HOME dog training dog behavior puppy training boarding dog training video the best age to get and socialize a puppy puppies and active behavior puppies and their care, advice from a professional groomer Play biting or social mouthing is a natural behavior for dogs. Since dogs don't have hands like primates, they primarily use their mouths to pick things up. A dog's mouth is designed to be particularly good at grabbing and holding. In wild dogs play biting had a good deal of survival value attached to it. In fact domestic dogs learn important Life skills though play biting, just as wild dogs do.
Dogs learn many social rules through play.
Play biting teaches bite inhibition, social status, to be pushy, easygoing, or fearful, appeasement behavior, and how to respond to appeasement behavior. In my professional dog training practice I use a many faceted approach to preventing or correcting problems associated with play biting. Let start by avoiding activities that encourage unacceptable mouthing. One activity, that in some dogs, can greatly increase the desire to grab with their mouths is tug. This is a general rule, and like all rules there are exceptions.