Some Things To Know About How Dogs Play-By Erik Hoffer
There is a tremendous amount of literature regarding dogs and
play but without actually observing dog on dog interaction, one cannot really
think he is schooled in deciding correctly between play and aggression. My
suggestion is that after reading this article, you view some dog on dog videos,
visit a shelter who offers supervised dog on dog play and carefully observe play
at your local dog park (without your dog). Observation helps to bring out the
subtle behavioral cues that help identify what’s really happening in dog play
situations. It will also help understand how different breeds play with
others.
It is critical to know how your dog plays with his own and
with other breeds. In all cases, play should be supervised and if play becomes
something more than play it needs to be terminated to avoid a fight. You would
not leave your child in a large play group unsupervised and you should never
leave your dog in one. Play can become aggression quickly when dogs are playing
with both known and unknown dogs. We don’t know if an animal has some latent
issues about possessiveness, dominance, or if he is simply unfit for that
particular play group on that particular day. Dogs have good days and bad days
like we do, but the way they deal with it can vary widely. It is your job as
the pet’s owner and master to protect him through monitoring his actions and
those around him to insure both he and his playmates are safe.
Safety in play does require that you have a plan if play
becomes a dog fight. Having your dog under verbal control may not be enough to
extricate him from harm. If you do go to an uncontrolled venue, bring a small
air horn, spray bottle of water or some tool to break up a possible fight.
Planning for avoidance or unwanted action is a good plan.
When my 8 GSD’s go into the play yard (at my house), together
as a pack, it sounds (to the uneducated ear) like they are killing one another.
The lunatics are racing around, the head banging and the fact they are all spit
heads and full of grass and dirt simply indicates to me they are having a
blast. Yes, I have had a few incidents where there was a rumbling of a fight
but I quickly called that off. My dogs, in my pack, are responsive to my stern
voice as well as my happy voice and do act quickly on the commands given. This
is not ever true in a dog park since only your animal will be responsive to your
voice commands and when there is dog on dog chaos rarely if ever does that
negate a potential problem from happening.
Dogs coming through rescue have another dimension to them
which is quite different from the dog you have raised from a puppy. They have
history! We have no clue about most of the details of their history because
when we get them they are frequently traumatized and eager to conform to the
rescue situation. Most of their latent behaviors do not reveal themselves until
they are comfortable in their new setting and with their new people.
Unfortunately these behaviors may be negative such as mouthing, counter surfing,
chewing, toy or food guarding or an aversion to children, hats, voice tone,
correction, other animals or most anything in the new environment. We don’t know
if they were beaten although we can frequently tell by their cowering when
approached. We don’t know about their possible pain in some part of their body.
We cannot tell if a dog’s predisposition to certain stimuli is going to be
positive or negative; so when this new animal enters your home, care must be
taken to observe his actions, interactions and his unique personality to help
understand how to train him and what elements of his behavior need
modification.
Different breeds play differently. There is no book on who
plays with who because dogs are unique individuals and determine, like us, who
they like and who they don’t. If you put your dog of any breed or gender in
with another dog before first doing a proper introduction, then you are risking
an immediate escalation of a potentially deadly situation. No dog should be
just tossed in with another dog without first a supervised introduction. For
social dogs, this is a quick butt sniff and it’s off to the races. For other
dogs you may need far more time. A pack walk is always a great way to introduce
two dogs. Make sure these introductions are done on neutral turf since some
breeds are resource guarders by their nature and will do better on neutral
ground that does not have to be guarded, nor the family protected.
When dogs first meet and accept one another, it doesn’t make
a difference what size or breed they are. If the interaction is positive, then
you are usually safe in assuming the play will be positive. The issue however is
how rough is dangerous. You would not be wise to introduce your 90 pound GSD to
a 2 pound Yorkie and allow them to roughhouse without careful hands on
scrutiny. It is not that the GSD would want to hurt the Yorkie (assuming they
have a positive relationship) but if the larger steps on the smaller
inadvertently, then you can have a crisis. It makes sense to understand as much
as you can about your dog and the others involved in play in order to structure
the play in such a way as to be safe. There are smaller dogs who would run
larger dogs ragged. A Boston Terrier for example is a power house of lunacy and
some other breeds would simply view these behaviors as ‘nuts’ and stop play way
before the Terrier, out of exhaustion. You are unlikely to see your Basset
Hound romping around for any length of time with a crazed Jack Russell.
Some breeds play alike and some play differently. My Golden
for example plays like a Golden where head banging, play bowing and face dueling
are not as much fun as chasing a ball, getting petted by a human or responding
to human stimulus. GSD’s make it a habit of playing rough while Golden’s or
Sheltie’s for example are far more calm. Some breeds as they get older like
Basset Hounds or Bull Dog’s would sooner lay in the sunlight and hang out rather
than exert themselves in play like Yorkie’s, Jack Russell’s or Boston Terriers
for example. This doesn’t by any means say that they are not going to have fun
with one another, but it does mean that you as the dog’s owner needs to
recognize how your dog will interact with another breed before they actually get
into it.
There are lots of signs that tend to move play from fun to
fights. If you see these behaviors forming, then it is important to remove the
dogs from one another and re-focus them before allowing play to continue.
