Distinguishing appropriate from inappropriate play takes some knowledge and experience, but it’s not difficult once you know what to look for. These videos, sent by photographer, and Leonberger lover, Vic Neumann, are wonderful illustrations of appropriate play between father and son.
I’ve annotated the videos (with the help of Nick Hughes, our new website manager and techie prince, so good to have him on board!) to illustrate some of the aspects of their interaction that are indicative of appropriate play behavior. There is plenty more to see, I’m looking forward to your comments! (Note: You can’t see the annotations on a phone, so if you want to read them, take a look on your laptop.)
This first video is of father Vikahn and son Yulee, about a week after the two dogs met. Watch how Vikahn manages the play session so well, even though there are times he appears to be a bit uncomfortable. (Spoiler alert: We have to put the videos on Youtube first, and so when they are done playing, strange things show up. There’s nothing we know to do about it, so just ignore.)
This next video of the same dogs was taken two years later. My interpretation is that Vikahn is more comfortable playing with his son (more familiar, same size?), but equally appropriate and happy to play. Would that all daddies be so good!
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Yay! Snow at last. And a perfect amount, about 3-4 inches, which means that the icy-bumpy-awful footing was now covered up, and the ground is walkable without hunching over as if your feet had been bound at birth. Even better, it’s pretty. The warm weekend (40!) melted much of it, but a storm is predicted for tomorrow. Snow/sleet/rain/ice/wind. Hoping for the snow, not so much the sleet, rain or ice.
And, bonus… I can work Maggie on sheep again! Finally. She’s done well the last few days, given that we haven’t worked in almost three weeks. The dogs had quite a weekend: New bison knuckle bones, a long, off leash walk in the woods, working sheep with Maggie and an excellent session for her with unfamiliar dogs. I’ve put Where’s the dog?, and Look (at me) on cue, and by the time the second dog appeared she was doing it all herself. Without a word from me, she’d turn to look at the dog, then look at me. In response I’d back up a few steps and give her a treat. I also reinforced her for just looking and appearing calm. We were still a good distance away (20-30 feet), but it was a great session. We’ll work our way closer in as time goes on. (We were outside a dog training class which is my favorite place to do counter conditioning around other dogs; you can predict exactly when the dogs will show up and where they will go. All the dogs in this area are on leash going into class, so you have everything on your side for a successful session.)
Willie and Maggie also got new toys this weekend. I think the toys were as much for me as for them. I begin to get bored around this time of year, so it made me happy to give them fun, new things to play with. Maggie settled in right away chewing on the turkey, while Willie immediately began tossing his toy around and asking me to play with him.
I hope all is going well with you and yours. If you also get what is called “cabin fever” around here at ths time of year, let’s us know how you cope with it.
em says
What a fun video! Interesting to see how pup Yulee’s behavior, appropriate and interested but slightly reserved and unsure, did not change from puppy to adulthood.
I was also tickled to see Vikhan using some of The same luring techniques that Otis uses to encourage uncertain dogs. Batting, rolling onto his back (Otis generally goes for the big mouth from the ground rather than the nibble) in faux submission, dashing off after a roughhousing move.
I’m curious, have Vikhan and Yuree met often, (or do they live together) or were these play sessions far apart in time?
Thanks so much for the chance to see these videos- they brightened my whole day.
p.s. Yay, Maggie! Good girl!
Carolyn H. says
Watching dogs play is fascinating. (So is almost everything else they do!)
In this video Lark is a 3 month old Malinois puppy that we brought home a month before. Reve is an 8 year old unrelated Mal. I love how hard Reve works to get Lark to play.
https://youtu.be/t24i7tmDnVE
Here they are playing as adults.
https://youtu.be/X3O9H1It8dQ
Suzanne Boland says
Loved the videos about appropriate play.
Bruce says
Hi Trish! Thanks for the dog play videos, they were indeed “lovely”. Both dogs played in such a good-natured manner, and Vikhan clearly has a sense of humor. Compared with Red Dog, and even white-faced Sandy, it seemed like the dogs in the video were playing in slow motion – but then I remembered that Leonbergers can weigh 150 pounds. Um, never mind.
