My one dog plays to rough with the other?

Question

So I have two dogs. One is a boxer/lab mix and is 3 years old. The other is a Bermese Mnt dog mix and is 4 months old. The two get along fine, but when they play, the older one can be quite rough with the pup. I want to know if I can do anything about this so the older one does not wind up hurting the pup when he plays with him. We rescued the 3 year old dog (we think we was abused) and I think maybe he is playing rough because he was taken away from his mother/litter at a young age so he never learned how to play right. The pup, on the other hand, was rescued from an over crowed shelter, and he was more then likey with his litter till he was old enough to leave. Any ideas?

CDog · Accepted Answer

Teach the dog "gentle." When he gets too rough, correct him. If he won't listen when you verbally correct him, you need to step in and protect the puppy. My puppy gets a little too rough with my tiny cat sometimes, but has learned what "gentle'' means, and will back off when I give the command.

Amy · Answer

If I were you I would clap my hands or say no and make them stop playing when it gets rough. After awhile the boxer mix  and pup will learn to associate that sound or word with calming down. My collies do that but all I have to say is "Girls!" and they stop usually to restart again but softer play. I think its normal because I've have my collies since they were 8 weeks old  
(they are 3 now)and they will snarl at each other once in awhile showing teeth, jumping and leaping in the air. They would never bite each other, its just how they play. Sorta like toddlers they need supervision and need to be taught when enough is enough. :-)

Trending News

My one dog plays to rough with the other?

2 Answers