Rough Play

[Wally]

We have 2 dogs - one small (7yr) one large (2yr). Our daughter brings her GR puppy (5mths) over regularly to play with our dogs and for us to mind when they go out. we probably see this gorgeous girl 3-4 times a week. She is a very boisterous baby and plays very roughly with the other 2 dogs. I find it rather worrying

The small dog (smaller than the pup these day) growls in a very nasty way when they fight together. It does not sound like a fun game. It sounds like a dog-fight without the blood and yelping. And I don't want to hear that! The little dog now behaves like he is very tired of this puppy coming over and I usually separate them because she just wont leave the terrier alone and he snaps at her.

The big boy is just a pup himself really and he seems to love the GR. Sometimes I worry he is too big and too strong and might hurt her. he'll knock her with his paw and she'll go rolling away then bound back for more - her fangs bared and really looking like she wants to do some damage.

Sometimes it appears that the big dog is trying to avoid the pup, moving his head away from her so she cannot tear at his ears or grab him by the collar. She even goes for the back of his legs.

There is never any blood or yelping but I'm frightened that all this rough play will teach her to be savage. Also, I don't want my dogs to be so annoyed by this excited pup that they bite her and hurt her.

The GR is very obviously a very dominant girl!

Also, recently she bit her "Dad" in a very surprising gesture when he tried to take something from her, causing quite a bit of pain and a nasty blood-blister. I'm concerned that we're letting her exert her dominance too often

Any advice?

Wally

[Kavik]

Sometimes dogs do play very rough, and depending on the dogs and circumstances that can be OK. Diesel and Kaos play very rough with each other - wrestle, pin each other down, stalk, bite, grab ears, neck, legs and collars. Kaos is faster and more agile, but Diesel is bigger and heavier, so it equals out in the end! Occasionally it does get a bit heated (rarely these days) when they get very excited, and I go out and get them to calm down. BUT neither of them play like this with strange dogs, only each other. Not all dogs like rough play, Kaos would certainly have a go at a strange dog that tried to play like that with him.

If you are worried, you can separate or try to calm them down when they get too excited - do they have much obedience training?

The biting of dad is more of a worry, and a different topic altogether. They could try teaching her to give items by swapping them for something else she really likes like food or a toy.

[Wally]

Thanks for your reply Kavik, It is a difficult issue for me as I'm the "grandparent" and this lovely little GR pup is not my dog. She's a rough-nut that feels safe enough to bully my two boys and yes, I do go out and separate them because the nasty snarling that comes from my Terrier is positively hateful! When he pins her down he has her by the neck and I'm worried that one day he'll just rip her throat open!

But she's not worried at all. when he lets her up she bounces straight back up at him - and she really doesn't stop unless we separate them.

I don't know much about dog psychology but, as she's the visitor, I think she should be learning that she is not the Alpha dog at Nanna's place!

[Kavik]

It sounds like the terrier is not enjoying it, so the GR pup needs to learn when and where and with whom play is appropriate. Looks like the pup needs to learn some manners. Maybe a start would be to have them on lead where you can have more control, and teach the pup to be calmer around the terrier.

[Wally]

It sounds like the terrier is not enjoying it, so the GR pup needs to learn when and where and with whom play is appropriate. Looks like the pup needs to learn some manners. Maybe a start would be to have them on lead where you can have more control, and teach the pup to be calmer around the terrier.

Thanks for the help. I think the lead is a good idea. You're right about the terrier not enjoying her. She was fun a few months ago (and the snarling/growling wasn't rearly as scarey then). But she's bigger than him now and so I think he really is trying to tell her to stop it - but she's still a baby and maybe she's enjoying being stronger than him.

Do they every grow out of this rough play?

Wally

[Kavik]

They don't really grow out of it unless taught. At the daycare where I worked I saw a lot of dogs play roughly Some played so rough they hurt themselves or others and some had no idea who was an appropriate playmate, and would run into and over everyone. With some training, you should be able to get the GR to realise that this type of play is not appropriate with the terrier. Some dogs are good and don't try to bounce on everything that moves, some need to be taught this.