No cabin fever here – temps in the 50s – and our favorite off-leash neighborhood field is now “mushable” so the dogs had a blast bounding through the snow. Even better, we met some of their favorite play buddies at the dog park. An hour of running and wrestling in foot-deep wet snow makes for tired and happy dogs.
I love that snow reveals animal tracks – it is like having a secret decoder ring for the scent trails that the dogs are following: “Hey, a cat walked here.” “Better sniff that yellow snow.” “SQUIRREL!!!”
After a regular vet visit, Red Dog’s stool sample tested positive for coccidiosis. The first round of antibiotics did not clear it up so we are starting round two: two different antibiotics for 10 days and a super-high fiber diet. I expect an interesting week and a half of pooping.
The odd thing is that Red Dog has never shown signs of being sick. Her vigor level is already a “10”, so it is difficult to imagine what would happen if she gets *even healthier* and the vigor dial gets turned up to “11”.
Vikahn says
From Vikahn: My son, Yulee and I live together in Connecticut with our boss, Cassie who is an eleven year old, diminutive, ninety pound female Leo, who raised us both and is always in charge. I’ll be happy to answer any other questions you may have. I only wish your species had more fathers raise their children with the same love and nurturing that seems to come naturally to our species…
Judy King says
Hi, Trish, the comments you added to the videos were very instructive. The one about the dogs taking frequent breaks from the action made me think about my own recent experiences. Last March a friend from my local kennel club, who raises Spinoni Italiani, asked me if I would like to co-own her male “pick” from her Christmas 2014 litter. I wasn’t real sure I was ready, but she knew I wanted another Spin after my first one, a rescue, died of congestive heart failure after I’d only had her a little over a year. Cupid came to live with me at 10 weeks of age, and my job was to get him out and socialize him after he’d had all his shots.
I live in Central Texas, and last spring, it rained all the way through until summer. We didn’t get out much. I knew that one problem would be not getting him exercised enough, but as he got bigger my nine-year-old Basenji, Ramses, started playing with him more. Ramses is so fast I think he realized it just wasn’t sporting to try and get a clumsy pup into a chase game and then lap him six or eight times. All that aside, as Cupid got closer to his first birthday, and closer to 70 pounds and more, he started badgering Ramses constantly to play, keep playing, play some more, etc. It occurred to me that that behavior could ultimately lead to someone losing their temper. Ramses hasn’t had a whole lot of opportunities to play with other dogs, so he didn’t already have a set of appropriate “knock it off already” signals. Or Cupid was turning into a bully.
Considering other issues Cupid had with fear of noises, new places, new people, his breeder and I decided he needed to go back to her. There were also the problems I was having with arthritis in my back and hands that wasn’t being helped by trying to handle a young, strong monster dog (no matter how sweet and goofy he was when he wasn’t being a monster). I think, seeing these videos, that it was the right decision to not keep Cupid any longer.
Ramses needs work. He’s just been my personal therapy dog, and not particularly well-behaved. I had thought the company of another dog would be good for him — my previous older Basenjis have been gone for over five years — but I need to be able to communicate with Ramses better, and later choose another dog that fits both our needs and challenges. I’ll be commenting and interacting more — at least I’ll try — I still have much to learn.
Gayle Watson says
Enjoyed the videos very much. Thank you.
We have a pathetic amount of snow here this year and can still walk without snowshoes usually. For cabin fever I broadcast a handful or two of food out one side of the house and send the dogs to find it, breaking a trail all the way to the other side. It gives them about 1/2 hour of sniffing to make sure all gone. Bonus, they break a trail well away from fences that sometimes disappear in the snow.
Indoors – polishing up some new tricks.
Rough play: my youngster spends all her time slamming and grabbing at the other dogs. Not play at all. I interrupt 4-5 times in first few minutes – she has developed an awesome recall as a result but I have finally given up and walk her separately… just too much determination to control the others who just want to have a good time running in the bush.
