Nugget and Molly have gotten to know each other better, and have been having some epic play fights! Play fighting is important for a dog’s social development – it helps them learn boundaries and trust. There’s no better teacher than another well-socialized dog!
Play fighting is probably the best way for your puppy learn bite inhibition. That’s the ability to control the force of a bite, which is very important for dogs to learn. When puppies play with each other, they often bite each other’s ears, tails, and paws. If one puppy bites too hard, the other puppy will yelp or squeal, which signals that the bite was painful and unacceptable. The biting puppy will then learn to soften his bite or stop biting altogether. This is how puppies learn to communicate and respect each other’s boundaries. If you don’t have other dogs, check online for local puppy play groups. There are other people in your area who need to socialize their fur-babies and a puppy playgroup is a guaranteed good time!!!
Your pup’s humans also need to participate in bite inhibition training. For instance, I “yelp” when Nugget bites me, and disengage play if he doesn’t stop. It’s important to be consistent! He’s quickly learning that biting my hands means an end to the fun time we were having. His teeth do not belong on my skin, period. Make sure friends and family are on board with this training – one person allowing hard biting is confusing to your puppy and can interfere with training. You want to make sure the signals your puppy receives are consistent – he is not allowed to bite anyone. If you have a friend who thinks it’s funny to get your puppy excitedly biting at hands and still won’t stop after you explain why it’s important, do not let them play with your puppy. Now is the time to instill lifelong good behaviors – don’t let a silly friend jeopardize that!