My male lab is just over a 15 months old and was castrated at 10 months old. My sisters female lab is 2 years old.We walk our dogs regularly together and they started this clacking of teeth and tearing around together out of door on long walks when off their leads. It always looked like they were enjoying themselves. My dog would go for the females neck, she appears to ‘flirt’ and lick his mouth and eventually after running around together clacking their teeth for up to 20 mins at a time,they would stop,catch their breath,and start all over! They really appear to be the ‘best of friends’ and my dog follows the female everywhere. However it has now got become an absolute nuisance especially when we want them to be calm and settle in each other’s home after what is usually a 2 hour walk. It doesn’t take long for my dog to start,and the above cycle starts all over. Indoors we have tried restraining them on leashes, distracting them with balls,chews or bones which work for a bit, and using a stern ‘stop’ before we know it is about to start. It is very strange because neither dog does it with any other dog they know. Can anyone give me any advice on the beast way to stop their behaviour please.
I would try to teach them both to settle in a covered crate (one crate per dog). After their walk they can immediately go into the crate with a chew and some water. The crates can be inside the house. Definitely cover them so the dogs can’t see each other. You’d have to teach them to be happy and settled in the crates in their own homes without the other dog around before you tried it with them in the same room. What do you think of that idea?
Yes we could give it a try, but I don’t really want them to see their crate as a punishment,although appreciate time out would benefit them when they start their unruly ritual behaviour. Not so sure they wouldn’t start again once released!
I wasn’t thinking of you using it as a punishment just as ‘the place they go’ when in the house together. The idea would be that they’d be put in the crate automatically when they come into the house after a walk, not as a time out or as a consequence for boisterous behaviour. I’d leave them in there until it’s time to go home (with on lead wee (toilet) breaks as needed). The first few times I’d keep the post-walk crated in-house periods short. Just 10 mins then go home. Basically you are trying to show them that play time happens outside, but inside the house it’s settle time.
Without knowing the exact sound of the teeth clacking but our dog started doing this one day and after many tests he ended up having an abscess in his back tooth with a crack, they removed the tooth and it stopped immediately.
