Play usually stays flexible
During social mouthing, the body is often loose and curved. The puppy may bounce, pause, switch targets, respond to a toy, or briefly disengage. Excitement can still make the bite painful, but the interaction has flexibility.
Warning patterns become more still
Freezing, hard staring, a closed tense mouth before the bite, guarding, a low growl, or repeated bites when someone approaches deserve more caution. Stillness can be more important than noise.
Do not test the dog
Repeatedly touching food, taking objects, lifting the puppy, or provoking a reaction does not clarify the problem. It can teach the dog that people ignore early communication.
What to avoid
Keep the response gentle.
Do not punish a growl. A growl provides information and suppressing it can remove an early warning.
Safety boundary
When to get more help.
If you see guarding, freezing, repeated hard biting, or risk to a child, use management and contact a qualified force-free behavior professional.