Dogs Bite Each Other: Best Causes, Prevention, and Solutions

Introduction:

Dogs bite each other for a variety of reasons, ranging from playful interactions to serious aggression. Understanding why dogs bite each other is crucial for ensuring the safety and well-being of our canine companions. This comprehensive guide will explore the causes, types, and prevention strategies related to dogs biting each other.

Dog owners often encounter moments of confusion and concern when their dogs bite each other. It can be alarming to see beloved pets engage in aggressive behavior, especially if they usually get along. However, dog biting between pets isn’t always a sign of aggression or danger. It can be a natural part of communication, play, or even dominance. By understanding the reasons behind dog bites and knowing how to prevent and manage this behavior, you can help ensure a safe and harmonious environment for your pets.

Why Dogs Bite Each Other

Playful Biting

One of the most common reasons dogs bite each other is during play. Puppies often engage in play-biting as a way to learn social skills and establish boundaries. While this behavior is generally harmless, it’s important to teach puppies that biting is not acceptable, especially as they grow older.

Resource Guarding

Resource guarding is another common reason dogs bite each other. This behavior occurs when a dog perceives a threat to its valued resources, such as food, toys, or territory. Resource guarding can lead to aggressive biting if not addressed properly.

Fear and Anxiety

Fear and anxiety can also cause dogs to bite each other. Dogs may feel threatened or scared in certain situations, leading them to bite as a defense mechanism. Understanding and addressing the root causes of fear and anxiety is essential for preventing aggressive behavior.

Dominance and Hierarchy

In some cases, dogs bite each other to establish dominance and hierarchy within a pack. This behavior is more common in multi-dog households and can be managed through proper socialization and training.

Types of Aggressive Biting

Territorial Aggression

Territorial aggression occurs when a dog feels the need to protect its territory from perceived threats. This type of aggression can lead to dogs biting each other if they feel their space is being invaded.

Predatory Aggression

Predatory aggression is a natural instinct in dogs, stemming from their ancestral hunting behaviors. While this type of aggression is less common among domesticated dogs, it can still occur and lead to dogs biting each other.

Redirected Aggression

Redirected aggression happens when a dog is unable to reach the target of its aggression and redirects it towards another dog. This can result in dogs biting each other in situations where they feel frustrated or threatened.

Preventing Dogs Biting Each Other

Socialization

Proper socialization is key to preventing dogs from biting each other. Exposing puppies to a variety of environments, people, and other animals helps them develop social skills and reduces the likelihood of aggressive behavior.

Training and Obedience

Training and obedience classes can teach dogs important commands and behaviors that help prevent dogs from biting each other. Positive reinforcement training methods are particularly effective in promoting good behavior.

Managing Resources

Managing resources such as food, toys, and space can help prevent resource guarding and reduce the likelihood of dogs biting each other. Providing separate feeding areas and teaching dogs to share toys can be beneficial.

Addressing Fear and Anxiety

Addressing the root causes of fear and anxiety is crucial for preventing dogs from biting each other. This may involve desensitization training, behavior modification techniques, or consulting with a professional dog trainer or behaviorist.

What to Do If Dogs Bite Each Other

Immediate Action

If dogs bite each other, it’s important to intervene immediately to prevent further injury. Separate the dogs and assess any injuries. If necessary, seek veterinary care for any wounds.

Professional Help

In cases of severe or recurring aggression, it may be necessary to seek professional help. A certified dog trainer or behaviorist can provide specialized guidance and strategies for managing and preventing dogs from biting each other.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation programs can help dogs overcome aggressive behaviors. These programs often involve a combination of training, behavior modification, and environmental management to address the root causes of aggression.