Francesca Koumarianos says
Great video. I love the play by play “pop up” commentary.
I have all your books and the videos are fascinating and so helpful to me. I have given a few of the books to friends who are having issues with new dogs.
Thank you for all you do for us dog lovers.
Kristin Wolter says
I love seeing this. I recently attended a “puppy socialization and play-date” class with my 8 week old singleton BC puppy. There was only one other puppy who was a month older. The two were allowed to go off leash immediately after entering the facility and the other puppy proceeded to chase run over, roll and t-bone my puppy. My puppy did not want anything to do with that kind of play. He had never been exposed to it. So, he ran (trying to get away from her) and she chased. He found places to “hide” so that he could have some peace. They did eventually “play” with a tug toy for a little bit, but mostly he just wanted to leave. Fortunately, he didn’t appear to show any fear or any lasting affects of being pushed over so many times over the course of an entire hour…. Upon emailing the instructor my concerns, she did not feel that any of the play, or interaction was out of the ordinary. I should have picked him up and left, but I had never been to a puppy class before so I assumed it was normal. I am happy to say that he has had other play sessions (with puppies and with adults) which were very good and positive. I knew there was a reason that I’d never attended a puppy class before – with 5 previous dogs…but I was worried about his singletonness….
Sarah Johnson says
In first video, when the father dog pauses far away, I think he is trying to teach/lure the youngster to come on up after him. Similarly when he zooms near then far away, I perceive him trying to teach/entice the youngster to engage in the chase game, in a gentle way to give him confidence. When the pup does come closer, he immediately zips off, like, “See?!” <3
Reb says
Loved watching two dogs play “nicely!” I’m curious if Mr. Neumann said whether or not there are occasions of inappropriate play?
My catahoulas play somewhat nice in the house where there is no runway to get up speed. Outside my girl often does that run off thing. She seems to be egging my boy into chasing her. If he fails to do as she wishes she slinks back and “attacks” him – she will hide behind trees, crouch real low, and it looks like she’s stalking him. (i call it the lion/antelope game – because they really look like that’s what they’re playing) They’re fun to watch – so long as you stay out of their way. They both seem to know the “rules” of the games they’ve created. We’ve had a couple bloody ears if things get too intense, but most of the time they tattletale on each other if one isn’t playing nice.
To help minimize bloody ears during this cold and rain we’re playing a lot of nosework games in the house. That excites my boy even more than being the antelope!
Trisha says
To Carolyn H: Love the video! Especially the circle wag at the beginning–did everyone see it? Interesting too is the mouthy-style play; very common in some breeds, less so in others. The primary types of play seem to me to be run/chase (my dogs’ favorite, always), body slam (bully breeds seem to love this style) and “mouth fencing,” as we see here. Just like people, dogs have different ways they like to play. (I was the one in right field during softball chanting, under my breath, “Please don’t hit the ball to me, please don’t hit the ball to me….)
Cathy says
Loved the videos and very much appreciated your comments! I learned a lot from them. As someone with a BC who has issues with other dogs, I really appreciate following your methods and progress with Maggie.
Trisha says
To Sarah: I agree with you about Dad trying to lure the pup to run after him. After I posted the video with the suggestions for why he was running around the pup, I wondered too if he was, in part, trying to teach the pup to play the run/chase game. But I do think something else might be going on when circled so far away–another example of making sure that the play session went well?
