An interaction like the one just described is straightforward and easy to read. However, what about instances that may not be so clear-cut? We encourage you to discard any preconceived notions about what dog play should and should not look like — at least for the time being.
Appropriate dog play fighting all depends on the individual dogs and the kind of relationship they have with one another. Consider an example of a close canine friendship founded on unorthodox play.
He would pin Sam with a neck bite every few seconds. No sooner would Sam stand up than Sage would neckbite him and flip him on his back again. At first, we thought that Sage might be too rough for Sam, so we would intervene by holding one or both of them back. However, each time, Sam would try his hardest to get to Sage, despite the inevitable pinning. As Sam grew larger, eventually matching Sage in weight, Sage added body slams and mounting to their play.
With the exception of frequent rear-ups in which they adopted identical roles, facing one another and boxing with their front paws , Sage usually maintained the more assertive role neck biting, pinning, slamming and so forth. Yet, because Sam was always an enthusiastic partner, we let them continue to play together.
With Sage and Sam, allowing play to continue was the right decision. Their early play interactions burgeoned into a lifelong friendship. Even today, the two middle-aged boys will sometimes play together for five hours at a stretch, stopping only occasionally for brief rests. When they are finally done, they often lie together, completely relaxed, with their bodies touching.
Their faces are loose and smiling, and they seem almost drunk in an endorphin-induced haze. This relationship shows that play does not necessarily have to be fair or balanced in order for two dogs to want to play with one another.
Scientists thought that if one dog was too rough or forceful e. Until our research, this proposition was never empirically tested. Over a year period, we studied pair-wise play between adult dogs, between adult dogs and adolescents , and between puppy littermates.
Dogs do not need to take turns being assertive in order for play to take place. Safi, a female German Shepherd, and Osa, a male Golden Retriever mix, were best friends for many years. When they played, they snarled a lot, lips curled and teeth exposed.
The snarls looked fierce, but they often preceded silly behaviors, like flopping on the ground. Then, as though on cue, Safi and Osa would put their scary faces back on, almost as if they were Halloween masks, and turn toward one another.
Being able to play a hard and fun game of tug of war, and then drop the toy the first time they are asked, is an excellent skill for your puppy to learn. It helps teach them impulse control and how to listen when super excited. You can easily play too rough with your puppy if you forget to pay attention to their body language. Play can easily turn sour and actually lead to a breakdown in your relationship with your dog if you constantly overwhelm them.
Pretend you are playing with something soft like cotton candy, and you want it to retain its shape while you play without being dented. My dogs personally engage with light shoves and slaps and enjoy playing more physically rough than a variety of other dogs that would be overwhelmed.
My dogs know they can trust me not to scare them or be too rough. Playing rough can lead to aggression if you are forcing your puppy into uncomfortable situations. The concept of the Ladder of Aggression can be used to visualize how puppies and dogs escalate their behavior. Roughhousing with our dog is a personal choice. Just like children, dogs need us to be consistent.
Certain movements that we make or things that we say, that are similar to those used during roughhousing could trigger rough responses from the dog. In my house, dogs learn to be gentle with people. When working with service animals, this type of play could have disastrous consequences for a person with limited mobility.
When a dog is allowed to play with humans like they would with rambunctious dogs, we take the chance that the dog may react in the same way with other people.
Will our aging parents be able to keep the dog under control? Fido may also solicit attention for instance, by jumping or mouthing, behaviors that are rewarded during playtime. If we still chose to roughhouse with our dog, a few rules will help keep the situation under control:.
The choice of roughhousing or not has to be taken wisely since it may have negative implications for the dog. Any behavior that has the potential to hurt a person can lead to injuries or lawsuits and the dog will pay the consequences.
The question becomes: how important is it for us to roughhouse? Keeping everybody safe, the family, the visitors and the dog should always be the priority when making the decision to roughhouse or not. Jennifer Cattet Ph. As Director of Training for a service dog organization in the U.
S, she supervised and taught offenders in the training of service dogs. Today she's the owner of Medical Mutts MedicalMutts. She's also part of a research team working on understanding the ability of dogs to detect changes in blood glucose levels through scent. Jennifer also works with Smart Animal Training System on the promotion of reward based training and the development of technology to support it SmartAnimalTraining. Great article, Jennifer.
I was just talking to a client at work yesterday with a bulldog who kept biting us during a blood draw and the owner said he allows this on him during play! Dogs should never be left alone with children under 10 and parents should monitor closely all interactions between their children and dogs.
All rights reserved. Please enjoy this video from Jackson Galaxy, a well-known cat behaviorist and host of How much will it cost to care for a new animal companion? Discourage unacceptable behavior You must also teach your puppy to be gentle with hands, and that nipping results in unpleasant consequences for her. Jumping up When your puppy jumps up on you, she wants attention. When you begin to praise her, if she begins to jump up again, simply turn away and repeat step two, above.
Remember to keep your praise low-key. What not to do Attempts to tap, slap or hit your puppy in the face for nipping or jumping up are almost guaranteed to backfire.
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