Signs of Trouble: When to Intervene

Not all dog bites require intervention, but knowing when to step in is essential for the safety of your pets. Here are signs that your dogs’ interactions may be heading towards trouble:

Escalating Intensity
- If the biting becomes more intense or frequent, it’s a sign that the play may be escalating into aggression. Watch out for growling, stiff body language, or any signs of stress in the dogs involved.
Injuries
- Any time dogs bite each other to the point of causing injuries, you need to intervene. Even small puncture wounds can become infected and lead to bigger health problems if left untreated.
Persistent Aggression
- If one dog is consistently aggressive toward another, it’s time to address the issue. Persistent aggression could indicate deeper problems in the relationship between the dogs and may require professional training or behavior modification.
Body Language Cues
- Learn to read your dogs’ body language to know when they’re feeling uncomfortable or threatened. Flattened ears, raised hackles, and stiff posture are all signs that a dog is on edge and may bite soon. If you notice these cues, separate the dogs before the situation escalates.

How to Prevent Dogs from Biting Each Other

Prevention is key when it comes to avoiding dog bites. By being proactive and implementing the following strategies, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of your dogs biting each other:

Socialization
- Proper socialization from an early age is one of the best ways to prevent aggressive behaviors, including biting. Dogs that are well-socialized tend to be more confident and less likely to bite out of fear or uncertainty. Expose your dogs to various situations, environments, and other dogs to help them become comfortable and well-adjusted.
Supervised Play
- Always supervise playtime between your dogs, especially if they tend to get rough. By keeping an eye on their interactions, you can step in if things start to escalate. Supervised play ensures that minor squabbles don’t turn into full-blown fights.
Positive Reinforcement Training
- Use positive reinforcement training to teach your dogs appropriate behavior. Reward them for calm, controlled behavior and for playing nicely with each other. Consistently reinforcing good behavior helps set clear boundaries for what is acceptable during interactions.
Establish Boundaries
- Teach your dogs boundaries to prevent overstimulation or frustration. This can be done by using commands like “leave it” or “stop” when play gets too rough. Ensuring each dog has its own space to retreat to when needed can also help maintain peace in multi-dog households.
Avoid Triggers
- If you know certain situations trigger aggressive behavior in your dogs, try to avoid them. For instance, some dogs may become aggressive over toys, food, or specific spaces. In these cases, it’s important to remove the trigger to prevent dog bites.
Spay or Neuter
- Spaying or neutering your dogs can reduce aggression related to dominance or mating instincts. Dogs that have been fixed are generally more calm and less likely to engage in dominance-related biting.

What to Do if Dogs Bite Each Other

If your dogs have bitten each other, the first step is to separate them to avoid further conflict. Follow these steps to ensure their safety and resolve the issue:

Stay Calm
- It’s important to remain calm during a dog fight. Yelling or panicking will only escalate the situation. Instead, use a firm, calm voice to call your dogs apart. You may need to physically separate them if they don’t respond to commands.
Check for Injuries
- After separating the dogs, check for any injuries. Even if there are no visible wounds, keep an eye on both dogs for signs of pain or distress in the following hours or days. If injuries are severe, seek veterinary assistance immediately.
Assess the Situation
- Try to identify what caused the biting to prevent future incidents. Was there a specific trigger? Was one dog feeling threatened? Understanding the cause will help you address the issue and prevent it from happening again.
Reintroduce the Dogs Slowly
- After a fight, give your dogs some time apart to calm down. When reintroducing them, do so gradually and under supervision. Watch their body language closely and separate them again if you notice any signs of aggression.

When to Seek Professional Help

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, dog biting persists, and you may need to consult a professional. A professional dog trainer or animal behaviorist can help you address underlying issues that contribute to biting. Seek professional help if:

The biting behavior is frequent and severe.
One dog is consistently aggressive toward the other.
You’re unable to identify the cause of the biting.
Your attempts to prevent the biting have been unsuccessful.

How to Minimize Your Dog’s Mouthing and Nipping

Dogs spend a great deal of time playing, chewing and investigating objects. They also enjoy playing with people, of course. Puppies chew on our fingers and toes, and they investigate people’s bodies with their mouths and teeth. This kind of behavior may seem cute when your dog is seven weeks old, but it’s not so endearing when he’s two or three years old—and much bigger!

