30/07/2026
“They are fighting!”
This is one of the most common things we hear from puppy owners.
In reality, healthy puppy play often includes:
🐶 Wrestling
🐶 Bouncing
🐶 Chasing
🐶 Play biting (nipping)
🐶 Taking turns being the “winner”
To us, it may look rough. To puppies, it is an important part of learning social skills, bite inhibition, communication and self-control.
The key is learning to recognise the difference between healthy play and a real fight.
Healthy play should have:
✔️ Loose, bouncy body language
✔️ Role reversals (both puppies take turns chasing and being chased)
✔️ Brief pauses before play resumes
✔️ Both puppies choosing to continue interacting
As owners, our role is not to stop every wrestling match, but to supervise, ensure both puppies are comfortable, and step in only when play becomes too intense or one puppy is no longer enjoying it.
Play is not just fun—it is how puppies learn to become socially appropriate adult dogs.