Is it normal for puppies to bite eachother?

Question

I was at a pet store the other day and there were two puppies in an enclosure. While one puppy was laying on its side, the other went up to it and started biting at its side. They kept trying to bite eachother. Is this normal behavior?

Answer 1

Yes, this is called "baby wolf" playing and it is how they decide who is the pack leader.  It also gives them alot of lessons on socialization within the pack.  If one of the puppies bites too hard, the other will yelp and that teaches them not to bite so hard the next time.  I have two dogs, a cockapoo who weighs 16 lbs and a lab/pit mix that weighs 45 lbs who are both 6.5 mths old.  They "baby wolf" play all day long!!  They are both very dominant personalities and neither one will give up their alpha status.  Since they are both males, I will have to watch them duke it out daily until one decides that the other is in charge.  You should see them though.  They are really funny...especially when the cockapoo gets fed up and starts "yelling" at the lab! LOL

Answer 2

Normal puppy behavior.  The quest for dominance.

Answer 3

I have 4 dogs and 2 came from the same litter, they are always biting at each others. 3 of them have long ears (cocker spaniel) and they are  always grabbing each others ears and trying to run off with them. if they are being hurt they will snap at the other dog, chances are they are just being typical puppies...

Answer 4

Yes, it is completely normal.  It's a lot like two kids when they just randomly smack each other around.

Answer 5

Totally. That's how they play and determine who is the dominant.  

Answer 6

Yes, it is. It's how they play.  

Answer 7

Puppies are getting new teeth, and bite & chew everything.

Older dogs play bite too.

How sad those puppies must be, in a petstore!!! They came from puppy mills.

Answer 8

yeah

thats how puppies play

my puppy bites me sometimes

but its not a hard biting

its a soft biting that doesnt hurt

Answer 9

Yeh they are just play.

Answer 10

Yep, that's normal puppy-behavior.

It's play ... but it's also how a pup learns.  Anytime 2 or more dogs of any age are put together, they will immediately begin to establish a "pack order" ... one dog will be dominant, the others less so.  These are important lessons for a puppy to learn.  

A pup lying on its side is exhibiting submissive behavior.  The pup initiating the biting was the more dominant of the two puppies.

Ideally, a litter of pups is kept together until at least 8 weeks of age, or longer.  A puppy learns valuable lessons about pack order during that time, both from its mother, and from its littermates.

A side note ... PLEASE don't ever buy a puppy from a pet store.