Rough Play

[IzzyTheWhite]

I have read many books that say not to allow any biting and to walk away whenever she starts to bite during play. My problem is that I like to play a little rough with her (no where near abusive) and she seems to like it as well. It is not so much me playing rough with her but me allowing her to play rough with me. I would like to know if anyone is in the same boat as me and if so how it is going or how it went. My concerns are that my wife and I want to have a child in the next year or so and I want to know if I am raising my dog to be aggressive because I absolutely do not want that.
I do have to say she is not always in rough play mode. She is usually a very calm dog and our obedience training is going super for a pup of 3 months. It is just usually just before bed and lasts about 15 minutes. I appreciate any feedback.

 

[gmacleod]

Playing roughly is not a big issue - providing the dog is taught appropriate boundaries AND to stop immediately instructed to. And you *must* teach her bite inhibition. Mouthing you in play is one thing, but putting any pressure into the bite is another. Understanding the power of her own jaws and the incredible fragility of human skin is one of the most (possibly the most) important lessons of a dog's life. Most especially one that is to be around children.

Here is an excellent article that tells you why this is so important, and how to go about teaching her. It's NOT about preventing her from using her jaws. If you don't let her bite, how on earth can she learn not to bite hard? In fact, it's imperative that puppies bite so that they can learn the lessons we need them to: http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm

 

[billbgh]

I don't play hard with my boys and don't encourage other family members to do so either. My reasoning is that I always have dogs that like to test me every so often and I don't want it to scare me, thus giving the dog power over me.(That may not have come across correctly) My nephews will start to play rough with Apollo when they come over, they wrestle on the floor with him and whatnot. He will start to try to dominate them, so I have to tell them not to play with him this way. He is an extremely intelligent dog and thinks that I will let this type of behaviour slide when they've been over. I then have to start being more regimented with him(he can't lay in the chair with me and so on because he starts to think that he's moving up in the ranks). I am not saying to not play rough with him, but if you are considering having children then consider that he may feel higher in the pack and that could cause concern. Sorry this is so long.

Erin
Apollo & Rocky's mom