Vic Neumann says
In response to Reb’s question about whether there are occasions of inappropriate play… That’s a great question and the answer is unequivocally, no. When you consider that there is over 310 pounds of INTACT male interaction every day I’m happy to report there’s never been even a hint of a problem. If you watch the second video, especially towards the end when Vikahn picks up Yulee’s leg in his mouth, you can sense that Yulee has a bit of “trepidation” (Trish?), but then Vikahn gently releases it. I sense that Yulee knows that Vikahn is all omnipotent in this relationship, but he also trusts him and that trust has never been broken. Vikahn has proven to be a very special Leo (we’ve had six) in many ways. Not only is he an outstanding, certified therapy dog, but he’s also an incredible athlete – with limitless stamina. The behavior that makes me most proud of him is when he’s retrieving his favorite ball and the ball occasionally rolls up next to either Yulee or Cassie. He respects their spaces so much that he’ll turn to me to either pick it up for him, or wait for the command, “find it” which means it’s ok to pick it up (with reluctance) and then bring it to me. I’ll check back to see if there may be other questions during the week.
Lyssa says
Thank you for sharing these! It can be hard to find examples of appropriate play.
So owners who frequent dog parks follow the “let them sort themselves out” form of “play.” It may start out with play, but escalates because owners do not see/notice if one dog is getting stressed and pushed too hard.
I think many owners forget it’s completely appropriate to have playmates who are playing well, take frequent breaks (like the Leonbugers were taking pauses in the 2nd video) to keep the session positive and prevent arrousal levels getting out of control.
I monitor play sessions between my Golden and her pals at a playgroup closely. In a good play session, she tends to stay on her feet and roll on her back about 50/50. She does like rolling on her shoulder and elbows for ground wrestling with a partner.
I let them play a few minutes, call her away to take a break and we walk a bit, with a release back to play with another partner or the same one.
When she is being pinned repeatedly (which can make her nervous) I step in to help redirect the play or have them take a break.
Now that she’s 18 mo, she’s become very good at initiating her own breaks and also changing the game on her own if she does become a bit uncomfortable.
Do you think when owners help create a pattern of taking breaks/redirecting play that a young dog can learn and adopt these strategies? Or do you think it’s more of a conditioned situation?
Lyssa says
Here is a play session between the golden and my 14 yr old cocker/basset. (Excuse boxes, had been assembling new dog bed.)
The reason I wanted to share this is the “appeasement freeze” (for lack of a better term) the golden does when my older guy gets vocal. The golden returns to play, but keeps her energy matched well to his?
https://youtu.be/tMb9PHwjP1Q
Kat says
There’s nothing better than watching appropriate play between dogs. I was privileged once to observe Ranger teaching a couple of puppies to play appropriately. We’d dropped by the dog park to find no one there shortly after we arrived two puppies who had never met arrived. They were approximately the same age, around 5-6 months but with one a Newfoundland and the other a Labrador they were vastly different sizes. The Lab was a bit shy and the Newfie was all enthusiasm. The Lab was quickly overwhelmed at which point Ranger intervened herding the Newfie away and holding him off the Lab until the Lab indicated he was ready to try again. Ranger released the Newfie to play again and play resumed until the Lab again felt overwhelmed trying to play with a puppy twice his size. Ranger again intervened herding the Newfie away and holding him until the Lab was ready to play again. This happened repeatedly and it was quite fascinating to watch the Newfie develop self-handicapping and the Lab develop confidence. Each play session got a little longer and a little more appropriate until by the time Ranger indicated he was ready to leave both puppies were playing appropriately with many pauses, the Newfie was self-handicapping well and listening to the Lab and the Lab was much more confident and comfortable about his giant playmate.
HFR says
It’s amazing how I can watch dogs play for hours and hours. I guess some people feel that way about watching ballet or something, this is ballet to me. Thanks for posting and loved the notes. Dog play is the cure for all that is wrong with the world in my opinion.
I thought it was interesting that it looked to me that their roles stayed more or less the same over the two years. Vikahn is the player and Yulee is the playee. Vikahn, in both videos, seems to be the one who wants to initiate play and Yulee is liking it but is happy to be the one to be encouraged to play. Same is true in the play of the Malamutes, one is more gregarious than the other. I wonder if that is also a formula for appropriate play sessions.
My dog has the weirdest habit of twirling when he wants to play. So he will
do a playbow, then twirl around in a tight circle. The other dog is often completely confused by this. I have seen a few other dogs do this too, but I cannot figure out where it comes from. It’s almost like his version of zoomies.
