Is it good for dogs to wrestle with other dogs?
Leon Cummings
2025-06-27 18:57:29
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: 15
There's a huge difference between dogs play wrestling and overt aggression. Fun fighting is very much a natural part of a dog's life, especially when dogs are young. It's their way of sizing each other up, establishing pack order, and maintaining that order - and, of course, it's enjoyable for them. Dogs possess an innate drive to establish pack hierarchy. They wrestle, tug, mouth, pounce, play bite, and even softly growl and yelp. And, this is all okay - as long as the dogs maintain self-control and do not allow their behavior to escalate into outright aggression. The ultimate goal with dog ownership should be to maximize our dog's quality and enjoyment of life, so we certainly don't want to be so strict and unaccommodating that we quench our dog's natural desire to wrestle and play tug of war with their bodies or other objects. We want to provide firm and consistent leadership, but also fair leadership. When it comes to play fighting, the key is deliberate intent. If two dogs are wrestling and one dog accidentally goes a little overboard, you should see that dog immediately back off when the other dog gives a little yelp, for example.
Sasha Krajcik
2025-06-16 15:08:29
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: 7
When we roughhouse with our dog, because we’re not dogs, we don’t master the rules of play and will often bring the excitement level out of control. Playtime with others takes the dogs to very high levels of energy, increasing the chances for things to turn bad. We’re teaching the dog that humans are fun playmates to wrestle with and jump on. If we adopt the dog when we’re young adults, will it be OK for the dog to play this way when we have toddlers or when our friends visit with their children? The dog will not always know the difference and understand when it’s alright to play this way or when it’s not. Any behavior that has the potential to hurt a person can lead to injuries or lawsuits and the dog will pay the consequences. Roughhousing with our dog is a personal choice. If we’re not training for a specific task, in which speed of reaction and hard actions are needed, like in police work, playing with the dog this way could develop those needed drives, but we have to fully understand what behaviors we are encouraging and what consequences could occur over time. Certain movements that we make or things that we say, that are similar to those used during roughhousing could trigger rough responses from the dog. Keeping everybody safe, the family, the visitors and the dog should always be the priority when making the decision to roughhouse or not.
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