Growling while playing with other dogs

[maggiesmommy]

Since all the doggers here have given me such excellent answers about all my BC-related questions... I've got one more.

Maggie has recently-- just in the last two days-- started growling while playing with other dogs (wrestling, tug-of-war, etc.). The rest of the body language has remained playful-- play-bows, wagging tail, loose body language. I think it's something she learned from some of her friends at the dog park and she's imitating their behavior.

 

In the past, she only growled when she felt threatened, and I didn't discourage it because it was her way of signaling that another dog's behavior (like mounting her or playing too rough) was unacceptable.

When I've heard her start growling during play, I've gently pulled her away from the play and made her sit/stay for about 30 seconds before telling her "okay" and letting her play again. I don't want her to growl while playing because if it IS aggression, it needs to stop, and if it's NOT aggression, I don't want other owners mistaking it for aggression.

She's never had any problems with aggression toward other dogs before, so if this is aggression, it's new. She normally gets along very well with other dogs.

Is this a behavior that you would be cautious of, or try to stop? Is the way I'm handling it, by isolating her for a few moments, a good way to handle this?

[GentleLake]

Lots of dogs play growl during play. When 2 of my dogs play it sounds like an all out battle, but it's purely play. It's just like kids playing army . . . lots of noise but no injuries.

 

When dogs are playing they have a built in mechanism to keep things from escalating and getting out of hand. If you watch, you'll notice that every few minutes the play will stop for just a couple of seconds before it resumes. Sometimes in that moment, one or both dogs will sneeze, yawn, shake off or look away for a brief second. These are all calming signals, letting each other know that this isn't a real fight. When the signals are accepted, play resumes. The extra signals aren't always given, but there should still be brief, regular pauses during play. It's when the breaks don't happen that you need to be concerned that it can erupt into real spats.

 

I'd say to watch while they're playing and if Maggie's playing with dogs and this doesn't happen, then definitely break up the play for a cooling off period.

 

As long as it stays friendly, leave them alone to enjoy their fun.

[urge to herd]

Oy, my 3 dearly missed border collies all growled ferociously when wrestling. It concerned me at first, and I'd pull whichever ones were involved apart for a minute.

 

They'd go back at it, with the jumping and the rolling and the bitey face. At some point, one of them had had enough or gotten an ear pinched too forcefully. The tone of growl changed immediately, as did the body language. This was a serious, don't-you-do-that-anymore! sort of growl. Once you hear it, it's quite distinctive.

 

One of the things someone, maybe from this board, recommended was to pull the dogs apart, then release them after just a couple seconds. If they go right back to it, tails wagging gaily, eyes sparkling, then they're playing. Another thing is to watch and see if they change positions/roles. So if it's all about wrestling and one dog is on the bottom, then the other one, then it changes again, it's play.

 

If it's a chase game, and they change up who chases and who is being chased regularly, it's play. If one dog is always being chased, or is trying to hide from the other dog, not play.

 

I love having one dog, it's very easy compared to having 3 dogs and 2 cats. But I really, really miss watching Extreme Bitey Face competitions in my very own living room. Some day . . .

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs, who is very playful with his dog park friends

[maggiesmommy]

Okay, thanks so much for the help!!! I was really worried about it.

[Gloria Atwater]

I had a BC girl in for training who made all sorts of horrible noises when wrestling with our Aussie. It was all play, though, and everybody had a great time. Some dogs just become vocal in play.

Do continue to monitor her play, though, since the behavior is new, and if you hear or see any real escalation, then you'll know to time her out a bit. But you'll be able to tell soon if it's just a new twist to her fun. If the other dogs don't mind, it's all good.

~ Gloria

[Alchemist]

Ross was playing with a pup a few months older than he was the other week. The other pup's owner was a bit worried when he was growling. I pointed out it was accompanied by a play bow, a wagging tail, a 'happy mouth', and clear encouragements to the other pup to play.

 

A little while later, he found a bone, which he wanted to keep to himself. The tone of the growl changed, and rather than moving happily toward the other pup, he turned his back and hunched to keep it away from her. (Whereupon I took it away from him, as I do not permit resource guarding of food items).

 

Worlds of difference in his tone and body language. You have to pay attention to the whole package.

 

Both Duncan and Ross vocalize when playing "bite face". Ross will also do some play growls if he finds a pine cone or something and he's trying to lure Duncan into a game of "keep away" while we're hiking. Duncan always turns and gives me this puzzled look. Duncan vocalizes when he's happy, or when he wants something, and will "sing" (yodel) on command. It's fun to see the similarities and differences.

 

 

One of the things someone, maybe from this board, recommended was to pull the dogs apart, then release them after just a couple seconds. If they go right back to it, tails wagging gaily, eyes sparkling, then they're playing. Another thing is to watch and see if they change positions/roles. So if it's all about wrestling and one dog is on the bottom, then the other one, then it changes again, it's play.

 

If it's a chase game, and they change up who chases and who is being chased regularly, it's play. If one dog is always being chased, or is trying to hide from the other dog, not play.

 

Love these suggestions! You might also enjoy the book (or DVD) by Turid Rugaas called "Calming Signals". It's a great way to being to learn dog body language. Patricia McConnell's books also have some useful tips on how to read dog body language.

[alligande]

My dog goes next door often to play with a former foster dog, since mine is now an only dog these two thoroughly enjoy having each other to romp with, but if you heard them without seeing them you would wonder when the blood was going to start to flow.