And YAY for Maggie!
candy says
i have a 7 month old english creme pup and he of course wants to play all the time. The dog he chooses the most is our oldest dog of 8 or maybe 9 now, Irishwolfhound X. But there are times when the pup is relentless and I know lilly doesn’t like it. She has now growled at him a couple of times but this pup doesn’t get it, should I put the pup in time out, to give him time to calm down, or let lilly handle it, or just let it continue. I feel lilly is really pushed to the end when she finally reacts that way, its icey and she can’t run to get away, and he even is very forward in the house. I have recently been telling him to stop and to go lay down, any suggestions? thanks
Melissa says
Such a nice couple of videos. I never get tired of watching play. My guess is Vikahn is well aware of the size differences and in the first video, and his need to be particularly restrained. My lapphund much prefers to play with my vallhund, and I suspect that is mostly because he and Erik know each other so well that they can really cut loose. Here is a video in slow motion of a fast wrestling/chase game they were having out on a walk one time. I had to cut out all the pauses because they are not very compatible with slow motion video (unless you want to watch them do nothing much for a minute), but they generally have a mad crazy chase and wrestle for about 15 seconds, then stop and disengage, then back on again. Because they know each other so well, their signals are small. You can see in one part of this video where a new chase bout starts and it seems to be triggered by Kivi simply making a move towards Erik. They were only standing a metre or so away from each other, and Erik bounds in a moment later. In real time, it would have been unclear who started first.
I also love this video because is shows how choreographed a wrestling match can be. In real time, they look like they are making a lot of collisions, but when you watch in slow motion, you can see how they tend to just brush past each other, and seem to move to avoid a lot of contact.
Vic Neumann says
Response to HFR: I feel as you do – I lose track of time when I’m watching any dogs playing and how right you are when you write that “dog play is the cure…”
If you enjoy watching ballet and you love dog play then HFR – this song’s for you…
https://vicnphotos.smugmug.com/Videos/i-fMNPhvB
Opal says
I loved watching this – we have 2 German shepherds that are close in age, if not in size. I regularly see the circle wag from our female, the “mouth fencing,” but also a fun version of the chase game. They’ve even trained our neighbor to wait at a certain spot at the fence between our yards so that they can bring him toys to throw.
We did teach our female, who is the higher drive dog of the two, the command “all done” to let her know when we are done playing. Otherwise she is bringing us balls at all times of the day or night.
Jenny says
I am curious as to why I can’t see any annotations on the video?
Vic Neumann says
Melissa, you helped convince me that the only way to really understand what is going on in canine play is to film it in slow motion. That’s why I did my guys “canine ballet” (linked above) in that mode.
The pause that Kivi and Erik built into their interaction just around the minute mark is so clear. I also noticed that while in normal speed it appears that they are almost biting each other, when you see the play in slow motion it’s apparent that even though Erik’s mouth is frequently open when bouncing into Kivi he never actually closes his jaws. And you’re right, the almost imperceptible signals that are being passed back and forth might be missed in real time. What a great partnership they have – lucky guys!
HFR says
Oh my goodness! That video is wonderful, Vic Neumann! I love how there are two acts. The first with Yulee and Lilly and then the second act starts with Sadie and Vikahn and then they all come together at the end for a curtain call. What a wonderful sight.
Watching the Golden and cocker mix play, I recognized that “appeasement freeze” (if that’s not the name of it, it should be). My older dog does that to my younger dog when he goes too far. She will do this almost chattering nibble biting around his muzzle while softly growling and he will freeze until she stops and then they go back to playing. It’s so clearly a warning of “that’s too far, take a breath and then we can go on”. It’s interesting that my dog is 15 and this one is 14. It’s amazing they are still willing to play at all at that age, but they are also much more confident about reining things in.
Love all the videos!
Oh, and, welcome aboard, Nick!
