The majority of dog owners seem to fall into two camps when it comes to play between dogs:

1. Those who are quite anxious about dog-dog play and fear that any form of mouthy or boisterous behaviour is aggressive and of great concern

2. Those who are quite blazé about dog-dog play and assume that the dogs will just ‘sort themselves out’ and humans do not need to intervene

It is my view that neither of these extremes is particularly helpful (or correct).

Of course, it is not helpful to over-react or feel anxious every time your dog is playing but, equally, allowing uninterrupted or unsupervised play is often a recipe for disaster, as this can have long-term consequences for both dogs involved. Yes, believe it or not, the ‘pushy’ dog can be negatively impacted long term, as well as the less pushy dog. I have worked with many older dogs (from both sides of the fence) who have behavioural issues, quite likely aggravated by inappropriate play.

So, what should you be looking for?

Appropriate play involves turn-taking, mirroring, 'listening' to the other dog and relaxed/ loose/ bouncy movements.

Inappropriate play may involve body slamming, pinning, ganging-up, being 'pushy' and ignoring the other dog's communication signals.

If you feel that play has become inappropriate, don't hesitate to step in. You can give the dogs a break from each other for a moment and allow the arousal level to lower a little before giving the dog which appeared to be the less 'pushy' in the situation the opportunity to choose whether to go back and play again or, if one of the dogs appeared to be intimidated (remember this could equally be shown by them cowering/ rolling over or them snapping at the other dog to get them to back off), just get them out of the situation.

The video below is a useful visual guide:

For clarity, please note that 'humping' in play is not always about 'dominance', it is also often seen in dogs that are a bit overwhelmed or over-excited and just don't know what to do with themselves (either way, I'd still interrupt it).

Look out for these behaviours next time your dog plays and step in as necessary to ensure that everyone is having fun.

I hope this helps!

If you do want more advice from a professional dog trainer then get in touch below

Claire x