Should i Let Chloe play rough with other dogs

[Michelle Motorola]

Hey! i am guessing this is just how dogs play, so im trying to be fine with it! But my sister brought her dog over yesterday to play with Chloe and they play kind of rough. Chloe kept trying to bite in his ear area (not aggressivly) and my sister dog would do the (fake bite)  where he would put his teeth on her but not clamp down. Im just wondering and making sure this is all normal, Sis told me this is how dogs play. It just looks scary sometimes creeps me out a bit! haha  Also if there is any advice i should look for for when enough is enough and i should intervene Thanks all:)

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Puppies will test their limits when they play with other dogs.  In fact you should let her play rough with another dog so the older dog can teach her how to play nicely but only IF you trust that the other dog won't be aggressive towards her.  For example - I know my Luna is very safe to have around puppies.  She will roll on her back and let a puppy bite her ears/face and paw at her.  She just lays there, mouths them a bit and paws them. 

What you want to happen is:

- Chloe plays with other dog (lots of biting and growling is perfectly fine, as long as it doesn't escalate)

- Chloe bites the other dog a bit too hard and the other dog reprimands her (this usually involves a little nip on the bum - kind of like a pinch)

- Chloe learns the "limit" of what dogs will tolerate in terms of roughness

- Also - play should always be back and forth (for example if 1 dog is on the ground for a while they should trade places for a bit; same with chasing)

When you should stop the play:

- You feel like the play is one-sided (ie. one dog is harrassing/bullying the other dog)

- One dog is pinned down and won't let the other up

- Growling sounds escalate and get higher pitched (once you've seen this once you'll know what I mean)

- Puppy comes over and sits on your feet (or someone else's) - this tells you the pup is uncomfortable is looking for protection

Also a little bit of advice - NEVER use your hands to break up an escalating dog fight.  Have a leash on hand, wrap the leash quickly around the dog's neck/chest and pull it away.  That way if the dog turns to snap at you all it will get instead is the leash.

[Joy Originator of GiantSchnoodles]

Another suggestion I heard in breaking up a dog fight. I haven't tried it just heard it. Grab the back legs of the offending dog & yank them out from under him. Has anyone ever done that? Puppy love from Joy & the furry folk

[Michelle Motorola]

Thanks so much! so it is all normal, that is good to know.

I did tell my mom to let them be because i feel like this is something Chloe needs to learn.

Now my main question is what the heck is with the biting ear/top of the neck area, why does she want to do that so badly? lol

He did pin her down for a minute and i guess you could say she became submissive towards him but letting him sniff a bit, but he is a very dominate dog and he didnt like her even leaning her head on his back (hes pretty short) haha. So ill just have to watch out for that he might be to dominate to be a good teacher lol

Also which is find very strange, she gets very excited to see dogs but theres a dog a couple houses away that has a Rott Weiler that is never on a leash (well behaved and usually doesnt leave his property) but has now down it 3 times and came to my property which ive had about enough of!  anyway whenever she goes near him she is so calm and basically just stands there which is the opposite of what she normally does with other dogs.. Is she getting a bad vibe that im not aware of?  It scares the s*%!t out of me and i try so hard to hide it, but im not just worried about her and the rotty, its also my son running around chasing a ball. eek

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

it sounds like normal play to me. When we moved in with the inlaws, Cooper, (who is quite submissive around other dogs), and my inlaws new dog, (who is dominant), started playing and it did seem rough. We kept a close eye on them as my inlaws dog was only 7 months old and a rescue. Cooper would often always be on the bottom. we would give her the command "stand up" and she would. My inlaws dog would bite Coopers ears and neck, and chew her ankles (the latter we have since learned is an Akbash trait). Over time Cooper got some confidence and played back just as rough, and she would sometimes be on top chewing ears. When Cooper has had enough she lets us know. The inlaws dog wont give up so we have to tell her "enough". 

Both dogs also play with the kitten like that too - and he plays back just as rough (15lb against 60 and 70 lb dogs), both dogs are very very gently with him (hes not so gentle back!) We do watch the inlaws dog though because of her breed specific tendencies (abkbsh dogs have been known to kill cats)

I would watch them til you learn how they play, just to make sure they dont take it too far. But they should be ok

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

You should see my two play. Vern is so much bigger and stronger than Fudge, but when she has had enough, she lets him know. I try not to intervene when they are both going back for more. If it seems one of them is done, then I try and use distraction (a ball, etc.) for the other. I would just supervise, but dog play can seem rough.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I enjoy watching dogs play

[Lynda Kamrath]

Sounds like the way dogs play to me.  My younger dog was a bit of a bully and loved to wrestle in the "big dog" area of the dog park.  He would not go into the "small dog" area because they didn't want to play.  Our older dog played roughhouse with him and sometimes the younger (smaller) dog would be scolded by the older (larger) dog.  The only time I would intervene was when my house was in danger of being dismantled.  Then it is "Out, out, out" and the back door opened for them to continue the roughhousing outdoors.  They do this kind of play pretty much daily.

[GBK]

This is just how my two play everyday :)  They snarl, bump, slam, pounce on from the couch and rear up like a bear at each other.  When it does start to get a little more snarly than usual, one of them, usually Kona will start sneezing or biting on herself or stalk off to get water like, eh, I've had enough.....  I have never had to step in.  Enjoy the entertainment, DH and I both laugh and get out of the way when they start their evening romping.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Sounds normal to me.  I would only be concerned if one dog wanted to get away and couldn't, if the growling was not friendly (there is a difference!).  If there is a huge size mis-match and the always dominant dog is the big one and the littler one doesn't know when to quit.

Here is Ned playing with his sister and with a BIG friend:

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Love the Neck Biting  

Ear tugging

Growl, Bark......Growl, bark bark bark

For Hours and Hours and Hours.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

F. Parker has some really cool ones. Maybe she will add some pictures.

[Jodi and Stella]

Joanne did you see the pics I posted in reply to your comment on this post yesterday?