How do I know if my dog is playing too rough with other dogs?

If two dogs are wrestling and it seems too rough to you, with all that growling and snarling, body-slamming, and biting of each other’s necks, should you intervene. There are different physical cues that signal that dogs are playing. If they have a big, silly, open-mouthed grin, that’s already a good start. Often, their movements will be exaggerated: bouncy movements, and even exaggerated growling. Dogs may do the “play bow” when playing, where their front end is down, and back end is in the air. If dogs voluntarily make themselves vulnerable by “falling” down, they’re probably playing. By exposing their bellies to another dog, they are being particularly vulnerable. Dog play and dog fighting can sometimes look similar, but there are tell-tale signs to differentiate between them. Dog’s bodies when they’re upset or feel threatened by another dogs will become very stiff. Their hackles, which is the hair on their upper backs, are raised. If your dog has long hair, this may be harder to spot. Their growls will be different too. They will have low warning growls, closed mouths, and curled lips. Dogs are trying to get away from one another, or at least one probably is, and their body language reflects that. They won’t be happy and bouncy. Instead, their tail may also be tucked underneath them. A dog that feels threatened will have quick and efficient movements. They won’t be bouncing around, and definitely won’t be “taking turns” like they did when they were playing. Always watch dogs that are playing too, in case their play turns more serious.

When dogs are romping happily together, their bodies are like limp noodles. Tails may wag in loose arcs, and mouths may hang open. When a dog becomes tense, his body stiffens. In play, although the tail is wagging, it may be held high and be moving stiffly from side to side, be lowered and moving quickly back and forth within a small radius, or even be tucked between the dog’s legs. When a dog’s body goes stiff and that “happy mouth” closes—he may be staring at another dog or taking offense to something a dog is doing as this happens—this is called a “freeze.” Watch for freezes in your dog and others, along with the other body language mentioned. If you notice a freeze or tense body language, stay alert and ready to intervene if necessary. As far as the play itself, one thing to be wary of is speed and intensity. It is a lot easier for play to boil over into aggression when things are becoming fast and furious. Are the dogs racing around the park? The more dogs that are involved, the more potential danger. Also, the more vertical the play gets, especially where dogs are standing on their hind legs and mouth wrestling, the more potential for danger. And, watch for actions dogs may take offense to, such as humping, hip bumping or slamming, and placing a head over another dog’s neck or shoulder area.

Normal play between dogs will involve a lot of rough and tumbling, often high pitched ‘yips’, growls and snarls. Play fighting may involve leg nipping, neck pulling and lots of tumbling from both dogs – and if you watch carefully dogs will take turns at being ‘winners’ and ‘losers’. However, if the play seems one sided, it is time to step in and calm the situation down. Here a few behaviours to watch for that may indicate things are getting a little too heated. Growling becomes low, long and ferocious sounding. Stiff posturing. Lip curling and glazed stares. Running away with tail tucked up. Distressed yelping. Lip licking, turning away, retreating. If play turns too rough, dogs can become mildly stressed. Therefore, it is a good idea to separate the dogs for a short while so that tension levels can drop. It is also important to be especially observant if the dogs at play of differing sizes. It may seem obvious, but a larger dog can quickly easily hurt a smaller dog, even in normal play.