It’s important to help your dog learn to curb his mouthy behavior. There are various ways to teach this lesson, some better than others. The ultimate goal is to train your dog to stop mouthing and biting people altogether. However, the first and most important objective is to teach him that people have very sensitive skin, so he must be very gentle when using his mouth during play.

Bite Inhibition: Teach Your Dog to Be Gentle

Bite inhibition refers to a dog’s ability to control the force of his mouthing. A puppy or dog who hasn’t learned bite inhibition with people doesn’t recognize the sensitivity of human skin, so he bites too hard, even in play. Some behaviorists and trainers believe that a dog who has learned to use his mouth gently when interacting with people will be less likely to bite hard and break skin if he ever bites someone in a situation apart from play—like when he’s afraid or in pain.

Young dogs usually learn bite inhibition during play with other dogs. If you watch a group of dogs playing, you’ll see plenty of chasing, pouncing and wrestling. Dogs also bite each other all over. Every now and then, a dog will bite his playmate too hard. The victim of the painful bite yelps and usually stops playing. The offender is often taken aback by the yelp and also stops playing for a moment.

However, pretty soon both playmates are back in the game. Through this kind of interaction, dogs learn to control the intensity of their bites so that no one gets hurt and the play can continue without interruption. If dogs can learn from each other how to be gentle, they can learn the same lesson from people.

When you play with your dog, let him mouth on your hands. Continue play until he bites especially hard. When he does, immediately give a high-pitched yelp, as if you’re hurt, and let your hand go limp. This should startle your dog and cause him to stop mouthing you, at least momentarily. (If yelping seems to have no effect, you can say “Too bad!” or “You blew it!” in a stern voice instead.) Praise your dog for stopping or for licking you. Then resume play. If your dog bites you hard again, yelp again. Repeat these steps no more than three times within a 15-minute period.

If you find that yelping alone doesn’t work, you can switch to a time-out procedure. Time-outs are often effective for curbing mouthy behavior in adolescent and adult dogs. When your dog delivers a hard bite, yelp loudly. Then, when he startles and turns to look at you or looks around, remove your hand. Either ignore him for 10 to 20 seconds or, if he starts mouthing on you again, get up and move away for 10 to 20 seconds. If necessary, leave the room. After the short time-out, return to your dog and encourage him to play with you again. It’s important to teach him that gentle play continues, but painful play stops.

Play with your dog until he bites hard again. When he does, repeat the sequence above. When your dog isn’t delivering really hard bites anymore, you can tighten up your rules a little. Require your dog to be even gentler. Yelp and stop play in response to moderately hard bites. Persist with this process of yelping and then ignoring your dog or giving him a time-out for his hardest bites. As those disappear, do the same for his next-hardest bites, and so on, until your dog can play with your hands very gently, controlling the force of his mouthing so that you feel little or no pressure at all.

What to Do Next: Teach Your Dog That Teeth Don’t Belong on Human Skin

After you teach your dog to be gentle with his mouth, you can move on to the next step: teaching him to avoid mouthing people altogether. Try the following tips:

