Expert: Alan J Turner, SATS LL1 - 11/9/2006

Question
I have a 10 month old German Wirehaired Pointer that I got when he was 6 months old.  Blitz has been a typical teenager, stealing socks, testing me on what he can get away with, etc. Finally now he is beginning to settle down and become a really nice, obedient dog.  My only problem with Blitz is that he seems to be socially challenged when it comes to playing with other dogs, he wants to play with them but he gets too aggressive in trying to engage.  He uses his feet and smacks them and is too mouthy, sometimes even nipping.  He's not aggressive towards other dogs when he goes out on a leash, and the behavior seems to be limited to play.  I would really love for him to be able to run around and play with other dogs in a fenced area, but he's getting too rough to be able to play with the other dogs.  If you have any ideas as to what I could do to change this behavior it would be greatly appreciated!

Answer
Dear Lindsey,
Thanks for the question. Dogs play rough with other dogs, some rougher than others. The behaviors you describe sound like normal behaviors. What do the other dogs do when Blitz plays rough?

Has there ever been any injuries inflicted or dog fights?

Are you sure it's not just normal rough-dog play?
Here are some things to watch when dogs play.

1) they take turns at "being on top" one will be on top of the other and then they will switch up and trade places. In other words they take turns. One will be submissive and one the aggressor, then they switch roles. This is normal dog play.

2) Neither of them is hiding or desperately trying to get away from the other. If one pup is constantly hiding behind something or someone or getting his whole body real low to the ground whenever the other dog heads his way, he might be truly scared. On the other hand if he keeps going back for
more, he is probably having doggie fun!

3) look for play "bows". if either dog has his or her rear end up and his or her front feet and head are down, that is an invitation for play. The dog that bows is saying, "Hey, let's play!".

Changing or teaching a dog how rough to play is quite a task - not impossible but much more than I can cover here. Buy the book, FIGHT! by Jean Donald. She explains in detail how to help dogs that play so rough it escalates into a fight.

Happy Training!
AT