Play fighting is a crucial component of communication for many of our canine companions. For a concerned owner, it can be nerve-wracking to allow their beloved dog to enter into the fray of a little roughhousing with other dogs.
You need to know when things have gone too far and how to successfully intervene if necessary. Should I let my dogs play fight?
Dogs should be allowed to play fight. It teaches them communication and boundaries with other dogs. It burns off excess energy and teaches them how to engage with other dogs appropriately. Keep size and age of the dogs in mind. Always make sure they play in a safe environment and have vaccinations.
If you have been wondering whether you should allow your dogs to play fight, here is what you need to know to keep things safe.
Should I Let My Dogs Play Fight?
Should you let puppies play fight? How about older dogs? It might be a little scary for you to allow your canine companion to engage in rough play, but it can be a great way for your dog to explore their relationship with others, establish their place in the pack, and connect with their four-legged friends.
Owners who are cautious to set the right environment for playtime should feel free to allow their dogs to play fight if the situation arises. Make sure you do everything possible to keep your dog safe like ensuring that they are properly vaccinated and removing resources from the play area.
It can also be extremely helpful to identify the signs of aggression when play fighting goes a bit too far. The important thing to note here is that you should never reach into a dog fight. Instead, you need to be smart about how you intervene, break up the fight, and get your dog to a safe space to calm down.
Dogs play fighting are simply expressing their natural bent toward communicating with others. It is a way for them to have fun, blow off a little excess energy, and communicate with other dogs.
Is it OK for dogs to play rough with each other? As long as it remains friendly, play fighting should be permitted.
Read Next: 5 Reasons Car Rides are Mentally Stimulating for Dogs
Why Do Dogs Play Fight?
Owners of multiple dogs can attest to the fact that play fighting is an inherent part of the social lives of their four-legged friends. It can be scary for concerned owners who merely want to make sure that their dogs are safe and enjoying themselves. The good news is that play fighting is an essential part of growing up for your canine companions.
Play fighting is a crucial part of the social development of your pup. It teaches them to interact with other dogs in a playful way. They will take turns and learn to engage with others in ways that do not lead to a fight – in most cases, anyway.
Not to mention, your dog likely has tons of excess energy that they need to burn off. Walking them a couple times a day will only go so far for a rambunctious dog. Play fighting is a way to burn off energy while simultaneously staying in shape and sharpening their instincts.
Benefits of Play Fighting
Is it OK if dogs play fight? Play fighting is a crucial aspect of development for your dog. While it is incredibly fun for most dogs, there are more reasons for them to engage in play fighting. To start, it helps them to burn off energy in a collaborative way beyond simple solo walks around the neighborhood.
Beyond the exercise that your dog is bound to encounter from a playful romp with others, there are real benefits to dogs play fighting.
For one, it teaches them boundaries with other canines. A young puppy might not understand where or how to interact peacefully with others. Play fighting gives them an opportunity to establish themselves in the social hierarchy and learn their place.
Because it is a social event when dogs play fight, it is a great way for them to develop friendships with other dogs. Especially if you have multiple dogs in the home or frequent places where they will encounter the same dogs again and again, play fighting is a form of bonding that allows them to form fast friendships.
Read Next: Do Dogs Understand Each Other’s Barks?
How to Tell If Dogs are Playing or Fighting (Signs of Aggression)
Are my dogs playing or fighting? In some instances, you might be hard-pressed to identify the difference between play fighting and real aggression. Interpreting body language and knowing the warning signs is imperative for all dog owners.
While playful behavior will be frequently be loose and fun, it can quickly segue into more dangerous territory.
Sometimes, owners can quickly spot real fighting just by taking a quick survey of the dog’s body. Aggression is usually marked by stiff bodies and raised hackles, a closed mouth, and even sounds like a low warning growl.
Dogs will stop taking turns being the aggressor and will be more likely to continuously pursue to the point where their “opponent” is no longer having fun.
Looking at their faces is another key way to tell if your dogs are really fighting. In most cases, their ears will be pinned back. There is no more of the playful or silly behavior that you will typically find in play.
If one dog is exhibiting signs of fear such as a tucked tail or a consistent need to escape, this is a clear warning sign that the fighting is not playful and the two should be separated.
