How to correct rough play in dogs?

To get your dog to play nicely with others, you need to become very familiar with canine body language so that you can notice when tensions are first starting to build. 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, and when a dog's body goes stiff and that happy mouth closes, this is called a freeze. If you notice a freeze or tense body language, stay alert and ready to intervene if necessary. If you notice that your dog is becoming overexcited or playing too roughly, or that other owners are becoming concerned, create an enforced break in the action by calling your dog to you. If your dog does not have a solid recall to the point that he will come to you even when playing with another dog, practice at home first, then work outdoors, gradually adding distractions as your dog is successful. If you do create an enforced play break, it needn't be long, just long enough for your dog and others to calm down. If things have escalated to the point where it looks as though there may be an actual fight, call your dog to you or, if he doesn't yet have a solid recall, calmly walk over and take hold of him.

If the play seems one sided, it is time to step in and calm the situation down. 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 helpful if your dog knows basic commands, as this will make it easier to intervene if dog play becomes too rough. ‘Leave’, ‘sit’ and ‘down’ are all useful cues for your dog to learn. Neutering is an option if you find you have an excessively boisterous male dog, as this may help to calm things down. Watch out for signs and try to stop rough play before it begins. If you feel you might be dealing with a more serious behaviour issue involving frequent, or sudden aggression during social play, it would be wise to consult your vet. Significant behavioural problems involving excessive aggression can be dealt with by an experienced trainer, or behaviourist, after physical signs have been ruled out. Always make sure training is positive.

To correct rough play in dogs, it’s critical that you train your dog to stop an unwanted behavior once it begins, and especially one where you, your dog, or your family members can get hurt. The purpose of this type of training is to provide your dog with proper socialization. Make sure you are in a calm mindset and remain patient and consistent throughout the training session. It may be helpful to have a toy or tennis ball on hand as tools to use for training or even a head halter. Whatever your dog’s circumstance, she can be trained to stop rough play by following any of these effective training methods. Remember that if you find yourself becoming angry or frustrated, stop training and take a break. Any negative emotion or action used toward your dog during this type of training is counterintuitive and will only cause more problems. Keep a positive attitude, and soon your dog will be able to play gently.

To correct rough play in dogs, you must teach your puppy to be gentle with hands, and that nipping results in unpleasant consequences for her. Teach your puppy that nipping turns off any attention and social interaction with you. After a nip, look your puppy right in the eye, and yell, “Ouch!” as though you’ve been mortally wounded, then ignore her. Leave the room if you must, but ignore her until she’s calm, then try the chew bone and petting method again. Nipping and mouthing hands can also be discouraged by loosely holding your puppy’s lower jaw between your thumb and forefinger after she’s taken your hand in her mouth. Don’t hurt her by squeezing too hard, just gently hang on so that wherever her mouth goes, your hand hangs on. A third alternative is to wear cotton gloves coated with a substance with an unpleasant taste such as Bitter Apple. Remember that any of these three methods will probably not be effective unless you work hard to teach your puppy the right behavior by offering her an acceptable chew toy. Redirect your puppy’s chewing onto acceptable objects by offering her a small rawhide chew bone or other type of chew toy whenever you pet her. Rawhide and other bones should only be given when you can monitor your puppy to prevent choking. Attempts to tap, slap or hit your puppy in the face for nipping or jumping up are almost guaranteed to backfire. Never play tug-of-war or wrestling games with your puppy if you’re having a nipping problem.