My dogs don't wear collars at home, so this avoided.
So my girl will be 2 in a month, and ever since she was little, she has LOVED to play and wrestle with other dogs.
My parents have a beagle, and when they were the same size, their wrestling was adorable, and they played very well together.
(you can see Finnegan in the background here)
Now that she is about 5x her size, their wrestling matches have gotten a little more "concerning".
Harbour's FAVOURITE take-down tactic is to grab little Finnegan by his collar and do a fancy "twist and throw" move. This tactic is particularly effective if Finnegan is on the couch, and Harbour is on the ground.
This is dangerous in 2 ways; Finnegan can be strangled and hurt from being thrown down. Also, Harbour can get her teeth/jaw stuck in the collar when twisting it in her mouth. She has also shocked herself by biting and damaging Finnegan's shock collar.
We always make sure to take Finnegan's collar off when Harbour visits, but she improvises by grabbing his neck skin to perform the "twist and throw"
Finnegan does not seem to be bothered by this at all, and he continues to play and wrestle, (his favourite take-down tactic it the "grab leg and and chomp").
When I notice her starting her star-move, I raise my voice slightly and firmly say "Harbour! Collar!" and she will take her teeth off his neck. I'm not sure how "collar" became "the word" but oh well. Sometimes I need to say it twice before she hears me (their playtime is loud). But I'm worried for the times when I am not there to supervise.
Finnegan isn't the only dog she does this to, he's just the easiest example.
If anyone has any tips it would be greatly appreciated.
My dogs don't wear collars at home, so this avoided.
Jen
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Grabbing the neck is not abnormal and the way they play. If you think it is aggressive you need to step in. You should see my 2, you would be horrified! They are playing, no one gets hurt. Maybe she needs to play with someone closer in size and play style to teach her some boundaries.
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Tammy
Maxx and Emma Jean
Ozzy - 10/2002 - 06/2011 - Rest well my sweet boy. You are forever remembered, forever missed, forever in my heart.
I adopted a sharpei mix back in February, they are the same size and they play the exact same way. I'm not overly worried about when they play because they are the same size, I'm more worried for Finnegan since he is only 20 pounds. I can't exactly keep them separate, since they see eachother every weekend. My sharpei plays with Finnegan too, but she isn't nearly as rough with him as her sister.
I have a little terrier mix who is 12 pounds but he is really old and doesn't engage in wrestling, so she leaves him alone.
I usually interject with a firm gentle command and separate them for a minute or so. Usually if it get to rough one of them will run and hide or correct the other one. I don't mind if they rough house but sometimes I think even they forget their limits.
Katie and Kain
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Tucker gets to play with his brother on the weekends. I find it stressful often because they play so hard at 16 weeks. I do break them up sometimes and give them each a toy or something to distract for a few minutes. I also limit their play time because Tucker will get tired and seems to bark and snap more. A couple of weeks ago, Tucker was playing with his brother and hit the picnic table with his head really hard while not paying attention. His eye swelled almost shut. Luckily, everything turned out fine but I am still on edge during hard playtime.
Linus lost his puppy license not too long ago and sometimes Sam gets overstimulated and is too rough. Linus rarely cries but he has little scabs around his neck and recently one turned into a very minor hot spot. So, while it may not bee too rough for Linus, it's too rough for me.
I know when Sam is going to start and I will try to interject but calling them to me, stepping in the middle before an ambush, and then distracting both dogs. If things are getting too rough, I will get treats, call both dogs to me, and ask for a down-stay until they are focused on me and calm. Then treat them and release. This accomplishes several things -- calming them, re-focusing their attention, and listening even when they are busy doing other things. Plus we can practice the down-stay.
I think the key is to get them to settle before it gets rough, which means you need to supervise. If you think they are playing when you are not around, then I would separate them. Either crate one or all, use baby gates, or put one dog in another room behind the door.
My dogs never ever wear collars in the house.
With the size difference, I wouldn't allow that type of rough play. Its not fair play and a 20 pound dog can get hurt. Control it before it reaches that level of excitement
Maxx&Emma (07-22-2014)
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