an affectionate type of behavior, is that correct? Captain does it to his friend at the dog park, Foxy (a Wirehaired Fox Terrier) and when I was a kid, our collie, Cinnamon, did it to me. It never hurt, never broke the skin, and I have always wondered what it meant. The nibbling is done with the front teeth and a closed mouth - it looks very much like what a dog does when he has an itch to scratch on his rump (odd visual, but that's what it looks like).

Now that Captain is nibbling on the puppy, I am curious once again. Any ideas?

Many thanks,
Z~

It is a grooming behavior.

[zanna.russell]

No great mystery, just grooming, huh? He's a pretty obessive groomer then.