Causes
You
Every time your dog comes to you, putting a paw on your knee while nudging your hand for a pat, you feel flattered. After all, she just wants some love or reassurance, right?
Wrong! When you pet a dog who has nudged you, you are not saying "I love you" to your puppy, you are actually saying "I obey you." The dog gave you a clear command - "Owner, Pet me Now!" and you complied. Ten points for the dog, zero for you.
Complying with such demanding behavior is a first step toward your dog ignoring you, or worse. Ah, I can hear it from here "But she's just being sweet." "What harm could it do?" Let's translate into human terms for the moment, to clarify. What if a child said to you "Hug me now!"... and you did. If you refused, the child whined louder, tugging on your sleeve, "Mommy, hug me - now!!". Is this cute behavior? Is the child being "loving"?
Now, imagine further that you do hug the child, on command, ten, twenty, even thirty times a day. (How many times do you pet your puppy on her command?) How might this effect your child's view of you?
Insecurity
Insecure dogs can really pull on your heartstrings. The temptation is to try to make their world better by giving them lots of attention. Nice idea but wrong. It actually makes them more insecure. Dogs need, crave, and must have clear direction to be relaxed. Instead of obeying your insecure dog's commands, have her obey yours. That will really make her feel better.
Assertiveness
Many dogs rise through the ranks in their homes with a nose nudge. Try this: Ignore the nudge. If she becomes increasingly insistent, pawing you or even barking, she probably has some kind of dominance problem.
Been trained to do this
By petting her every time she nudges you, you have actually trained her to do this. Uh-oh!
Cures
Have Her "Clean the Garage"
The next time your puppy commands you to pet her, "Down" her. Insist that she comply. Release her with an "OK" and "Down" her again. Release her and "Down" her again. Then go back to what you were doing.
Limit Your Attention
No more than ten minutes of attention per hour. When you interact with her, make it count! If the dog has you this well trained, she's plenty bright. Teach her tricks, make her think. Establish your leadership in positive ways.
Increase Her Exercise
All this change is stressful for her. Giving her a positive outlet will relax her, making the transition from queen back to dog easier for all concerned.
Common Owner Errors
Giving In
You try to be strong but by the 10th nose nudge, you weaken. This is the worst thing you can do. By giving in after 10, you have now trained her to nudge you at least 10 times.
Ignoring the Good/Rewarding the Bad
Everyone of us has done this at some point. Here's the classic scenario: Dog enters room and sits in front of you as you read the newspaper. You ignore her. She whines a bit and she nudges you. "What do you want sweetie?" You say warmly as you stroke the soft hair behind her ears. She looks at you adoringly. Lays at your feet quietly. You go back to reading the paper.
What did the dog just get attention for? If you said whining and nudging you are right. Quiet sitting and laying at your feet got her nothing. Now... reverse this scene. She comes and sits in front of you. You stroke her and tell her how good she is. She whines and nudges you, you ignore her, She tries again, you "Down" her, then praise her briefly for complying. Now you're on the road to a less confused puppy.