Trisha says
A note about the annotations on the videos: It turns out that you can’t see them if you are watching on a mobile device. Sigh, there’s just nothing we can do about that right now… the whole desktop/laptop/tablet/phone viewing thing is ridiculously complicated. Big companies spend big bucks to create sites that perform equally on platforms. But we’ll keep working on it.
em says
@Melissa that slow motion video was great! I especially loved seeing the dogs turning their faces so carefully to avoid contact as they executed their open mouthed wresting moves. The precision there is something I suspect that only slow motion could capture. What a treat all these videos have been!
em says
Sorry about the serial post, but Vic Neumann, that slow motion video is wonderful. The black Dane (Sadie?) looks just like a somewhat daintier Otis and fills me with a pang of nostalgia for the female Leo who used to come to the park and play with him. Beautiful.
Mireille says
Ah ok, I thought is was because of me being abroad that I did not see them.. But now (at work, on my computer) I can see them. (yup, took a short play break..)
I do not have much time, so short comment & not able to read all of the above comments. Love to see dogs play and thanks about the annotations. When Shadow and Spot were younger they played quite a lot and we listened to the sounds & looked for breaks & shake off-s or we would intervene before it escalated. At one point Shadow got into the habit of grabbing Spot by the tale base and tackling him during chase play. I wasn’t to happy about it since it seemed risky (Goofy Spot might get injured) and then I also read in one of your posts that that is inappropriate play. So I scolded Shad twice and he hasn’t done it since.
What always amazes me is how they can play in a way that they are each others tugtoy, it looks scary but there is not a single mark on the skin; https://youtu.be/APSnWzY_3p0
& https://youtu.be/oSfWOBHStDU
When I saw the last video, it reminded me of the reasons not to leave collars on the dogs 😉
By the way, I also have a recent video of a “play session” that did not quite go according to plan. I introduced Shadow to a friends Landseer (she is named Dieze). We did not expect many difficulties but it turned out that Shad was very tense. I do not know exactly what caused it (a meeting with Spot actually went better, they also own two other dogs that get along quite well with my two, He had seen Dieze barking at him while on het own territory previously) . We are hoping that all 5 dogs will be okay with each other on walks, but I am a bit hesitant to add other dogs into this mix:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/exgr8tgh8qdd459/MVI_1819.MOV?dl=0
When we started walking it went better, and on the way home they walked like this: https://www.dropbox.com/s/h5u9r55jtln82rw/MVI_1821.MOV?dl=0 so we hope Shad will relax a bit more.
Any criticism & comment welcome!
Trisha says
Mireille: I just had time to watch the first half of the first video (thanks so much for sending), but I do have a comment. Watch it and notice how the people in the video become still and immobile while the dogs are greeting. Neither move until the first shake off and the dogs move off. I’d reverse it–once the dogs are released to greet, move move move yourself. It seems to help greetings a great deal. Make sense?
Wanda says
Nothing more fun than watching dogs play. We have a 4 year old Irish terrier and when our son’s 5 or 6 month old maltese/yorkie comes to visit, my husband and I end up laughing out loud. Quinn is larger than a standard Irish and little Jack loves to ‘wrestle’. Quinn ends up laying flat out on the floor and Jack then attacks. Guess who does most of the ‘wrestling’? If Jack gets too wound up, Quinn just hugs him with both front legs. At one point, I have seen Jack turn Quinn in a complete 360 circle as he lays on the carpet. Quinn often just holds his mouth wide open to encourage Jack to keep playing. Needless to say, Jack goes home a very tired little man, needing a good nap.
Alice R. says
I’m so grateful for all this knowledge, and will put it into play (hee hee) this weekend when my poodle mix has a new play date. He is 11 months and small, not a bully at all, but relentless in wanting to play and touch. Thank you all for the help. I’ve been puzzled at how to handle it without discouraging play or the other dog. Now I think I see: interrupt, play, interrupt, repeat as necessary.
Mireille says
@Trisha yes that does make sense. In fact, that is what we did when we let the other dogs meet, including when Spot met Dieze (the Landseer). I stepped aside to film, and then my friend also froze… Hmm not smart, looking back.
