Hello, My 10 month old puppy loves to play with another dog in the family, biting each others necks with the bigger one of them on the floor, make loads of noises at each other and have fun! However, she seems to do that straight off with other dogs and I'm worrying that the dog or even owners may see it as a bit aggressive? I'm having visions either the owner or their dog will lash out so I've been keeping her on the lead at the moment. Have any of you had this experience?
Its just normal play, so don't be too worried As you say though some other dogs and humans might not appreciate the bitey wrestling games that Labradors can favour.... I'd just work on training a really good recall away from other dogs so if you do detect any apprehension (human or canine) you can quickly get her attention and call her back to you.
Thanks Rachael, yeah it's like their boxing eachother haha! I've been continuing to practice the recall as she can be distracted too easily and ignore me haha
I will be interested in people's relies to this I'd like to see this if @snowbunny or someone can signpost me to it.
Hehe! Just perfectly normal! Although can appear really rough...with teeth bared, hackles up! I don't mind my three playing like this...however, what I do like out on walks in public, is that this does not happen all the time, otherwise there is the risk, that they consider OK to approach other dogs and play. This becomes a learned and highly self rewarding behaviour that in a friendly love everyone labrador can be a challenging issue to address So I have a rule, and maybe let them play with one out of four dogs they meet...with permission from the owners of course. With the other dogs I don't want them to meet, I keep mine at a distance, so they are not frustrated and are able to process and learn, and reward heavily for focus on me and ignoring the other dogs.
@Chris_Poppy our pup is pretty boisterous with other dogs, that she knows. She is respectful when first meeting new dogs but if they give her just a little hint that they are interested she is their best friend. We have had some comments from people in our puppy class that Harley is "aggressive" and over the top. So we have kept her from those dogs or rather, those owners. We watched a series called Rescue dog to Super dog and in one of the episodes one of the rescue dogs was being introduced to a home with an existing dog. I think it was Nando Brown who eased the concerns of the owners that it is important to read the body language of the dogs in a neutral way and not project our anxieties. So he recommended that the playing dogs get seperated and then the "victim" dog is set free and the "bully" dog is on a harness seperately. If the "victim" dog approaches the "bully" and attempts to re-establish play or positive contact then the chances are good that the "victim" dog is actually okay with the current interaction. I know that with @Atemas, for instance, she really knows her older dog Skye very well and reads Skye's body language to keep Red from being OTT with Skye. There are a number of forum members that have commented managing more than one dog, so have a look at the post. @Atemas yours was the name that I can remember first But @Boogie posted an awesome video of using "enough" to calm play amoungst different aged dogs. Good luck
Not found the video yet but this thread has the photos! https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/vicious-vicious-dogs-lots-of-photos.12205/
Hi @Chris_Poppy it sounds as if your pup has lots of fun playing with other family dog - bitey face is a brilliant game when both parties know the rules and play by them . That said it isn't really appropriate behaviour to a strange dog while out on a walk. Dogs normally greet each other and indulge in some sniffing before inviting play, frequently with a chase game. Bitey face is frequently only played by dogs who are well known to each other as it takes trust in the others actions. It is advisable to stop Poppy practicing this behaviour as it can lead to problems either with a dog that takes exception to her behaviour or an owner who takes exception to their dog being jumped on. The other dog may be recovering from injury or surgery or may be reactive to other dogs etc. One way to think of it is how you would feel if a complete stranger ran up to you in the park, threw his arms around you for a big hug and gave you a big smacker of a kiss
I stop all play when I have had enough! My cue is the word 'enough'. When they have stopped I settle them all down. You will see in this video that both adult dogs (4 years old) tell the pup (using body language) at least three times that it's time to stop playing. She completely ignores them and continues to shout and bounce around them. So I step in and call time "enough". The pup (8 months old) still does a little protest 'woof' before stopping all play lol. Her 'puppy licence' will soon run out and, hopefully she'll have learned the subtle signals of when to stop and start play by then!
I might start doing that when out on walks then, we have just got in from one actually and she is a lot more "can I sniff you please" I don't know if that is just chance but I think she could be calming down a bit. Yeah I think Poppy is just overly excited sometimes, however today has been better *touch wood*. I just couldn't forgive myself if she got hurt. Hi Jojo83, yeah very good point, I don't know if Poppy has somehow found out I've been worried but this afternoon has been a little better. Been keeping her on her lead and going up to dogs slowly, shes been a lot sniffier with them rather than just being overly excited and lunging herself at them! Guess she's still a puppy though but I don't want her to think she can get away with it at the same time, as you say, if it was revered roles i'd be a little concerned too.