Substitute a toy or chew bone when your dog tries to gnaw on fingers or toes.
Dogs often mouth on people’s hands when stroked, patted and scratched. If your dog gets all riled up when you pet him, distract him by feeding him small treats from your other hand. This will help your dog get used to being touched without mouthing.
Encourage noncontact forms of play, such as fetch and tug-of-war, rather than wrestling and rough play with your hands. Teaching your dog to play tug-of-war prepares him for dealing with arousal and frustration. To keep tug-of-war safe and fun for you and your dog, you’ll need to follow strict rules. Once your dog can play tug safely, keep tug toys in your pocket or in a place where you can easily access them. If he starts to mouth you, you can immediately redirect him to the tug toy. Ideally, he’ll start to anticipate and look for a toy when he feels like mouthing.
Teach your dog impulse control with specific exercises such as sit, wait and leave it.
If your dog bites at your feet and ankles, carry his favorite tug toy in your pocket. Whenever he ambushes you, instantly stop moving your feet. Take out the tug toy and wave it enticingly. When your dog grabs the toy, start moving again. If you don’t happen to have the toy available, just freeze and wait for your dog to stop mouthing you. The second he stops, praise and get a toy to reward him. Repeat these steps until your dog gets used to watching you move around without going after your feet.
Provide plenty of interesting and new toys and things to chew so that your dog will play with them instead of gnawing on you or your clothing.
Provide plenty of opportunities for your dog to play with other friendly, vaccinated dogs. He can expend a lot of his energy playing with them and have less need to play roughly with you.
Use a time-out procedure, just like the one described above, but change the rules a little. Instead of giving your dog time-outs for hard biting, start to give him time-outs every time you feel his teeth touch your skin.
- The instant you feel your dog’s teeth touch you, give a high-pitched yelp. Then immediately walk away from him. Ignore him for 30 to 60 seconds. If your dog follows you or continues to bite and nip at you, leave the room for 30 to 60 seconds. (Be sure that the room is “dog-proofed” before you leave your dog alone in it. Don’t leave him in an area with things he might destroy or things that might hurt him.) After the brief time-out, return to the room and calmly resume whatever you were doing with your dog.
- Alternatively, you can keep a leash attached to your dog when you’re around to supervise him. Let the leash drag on the floor. Instead of leaving the room when your dog mouths you, you can immediately take hold of his leash and calmly lead him to a quiet area. When you get there, tether him to a heavy piece of furniture or put him behind a baby gate to confine him. Then leave the area or turn your back to your dog for the brief time-out. When the time-out is over, untie him or release him, and resume whatever you were doing.
If a time-out isn’t viable or effective, consider using a taste deterrent. Spray the deterrent on areas of your body and clothing that your dog likes to mouth before you start interacting with him. If he mouths you or your clothing, stop moving and wait for him to react to the bad taste of the deterrent. Praise him lavishly when he lets go of you. Apply the deterrent to your body and clothes for at least two weeks. After two weeks of being punished by the bitter taste every time he mouths you, your dog will likely learn to inhibit his mouthy behavior.
If your dog shows no reaction when you yelp, does not stop mouthing when you use time-out and isn’t deterred by bad tastes, another possibility is to make it unpleasant for him when he mouths. The following technique should only be used as a last resort—only if nothing else has worked. Carry a small can of peppermint or spearmint breath spray in your pocket so that it’s always handy. The instant your dog starts to mouth you, yell “Ouch!” and squirt a short burst of the breath spray directly into your dog’s mouth. He won’t like the taste, and he really won’t like the sensation of the spray. Your action should be swift and smooth. This tactic won’t work if it deteriorates into a wrestling match between you and your dog—and it definitely won’t work if your dog becomes aggressive or afraid of you. You should only need to use the spray a few times. If you’re uncomfortable using punishment and can’t implement it quickly and without struggling with your dog, it’s best to use the other procedures recommended here or seek professional help. (Please see our article, Finding Professional Behavior Help, to locate a qualified expert near you.)
Because mouthing issues can be challenging to work with, don’t hesitate to enlist the help of a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT). A CPDT will offer group or private classes that can give you and your dog lots of assistance with mouthing. Please see our article, Finding Professional Behavior Help, to find a CPDT in your area.

Conclusion:

Dogs bite each other for a variety of reasons, from playful interactions to serious aggression. Understanding the causes and types of aggressive biting is essential for preventing and managing this behavior. Through proper socialization, training, and addressing underlying issues, we can ensure the safety and well-being of our canine companions. If you have concerns about dogs biting each other, don’t hesitate to seek professional help to address the problem effectively.

Understanding why dogs bite each other is essential for managing and preventing the behavior. Whether it’s due to play, dominance, or aggression, recognizing the signs and responding appropriately can help keep your dogs safe and happy. With the right strategies—such as socialization, supervised play, and positive reinforcement—you can foster a peaceful relationship between your pets and minimize the risk of biting.

Make sure to address any instances of biting early on, and don’t hesitate to seek professional guidance if needed. A well-managed household with clear boundaries and a solid understanding of dog behavior will lead to a more harmonious life for both you and your pets.