[Sue R]

My dog goes next door often to play with a former foster dog, since mine is now an only dog these two thoroughly enjoy having each other to romp with, but if you heard them without seeing them you would wonder when the blood was going to start to flow.

 

When Megan and Dan get to tugging, the sound she makes is unearthly. It's unlike any growl I've ever heard, sort of like a squealing growl. His is low and masculine. Between the two of them, you'd think something was being killed. All good fun and they both know to call it quits when it gets more intense. I love watching them.

[alligande]

 

When Megan and Dan get to tugging, the sound she makes is unearthly. It's unlike any growl I've ever heard, sort of like a squealing growl. His is low and masculine. Between the two of them, you'd think something was being killed. All good fun and they both know to call it quits when it gets more intense. I love watching them.

There is nothing better than watching 2 dogs who are friends play, they seem to create their own games and rules and outsiders are not welcome as they don't know the rules. We had a flat coat house guest recently and she just stood on the sidelines trying to figure out how she could join in the game.

I loved watching the youngster grow up and learn that he did not always need to loose every wrestling match, and develop his own techniques in trying to beat his smaller but much more devious older brother. One of the worse parts of only having one dog is not getting to watch my boys play.

[Sue R]

I also enjoy the fact that many dogs will "adjust" the game to suit the dog they are playing with. Dan doesn't tend to give much quarter but since Megan is about 2/3 his weight, I know that he's not always putting his everything into the game. He will seem to give her a bit of advantage, then he will apply his weight for a bit, and then back again. Both enjoy the game to the max.

 

Megan is clever - she likes the "high ground" and so will generally maneuver so that she can hop up on the couch, which gives her quite the advantage.

 

While all this, noise and action and whatnot, is going on, Celt is on the sidelines - he'd like to be part of the game but it's not really his style to be so rowdy. Maybe he's just a cheerleader at heart.

 

Megan is a flirt and not faithful at all. She and Celt were best buds and playpals when they were young. They played a lot and often, and it would get intense, but they'd always stop and step back when things began to ramp up a bit too much in intensity. When Bute came along as a pup, she switched her play to him and forgot to ever play with Celt. When Dan came along as a pup, she dropped Bute and switched to Dan. I guess she's just a cougar when it comes to picking her playmates. Even though Dan is now 4 1/2, he's still the youngster of the bunch and gets the playtime with Megan.

 

It is such fun to watch the way they conduct their lives and their social interactions.

[mum24dog]

I love to watch my little mongrel and my terrier play fight at the ages of 13 and 11 and it gets very noisy.

 

The terrier likes to play fight but he flips over on his back voluntarily so the other dog can pretend to pin him by the throat, but she prefers playing tug and tries to get him to play her game by pushing a toy in his face.

 

She is the only dog he ever plays with but she has other games for different dogs that take her fancy. She has a preference for hairy dogs as playmates for some reason. She can be a bit rough though so I have to keep an eye on how the other dog is taking it.

[G. Festerling]

When my new BC pup came home at 8 weeks, she instantly was drawn to my 6 year old overbearing and quite obnoxious GSD. When they play it sounds like war. It is also advisable to not stand in the way (which is almost impossible as they migrate with you) since they are ruthless and will take out anyone in their way. No one is allowed to join. Which is fine, no one really wants too!

[BCjetta]

Isn't it funny how they always gravitate as close as they can to your legs when they're playing rough? Tess, Turbo and their friend Enzo all growl while playing with each other. Tess and Enzo take turns being the one growling, its never both at the same time - its whoever is being the "aggressor" at the time. Turbo growls or barks most of the time but then again he's always the aggressor, he doesn't let himself be in a position of submission.

[5Bordercollies]

My mom always says she can tell when I've entered the yard. My two youngest girls start what sounds like WW3. But it's actually all good fun and sounds VERY different than when their mother and my eldest bitch really fight. When you learn to hear the difference, you can wake up in the middle of the night from hearing dogs growling and immediately tell if it's play or serious. And then there's that growl they says "you have something I want" usually a poor hapless hedgehog.

[GentleLake]

Isn't it funny how they always gravitate as close as they can to your legs when they're playing rough?

 

I thought exactly the same thing! What's up with that, anyway?

[Murray Momma]

Murray was never a growler at the dog park, but now that we have Hank… Hooowee! They really get into playing and it’s all high pitched play barks, growls, air snaps and general debauchery. As Hank is short enough to stand completely under Murray, his corgi roots shine and he tries to herd from his vantage point. Murray just busts out a play growl and sits on Hank's head. Then Murray needs to flop on the floor so Hank can feel like the Top Dog (from the height of his 6" legs). If they're playing tug, same story but they're going to take out anyone walking by at the knees. I thought much of their play was aggression to start, as neither had lived with another dog. We figured out it was borderline aggression as Murray had no idea how to read dog body language (What a weird critter only puppies are - does anyone else have one?) and once he learned what Hank was up to, he mirrors the actions. You’d think I was running a two dog fighting ring some nights… I swear I am not! At the end of play, both boys flop on my feet and lick each other’s face. Such sweet monsters.

 

[Sue R]

Isn't it funny how they always gravitate as close as they can to your legs when they're playing rough?

 

I think that's because they are putting you "on their side" and thinking it confers an advantage...

[G. Festerling]

Hmmm... Sue, never thought of it that way. Now, how do I pick sides?