@Chris_Poppy I know exactly what you mean. I am terrified that Harley will get bitten by another dog. Last week she was at the vet for a visit and a weigh in and a Border Collie came passed on a loose leash. It came towards Harley and they met halfway and then the BC snapped at Harley. To Harley's credit see appeared completely unphased by what happened. And then the BC snapped at a lovely, friendly English bulldog too. So I don't think it was Harley. Harley and the bulldog had been "playing" for a bit before that but were on the othersides of the room when the snapping happened. Harley was very confused because the bulldog did not play in any way she has seen before. lol. But seriously I am very worried about something happening.
Charlie is a rescue dog and only plays bitey face with Hattie as she allows it and taught him how to play as he didn't have a clue when he arrived into our lives, infact he doesn't have very good doggie social skills which does worry me . Hattie only plays bitey face with 2 other male dogs which are good friends of hers, with other dogs it's sniffy, chase etc. xx
I'm lucky that Harley isn't usually interested in other dogs. I think this is partly because when she was younger I didn't let her run up to lots of dogs and I also played with her a lot so she was more interested in me. I still play a lot with her on walks and she never goes far from me and now sits and waits until I say 'go on then' after asking if she can say hello. She generally just sniffs then walks back to me. She does have some really good doggy friends who she happily plays with on walks, but not bitey face......that's reserved for very good friends of hers.
It's pretty rude of her to just latch on to another dog's neck, even if it is play, without introducing herself first. Assuming a strange dog, new to her. Some dog WILL tell her off for that. A well rounded dog will know she's just a puppy with a few things to learn yet in doggy manners, but some will over react. So might some owners. My dog would not tell her off unless she ran straight at him and launched herself at his neck. He would pin her down by her neck and that would be it. He'd let her up after a few seconds. He's very good with older pups that way. If she didn't run at him first he'd warn her with some growls and if she persisted then he'd pin her.
Yeah an owner had to hold their dog back as we walked past tonight, was barking like crazy at Poppy, had never met before and the owner was a bit embarrassed. Not sure if it was aggressive or not though. That sounds ideal haha Not sure if she just misses not having the other dog around all the time, but she's still a pup, still have time to teach her some manors.
Those photos are awesome. Sky has really never been that interested in other dogs out on walks, she will 'skirt' around them if she suspects they might not be friendly. I suppose because she has always been like this, we just get on with our walks and not pay much attention to other dogs. I have never had to worry about her interacting inappropriately with another dog. I have not been best pleased when another dog has rushed up to her and had a bite of her especially when their owners take no action . Consequently, I do not expect Red to rush up to other dogs and I know I have a lot of training to do as she is interested in other dogs. Interaction with other dogs have been when the owner of the other dog has given permission and said their dog is ok with puppies. I also use my own judgement but I am still learning and know I have a lot to learn. As regards the two of them at home where I do want them to play together, it is still a work in progress but Sky is actually instigating play with Red which is so pleasing to see after months of virtually ignoring. It does get a bit full on so they are only together when we can supervise and we decide when enough is enough. Red is learning fast that that means finish and if she tries to continue, we pop her in her crate for a few minutes, then let her out and she now just goes to her bed. Tonight, they have not played bitey face for the first time, just mooched around each other and both fallen asleep on the floor. I am hoping they will become good playmates in time and we will continue to manage their interactions. I have my daughter's greyhound for a week in August. He comes every year and we love having him. Goodness knows how it will be now we have a puppy . Need to give some thought to that . So @Chris_Poppy, I think Poppy is missing playtime with the other family dog and she will learn how to play appropriately given time and how you manage it, just as I have to do with Red.
That's good to hear. Adolesence in dog, as in humans, can be a trying time but training, training and more training gets you through - together with consistency and a sense of humour I'm sure Poppy has good manners, she's just forgotten them a little at the moment but is already responding well to a small change. Keep.up the good work
I also use "ENOUGH" and I also stop the play when puppy isn't reading the signals or when they start getting too excited and I see hackles on someone!
