My dog and puppy play fight constantly. Will it stop or get worse?

Hello, rough play is ok as long as they are not showing teeth or biting each other. It is also ok, as long as both of them want to play and not one picking on the other. If you think they are showing some aggression or if it is getting too rough, you can separate them for some time. Also ensure they have enough toys, especially chew toys so that they can redirect their rough play to those chew toys in particular. Hope this helps.

It's true that play between two dogs can sometimes get out of hand and become a more serious fight. It can be hard for many owners to distinguish this from rough play, so feel free to request a one-on-one consultation if you wish - you can take a video of the behavior for me to look at, so that I can give you a better idea of whether this is normal play or something more serious. In the meantime, I would recommend distracting the dogs from their play session and redirecting them to something else if you are concerned that things are getting too intense. You can do this by shaking a treat bag, and asking both dogs to sit for a treat when they come to you. This helps to bring their arousal level down a bit, so that they are calmer when they go back to playing.

This sounds like puppy play to me. When they bite, is there any blood or wounds visible after play? If so, it may be best the separate them. If not, let them work it out! I would be more concerned if the biting was occurring on the hind or along the legs. I would also be concerned if there were other signs of aggression, such as during feeding time or potty time. If you are uncomfortable with the puppies play biting each other, try to throw some puppy toys in the mix, maybe even some that have treats inside to distract them.

If they are playing to the point of causing cuts and scratches, and you feel it is too rough, I'd definitely instill some "time out" time where both dogs can relax, rest, and maybe focus on a chew toy or quiet activity. Once they are calm, you can let them resume play. Normal play can be a little rough, and if the dogs are enjoying it, it's fine. You may also want to trim back their nails or file down the nails to make them softer to help avoid scratches while playing.

It can take dogs awhile to get used to each other, and the best thing to do is to make sure hat they each have their own space to retreat to if they don’t feel like interacting. If either one is starting to act aggressive you should separate them. They should have separate water bowls and eat food separately for awhile as well. Even though there haven’t been any injuries yet it would be safest to keep them separate while unsupervised until they are getting along. That being said it can be very normal for dogs to growl during play and sometimes vigorous play can seem similar to fighting. If you’re not sure it might be helpful to talk to a trainer or behaviorist - your vet can make a recommendation.

A certain amount of rough play is normal in puppies. If they get too rough, simply separate them until they calm down. Praise and reward them when they behave. Correct any negative behavior immediately. A pheromone product, such as the Adaptil collar or DAP plug in diffuser, may also help to calm them down some.

This is how puppies learn bite inhibition and this is important for the rest of their lives. I don't recommend to step in unless you notice one puppy getting too worked up. If that happens, but separate the puppy for 30 minutes to calm down. I hope this helps.