{"id":9282,"date":"2020-06-23T10:04:07","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T15:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/?p=9282"},"modified":"2023-12-01T16:48:36","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T22:48:36","slug":"dogs-play-fighting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/blog\/behavior\/psychology\/dogs-play-fighting\/","title":{"rendered":"Are My Dogs Play Fighting? Or Really Fighting?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Telling the difference between proper dog play and play that crosses the line into trouble isn\u2019t always easy. Chasing, growling, tackling and biting can be part of normal fun between dogs \u2014 or part of conflict. Animal behavior researchers refer to social dog play as \u201cplay fighting\u201d for good reason. Dog play includes many of the same behaviors seen during real fights.<\/p>\n

Dogs have ways of communicating with each other that tells their playmates when they\u2019re having fun and when they\u2019re serious. But unless you\u2019re into dog behavior, you may miss these subtle cues. What looks like a deadly fight could, in reality, be two pups having great fun.<\/p>\n

Knowing what appropriate dog social play looks like is important to figuring out when play is escalating and getting closer to a fight. And it lets you know when to step in before someone gets hurt.<\/p>\n

What does appropriate dog play look like?<\/h2>\n

Loose, relaxed and bouncy bodies could be dogs play fighting<\/em><\/h3>\n

Dogs at play are relaxed and floppy in their movements. Their movements are also big and exaggerated during play. Playing dogs will happily fall down and make themselves vulnerable to their playmates. You know dogs are comfortable when they don\u2019t worry about exposing their bellies.<\/p>\n

According to Cathy Madson, a certified dog trainer<\/a>, dogs produce exaggerated vocalizations during play, too. Play growling and snarling is extra loud, prolonged and often punctuated by medium to high-pitched barks.<\/p>\n

In contrast, if your dog is making quick, efficient movements without bouncing around, he or she may be taking playtime too seriously. Pinned ears, a closed mouth or a curled lip are also warning signs that a dog may be on the verge of aggression.<\/p>\n

Play bows are an invitation to play fight<\/em><\/h3>\n

Similar to the downward dog pose in yoga, a play bow occurs when a dog \u201cbows\u201d \u2014 front legs on the floor and their butts in the air \u2014 to another dog. This signal invites another dog to play. Or a dog may use it during play as a way to say, \u201cI\u2019m still playing; you\u2019re still playing, right?\u201d Play bows also allow both dogs to catch their breath.<\/p>\n

Happy playmates switch roles <\/em>when dogs play fight<\/em><\/h3>\n

During appropriate dog play, playmates switch roles throughout play. For example, one dog might be chased first, only to turn around to become the pursuer.<\/p>\n

Plenty of pauses pressed <\/em>when dogs are play fighting<\/em><\/h3>\n

Social play includes brief pauses that help prevent play from escalating into a danger zone. Taking pauses during wrestling and chases help dogs manage their own energy levels, and may occur so quickly that you might miss them. Pauses can also be longer if the dogs feel play is becoming too rough.<\/p>\n

Bite inhibition necessary for a good time<\/em><\/h3>\n

Dogs use their mouths and teeth a lot during play. So a dog\u2019s ability to inhibit bites or keep their mouthing behavior from hurting the other dog is necessary for everyone to have fun. Bite inhibition is something dogs learn from their littermates, parents, unrelated dogs and even us.<\/p>\n

If a dog bites too hard during play, the other dog typically communicates by yelping and stopping play. If a dog doesn\u2019t comply with their playmate\u2019s correction, a fight may break out. Needless to say, we need to supervise our dogs during playtime to make sure dogs are listening to each other.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why do dogs play fight?<\/h2>\n

The simple answer? It’s fun for dogs to play fight; it’s\u205fa natural extension of their nature.<\/p>\n

Every dog has a different play style, so you\u2019ll need to learn what\u2019s \u201cnormal\u201d for your dogs. Knowing what\u2019s normal play lets you recognize when your dog is getting overly excited or becoming aggressive and stop playtime before things get out of control. Now when you ask, “Are my dogs play fighting?” you’ll know the answer!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Telling the difference between proper dog play and play that crosses the line into trouble isn\u2019t always easy. Chasing, growling, tackling and biting can be part of normal fun between dogs \u2014 or part of conflict. Animal behavior researchers refer to social dog play as \u201cplay fighting\u201d for good reason. Dog play includes many of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":9287,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Understanding Dog Behavior: Play Fighting vs. Real Fighting","_seopress_titles_desc":"Discover how to distinguish between playful & aggressive dog behaviors. Learn more about dog play cues, bite inhibition & play bows to ensure safe playtime.","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[201,283],"tags":[134,365,414,415,54,416],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9282"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9282"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23328,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9282\/revisions\/23328"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}