I know that play growling and biting is normal, but my 10 month lab has started to growl and grab onto the other dog's withers and it escalates a bit before we separate them (no real fighting yet). He is fine being chased; this only happens when he is the one chasing. Is this normal for an intact male?
Hi Emily, there isn't any necessary connection between being intact and boisterous behaviour. When he is chasing, prey drive kicks in. When being chased he is the prey. I'd think about training the two where you become the conduit for the interaction. For example, play Simon Says. Or play retrieve while one dog waits and the other retrieves. Swap roles. Swedish trainers (true I bet of other nationalities, though the Swedes seem to have a special word for it) regularly have times when they sit down with their dogs and the handler drinks a coffee from a thermos. Dogs practise being calm. Reinforce calmness.
It may be helpful to look up Jane Sigsworth on the internet and her videos on dog play to see and get examples of typical and acceptable play and the idea of consent? Might help you understand your boy’s play a little more? Hope that is helpful.
