They are able to gain additional protection from these larger or more efficient predators by banding together in a pack versus attempting to defend themselves as a single animal. For dogs, being part of a group of dogs has provided them with many benefits. Much of their natural instinctive behavior revolves around learning how to deal with or interact with other members of the pack. Even as puppies their play with other members is important. It either teaches them hunting skills or how to interact with the other dogs.
Young dogs jump up on each other or their parents in mock battles that imitate future hunts.
In a controlled fashion, they snap and bite at each other just as they will at a prey animal. To preserve some sort of order in the associations, a social hierarchy is established. To prevent constant and potentially harmful battles for who gets what or who is allowed to breed, the individual dogs learn their relative position in the pack. Rather than have vicious battles on a daily basis, these positions are maintained through behavioral interactions. Dogs soon learn what submissive and dominant actions are and how to play the game.