Should I Break Up My Dogs Play Fighting?
As long as your dogs are not engaging in some of the signs of aggression included above, then play fighting is a perfectly normal and acceptable form of behavior. Make sure that both dogs are having fun in the “fight” and that they are not exhibiting some of these warning signs that things might come to real aggression:
- Low growls or snarls with teeth bared (opposite of the “smile” that many dogs have while playing)
- Pinned ears
- Visually seeing the whites of the eyes (whale eye)
- Tucked tail, panting, or lip licking from one dog (usually the “loser”)
- Attempts to get away from each other or pacing
- Yawning
If one dog is consistently the aggressor and the other is starting to seem a bit more fearful or frustrated, you should end the play session before it segues into real aggression.
When some or all of these signs are present, it may be time to break up the fight. Doing so safely is key because it can be quite risky to reach your hands into a dog fight to break things up. In the next section, you will see how to safely interrupt the cycle of a fight and intervene in the right way.
How to Intervene When Fighting Goes Too Far
Should I break up my dogs play fighting? If you notice some of the signs of aggression, it is best to intervene early and quickly before things spiral out of control. You might want to reach in and physically pull your dog away from the fight, but this is a recipe for disaster.
Owners could be very seriously injured by reaching into the fray.
Instead, you should aim to distract your dogs from their fight in order to give you the necessary space to pull them apart. You should only reach into a dog fight when both dogs are adequately distracted and are no longer at each other’s throats.
Some forms of distraction could be:
- Loud noises like an air horn or banging pots and pans together
- Spraying them with a forceful hose
- Spraying them with citronella spray, lemon juice, or vinegar
- Tossing a blanket over their heads
You can also try to locate an object that physically separates the dogs without putting your own hands at risk of bite. If you have lumber around, you can try to separate them with a board of wood that they cannot easily break through. Use whatever you have handy, whether that means a dining room table chair or a laundry basket.
Once the dogs are physically separated and pause for a moment to focus on the distraction, you can pull them apart. Physically separate them until both calm down and do not allow them to resume play fighting.
Age and Size Considerations
Play fighting is a natural behavior that many dogs will engage in, but you need to make sure that they are doing so the right way. Try to keep dogs evenly matched in terms of size and age to keep the play fighting fair and prevent it from escalating into real aggression.
For example, puppies may play differently than an adult dog. Puppies may have a hard time understanding boundaries and limits when playing with an older dog who has had enough.
Instead, they tend to be extremely resistant to stopping when the game is no longer fun for both parties, provoking an older dog to anger and aggression.
You also need to consider the size of your dogs. Allowing a German Shepherd to play fight with your Chihuahua could be a recipe for disaster as the larger dog can unintentionally cause harm to the smaller dog, even if it does not mean to be overly aggressive.
Safety Precautions
Keeping your dog safe should be priority number one when it comes to playtime, even when they want to play fight. Always supervise a playdate to make sure that things remain friendly and that neither party is exhibiting signs of aggression. At the earliest warning sign, separate them and give them a breather until things calm down.
An ounce of prevention is the most important thing you can give to your canine companion.
Of course, you may not always be able to predict when your dog will become aggressive or be the target of another dog’s aggression. Make sure that your dog and any dogs whom they play with are all appropriately vaccinated.
You should also remove any dangerous items from the play area. For example, many dogs will be overly protective of resources like food or toys. Dogs who are prone to resource guarding like this should be kept away from these items while other dogs are around.
Should I Let My Puppy Play Fight with My Older Dog?
An older dog can teach a puppy a great deal about the proper way to play and engage with the world around them. Puppies often do not understand boundaries and will play relentlessly, even after the point where their partner is having fun. It can be frustrating for an older dog and it may lead to them putting a puppy in their place.
If you notice that an older dog is becoming frustrated or bored with the playtime, it is time to pull them apart for a breather.
Final Thoughts
Play fighting is a great way for your canine to engage with the other dogs around them, and it teaches them a thing or two about appropriate interactions.
Owners should always be prepared to intervene if and when necessary, but allow your dog to have some freedom to engage in playful fighting whenever possible. As long as you keep safety in mind, this is a great way for dogs to burn off a little extra energy!
