There's a dog we sometimes see who is a tiny border collie, the same age as my two. She sometimes comes and meets us on walks (she's left free to roam quite often), and always wants to play with my two, but it's rarely a success! I was watching them interact this morning and wondering if there's a culture clash as far as the breeds are concerned. There's never anything nasty between them at all, but her play moves involve trying to herd my two, and my two - well, when they do engage, they're just - um - Labradors. Rather boisterous and bouncy, barging each other, play bowing right up close to one another. The BC is very submissive in general and, even though she's the one trying to start the games most of the time, as soon as one of mine joins in, she'll end up on her back! She's not cowering, just very, very submissive. I think the Labrador way of playing is just too much for her. But her games just don't interest them at all - when they were puppies, they liked running with her, because she's fast, but now they just don't seem to understand that herding is a game to her, so it doesn't engage them. Do you see similar things with how your dog interacts with certain breeds, or just certain other dogs?
Yes - mine have one collie friend, but he acts very un-collie ish! They usually just try to herd my two and it confuses them! .
My mum has collies and as a result Jura loves playing with collies. I'm assuming it is because she had the most interaction with them at a very young age. She often finds labs too boisterous for her and tends too avoid them, wee sensitive soul that she is!
We used to have a rescue Australian Cattle Dog as a family and she had to be muzzled when out and about because she had really strong herding instincts, and would nip at other dogs to herd them! She was a lovely dog, but understandably some other dogs took exception to that nipping!
I find BC to be very anxious, there are a few round here and they not very nice, I'm sorry to say I have only met one nice one that even knows how to interact with other dogs, I just don't like them. Hattie who loves all dogs mostly gives them a wide berth as they can give off some weird dog body language and always stare on approach, from what I can see. I believe they are trully working dogs.
Ours have lovely play times together , there seems to be some secret signal pass between them and then its " Game on " charging around the garden , tug with toys, its quite lovely . Sam is amenable to all other dogs but rarely wants to play , he is more intent on tracking when we are out and about . Ironically , Millie is wary of BC`s too .
Good Thread topic and yes, I do. To stay with the herding breed example, I have read that herding breeds often don't have play styles that mesh with other breeds. But my sister's English Shepherd and my first Lab had great fun. Her dog thought he was herding her. She thought he was playing tag and he was IT. It might have been a wee bit frustrating for him but they would do it for hours, with rest breaks. They would also wrestle and Jet would nearly always end up top dog, the only time she was as with any other dog she was very submissive.
I wouldn't say it's about breed all that much really, just play styles. Charlie wants to play chasey games, and he wants to be chased although he'll sort of take turns for fairness. And he has a strong preference for being chased by young girls! He says who can blame him.... Charlie quite picky about which Labradors he will play with, unless they are puppies or at least under a year old. He doesn't like physical contact in play and he rarely finds another adult male that plays exactly as he wants, and he'll end the game quickly. I've taken him to a couple of classes and two different trainers have commented that Charlie wants the other dog to play by his rules in the chasey game, and pushing, shoving etc. are not part of his rules - if another dog starts doing this, he will often bark and then leave.
Belle always loved the chasey game - with anyone who'd play (as long as they were not small dogs - she seems to be afraid of them), but she HAS to be chased. She played chase with Scooby once, but it fizzled out as they both wanted to be chased. She gives up if the other dog won't remain as the chaser. She has run circles, play-bowing and trying to instigate chase with a German Shorthaired Pointer several times, he just sits down in bewilderment, wondering what she's doing. She's stopped playing this game now, age is catching her up.
Dexter loves chasey games and his happy to take take turns but I have to watch him when he is doing the chasing as he has what I call 'the gear change' this is where I can see the shift and he just cranks up the speed and energy and will try to grab at the back of the neck of his playmate.A confident dog /older dog will warn him off if they aren't happy about it but a younger /less confident may not and I have to interrupt ...Dexter sometimes needs a couple of telling s off before he gets the message but eventually he minds his manners ..... Dexter gets anxious if he is stared at ....so he didn't like huskies ...as even if they aren't staring their eyes are very striking and he seemed bothered by this .....we have a husky friend now and he loves her though ...I've never met a BC here .....not too many sheep.....but in writing that there isn't too much snow either and there are LOADS of huskies
Dexter loves chasey games and his happy to take take turns but I have to watch him when he is doing the chasing as he has what I call 'the gear change' this is where I can see the shift and he just cranks up the speed and energy and will try to grab at the back of the neck of his playmate.A confident dog /older dog will warn him off if they aren't happy about it but a younger /less confident may not and I have to interrupt ...Dexter sometimes needs a couple of telling s off before he gets the message but eventually he minds his manners ..... Dexter gets anxious if he is stared at ....so he didn't like huskies ...as even if they aren't staring their eyes are very striking and he seemed bothered by this .....we have a husky friend now and he loves her though ...I've never met a BC here .....not too many sheep.....but in writing that there isn't too much snow either and there are LOADS of huskies
I would have thought the huskies would really struggle with the heat! Although, most people don't seem to buy them thinking too hard about their husbandry, just their looks, sadly. I love BCs and a part of me would like one, one day. Another part of me thinks that's a ridiculous idea, because they seem very needy. We had a lovely play with a BC/setter cross earlier. It's a dog that my two have met a little bit - and an intact boy, so it can be a bit of a worry for me with Shadow. But, they interacted well; all three of them had a little grumble at one point or another, but it was a split second of "don't do that" and then back to the serious business of chasing snowballs. Jeki looks like an overgrown, completely black BC but he doesn't herd in the same way that little Canelle does. He does have that intensity of focus that many BCs do, though - although my two were doing a very good impression of the focussed stare when Jeki's owner had a snowball in his hand
Dexter loves chasey games and his happy to take take turns but I have to watch him when he is doing the chasing as he has what I call 'the gear change' this is where I can see the shift and he just cranks up the speed and energy and will try to grab at the back of the neck of his playmate.A confident dog /older dog will warn him off if they aren't happy about it but a younger /less confident may not and I have to interrupt ...Dexter sometimes needs a couple of telling s off before he gets the message but eventually he minds his manners ..... Dexter gets anxious if he is stared at ....so he didn't like huskies ...as even if they aren't staring their eyes are very striking and he seemed bothered by this .....we have a husky friend now and he loves her though ...I've never met a BC here .....not too many sheep.....but in writing that there isn't too much snow either and there are LOADS of huskies
midge is a collie groupie her favorite was called Jake. She would cry outsite his house and just fall to pieces if she met him out walking. She loved him so much it became a bit of a joke with everyone she even sent him a valentines card. you only had to say his name and she would just go crazy she absolutley adored him. Sadly he died and she still goes passed his house hopefully. They have Son of Jake now but he's not the same Midge loved jake. different breeds have different cultures Labs make a secret Lab sign and usually get on.