I sometimes feel that I contribute to my dogs uneasiness by stopping when other dogs approach. It is a practical problem sometimes; when I have my dogs on leash and another approaches off leash, I stop to give the other owner a chance to call their dog. But does my freezing give a wrong signal to the dogs then?
And when puppy’s are introduced to new dogs, should owners ‘co-approach’ the other dogs? I have a tendency not to want to interfere, people saying that is f you stay close to your dog, they feel stronger and will escakate sooner to agression. But on the other hand: if I support my dog, could it also be that he stay calmer if agression comes from feeling uncertain?
Reb says
I think this is my favorite post! I sometimes feel a little crazy because i spend so much time watching my dogs the way others watch television… so nice to know there are so many other “crazies” out there 🙂
I’ve tried to get them on video – but it’s difficult when they’re running into a setting sun… this is the daytime version of “Deer and Antelope” game they play most often – at this moment the brown one is also on yard duty so she’s not completely focused on the game. After the squirrel commute ends, the black dog will mosey around the yard with his nose to the ground – looks like he’s grazing – and the brown one will be off somewhere in the shadows waiting to strike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnBAMIseZx0
I’m sure there are a lot of cues and subtle signs i’ve missed, but this is the girl telling him she doesn’t want to play anymore and the boy just not getting it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6qGZ_vtwjs
Vic, thank you for coming back to provide additional comments. VikahnVikahn sounds like a very special dog.
Mireille says
By the way; at least some italians loved to watch dogs play. I saw these lovely statues at the Vatican Museum (and preferred them over the Sixtine Chapel). Unfortunately they are kind of tucked away around a corner but aren’t they lovely?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s2qczhkj2az0h43/IMG_1839.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/sgyvp6251c4fou3/IMG_1837.jpg?dl=0
em says
@Mireille- just my two cents, but I find that it really helps to avoid any stillness unless absolutely necessary when dogs are first meeting. If a dog really looks like a Problem with a capital P, (charging up on you before you can create distance and looking ready to attack) standing still may be unavoidable, but in pretty much any other circumstance, I just keep walking as nonchalantly as possible, circling out to the side if I can to make the meeting less head-on. Since your dogs are leashed and can’t avoid or retreat if an off-leash dog approaches, I think it’s fair that they have the best chance at a comfortable experience, even if that gives the other owner less time to react.
It sounds dumb (and no doubt looks dumb, too, since there’s no way a casual observer would think my dogs are paying any attention when I do it) but I actually find it helps if I smile and say something complimentary (like ‘oh look, what a pretty pup that is’ to my own (dog-friendly) dogs when I see other dogs. I figure that it reminds me to relax and see them as potential friends with whom we may share good experiences, not as dangerous obstacles, and I may be daft as a bag of frogs, but I imagine it helps my dogs to see them that way too, even if just from afar.
Beth says
What lovely play and how fun to watch. I miss watching mine play; Jack decided he didn’t want to play much with other dogs past the age of 5 or so. Maddie still liked chase games but it’s tough for her in the cart. It confuses the other dogs a bit.
Corgis have a tendency to play rough. Jack used to love “let’s stand on our hind legs and fight!” play that is common with boxers, but he got his back stood on one too many times and decided he didn’t like it any more.
Their favorite game, of course, was “You be the runaway cow and I’ll be the Corgi!!” When they were younger, they would run other dogs in big circles for as long as we’d let them. What always amazed me was that even though Corgis have not been actively worked on stock on any large scale in generations, they still have the instinct. They can bisect a circle at full speed and arrive at just the right spot to flank the other dog EVERY time. The Corgi tendency to nip when they get in “herding” mode, though, means that high-speed chase games always needed to be monitored very carefully.
The two Leos are so gentle. Just wonderful to watch.