Escalation between two dogs can happen in an instant but in most every case it
came with numerous warnings and cues. A low growl, moon eyes, rigid body, show
of teeth, air snap or even pawing can indicate one dog is frustrated or mad at
his playmate and needs a time out. If you allow these behaviors to continue,
you are all but assured of a fight. Once they do get into it, stopping it takes
far more energy and risk of injury than proper monitoring and analysis as a
preventative measure during their interaction.
Here are some signs to look for that represent play:
1. The play bow – front end down, back end in the air.
Sometimes the dog trying to initiate play will slap his front legs down on the
ground repeatedly.
2. A big, silly open-mouthed grin.
3. Exaggerated, bouncy movement. The dogs are acting
silly.
4. Loud, continuous growling and snarling; again,
exaggerated. Play-growling may sound scarier than serious
fighting.
5. The dogs voluntarily make themselves vulnerable by
“falling” down and exposing their bellies and allowing themselves to be caught
when playing chase. They take turns chasing each other.
6. They keep going back for more. Even the dog that ends up
on his back doesn’t want to stop playing. They will probably take turns with
most play-fighting behaviors.
Dogs need mental and physical stimulation to lead a
quality healthy life. Any action that facilitates having fun is essential to
the dog’s development. Play can mean lots of things to your dog. He recognizes
play as being with you regardless of the activity, his human’s attention (touch)
towards him in an activity such as playing ball or walking, playing with other
dogs, training or just about anything that stimulates him.
Play is essential to their mental development where play
teaches them to interact appropriately, builds their muscle and stamina and
enhances their ability to deal with life’s situations. Some dogs like German
Shepherds continually think. Everything is a decision with them but through
experiencing hundreds of situations their ability to program themselves to
understanding the appropriateness of a behavior under certain conditions makes
play and interaction even more essential to their mental and physical growth.
Dogs who grow up from puppies without interaction do tend to be more antisocial
and depressed. Depression in dogs can manifest itself in fear of situations
They may be fearful of people, their environment or things in the
environment. These fears are truly unhealthy. Many people who buy pups from
backyard breeders have no clue about the socialization of their new friend.
These failures come back to haunt the new owner as the dog grows because his
understanding of the world is far more skewed then one might want to believe.
We see these dogs all of the time as turn-ins because owners either failed to
recognize antisocial behavior or failed themselves in training and socializing
their dog.
Toys are the tools of play. If you give your dog a bone
and he chews it to occupy his time, he is getting a type of self play. If you
introduce another dog that play can become aggression as he may feel that the
bone is his and he does not want the other dog to take it. With any toy you
have to make the dog understand that he owns nothing and play and toys are
controlled by you the alpha. If you use the ‘give and take’ premise of
training, his understanding of relinquishing a toy becomes far more clear and
repeatable. If the dog knows he has no possessions it will make the dog
understand that he is using your toys to play with and when asked, he must
surrender them. What we do is give the dog a ball, a bone or a squeaker toy.
We let him have it for a few seconds and then take it back. This is done 20x in
a row and done for days and even for weeks on end with rescue dogs. They come
to understand that they must surrender the toy but will get it back by the
benevolent dictator, you. If you give your dog the wrong toy such as a pull
rope he will find that tug-of-war is a great game. The problem is that although
you may be stronger than he is, your child is not. If the dogs sees that he can
win at tug, then you open the door to teach your dog that he can win against
other interactions with your wife or child. He understands that his physical
strength can enable his upward mobility in the pack (that is your family).
Aggression, even in this rough, form can teach the dog that he can indeed move
up in the pack by disrespecting other members. Control play and toy choices are
a great way to keep your pet in line and to avoid uncomfortable situations. You
can still have tons of fund with him but with the understanding that play needs
to be understood, supervised and controlled.
In some dogs play needs to be taught and controlled.
Certain breeds are prone to being mouthy, such as GSD’s. This is not at all
aggression but it can be a considerable problem if the playmate is someone with
thin skin, a bleeder, someone who is elderly or a child or smaller dog. This
behavior, although natural play, needs to be taught as unacceptable. Certain
dog breeds who have herding or hunting in their DNA have a far more difficult
time in unlearning what comes naturally. If you get one of these breeds, don’t
be mad at the dog for doing what comes naturally, be aware that you chose this
breed and now have to deal with the consequences. At times these behaviors can
be great fund but this tenacity toward some traits can be a major issue when
they are done 24/7 in the home. Failure to understand these behaviors causes
people to put these dogs back in their crate or outside to avoid the problem.
This just makes the problem 10 times worse because now the dog thinks these are
fine and will continue doing them. If the dog is confined when he does something
that comes naturally, without training, he can become extremely depressed, chase
his tail, become lethargic, have certain fear based aggressive behaviors, become
a resource guarder and distance himself from the family. All of these
consequences of a bad initial breed decision are typical.
If you choose to get a dog remember he needs to be
trained, socialized and welcomed into the family. He needs to learn rules and be
corrected for breaking them. He needs mental and physical stimulation throughout
his life and he needs to know he can count on you just like you can count on
him.