Trisha says
Great point em about the many ways to model being relaxed. I like the smile idea.. not so much for the dogs (more on the topic of dog’s reading human expression in an upcoming blog), but because em is right, it helps to relax us. I actually used to say, to a dog threatening to rip me into pieces in my office, “Oh, what beautiful white teeth you have!” That was, of course, directed toward me, not the dog. Back to dog greetings: I like to move away from the dogs and clap while I say “Let’s go on a walk!” So many dogs know what that means, and it seems to redirect their attention away from each other, along with having the owners moving away. Just some more thoughts…
Bruce says
Re stillness when dogs meet: I have the opposite problem – Red Dog views meeting a new dog as the Most Wonderful Thing Ever. At the dog park she will race over to a new dog, somehow transmitting “I’m harmless I just want to play” signals while running full speed. Somehow the other dog(s) get the message.
When we meet a dog during on-leash walks, I usually have Red Dog sit and wait (treat reward) while I ask the owner whether their dog would like to interact. The goal is to a) avoid unpleasantness; and b) insert a pause in Red Dog’s brain between “Oh boy, a dog!” and her racing over to greet and play.
@Trisha: Yes, I can vividly remember prattling brightly about “Oh, what a pretty puppy dog” to a few snarling dogs who did NOT merit that description in any way, shape, or form. One was a German Shepherd that I later learned had attacked and bitten several people.
Kat says
@Beth, I too love watching the herding dog instincts in action as the dogs play. One of my fondest memories is of Ranger playing with his Welsh Springer Spaniel pal. He was chasing her and she got the bright idea to run underneath the picnic table because she knew she was small enough to fit and that he was too big. As she shot under the table she looked back to watch Ranger get stopped only to plow into him as she ran out the other side. Her double take was priceless. You could see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to figure out what had just happened. She couldn’t figure out how he could have gone from being behind her to being in front of her. To her it looked like magic although it was simply that herding dog ability to anticipate where to be. The humans laughed so hard. After that she wouldn’t play chase with Ranger anymore just wrestling and side by side running.
Beth says
Kat, I would have loved to see that! I can just picture the Welshie (one of my favorite breeds) going ‘What the heck? You CHEATED!!!” lol
Chris from Boise says
This post and the wonderful videos have inspired me to review the videos we’ve made of Habi (now 11-yr-old BC, struggles with dog-dog social etiquette) after adopting hail-fellow-well-met Obi (now 5 year old BC). It’s been a little over a year now, and ever-so-gradually Obi has taught her how to play nicely. I think it helps that they’re the same breed, so she has some inborn knowledge of BC games. His self-handicapping, extreme forbearance of her bad manners, and overall joy has given her enough confidence to play happily rather than anxiously (which easily tips into aggressive “play”). At first she loved to chase him, but turned fiercely on him when he dared chase her. You can imagine our double-take when, after a few months, we watched her chase him across the yard and behind some shrubs. When they emerged, she was in the lead, running top speed, and he was on her heels – and all was good!
Now all we have to do is figure out how to play the videos in slow motion. Non-techies that we are, we’re looking for a teenager to help…
Lovely post, and lovely comments!
As far as ‘down on the farm”…Way to go, Maggie and Trisha! For cabin fever: at our house, nose-work, puzzles, trick-training, trips to dog-friendly stores, and lots of plain old play. Or getting out on snowshoes – though we have to drive an hour for enough snow, it’s well worth it!
Penny says
Hi, I know this was done in Feb but really wanted to say thank-you. For many years my husband and I lived with two dogs who decided they hated each other (don’t know how else to explain it). They were eventually never allowed even in the same room and it was a horrible experience for all of us. For over a decade we had one dog and when Amber passed on 3 years ago home came Phoenix (staffie/cattle cross). I was determined to stick with one dog but he was lonely when we worked so last year I folded and home came Mimi from the local RSPCA. We met many dogs but she was the one he picked. She is likely Kelpie cross Staffie . Anyway they play- morning, noon and night. Their play really frightened me but now I see even though it seems rougher than what I see here there are many similarities. Perhaps it’s time to relax and let them be dogs… Thank-you.