When to stop play???

[Taren]

we have a 14 week old male and a 12 week old female not bro and sis. im not sure when to stop them from playing. i know they are establishing dominance right now and we try not to stop them until they are both really at each other like both shaking their heads and looking mean. is that the correct time to stop them or are they still playing? my sister in law lives with us too and she is the owner of the female and she always says "HEY" and makes them stop if the female is just growling or if the male bites her or vice versa. and she also stops them if they get each others bones or toys. should i m ake her stop stopping them because if they dont establish dominance now then when they get older they will hate each other and we are planning on breeeding them also. i just let them go at it until it looks serious. what do i do? when will they establish dominance?

 

[kassa]

They're not going to establish dominance for quite a while. Eventually, my guess is that the girl will get what she wants (as it should be ) In the meantime it will probably be situational, assuming they're essentially the same personality type. If one's very laid back it will sort out quick. If both are very pushy, they'll butt heads more. But in a male/female pair it's not likely to be that big a deal, especially if they don't live together and aren't competing full time for toys.

I'd let them play as hard as they want to, provided they both keep coming back for more. At least until your nerves are shot -- then break it up just to have some peace and quiet

Seriously -- they will wrestle and growl and make the most godawful noises. If you interrupt by making a sound across the room and they stop, then BOTH go back immediately to playing, they're fine. If one is desperately trying to get away from the other, break it up.

But at this age they're like little pirates going "Arrrrrrr!" at full voice. Let them use up the energy. Think of them as toddlers running around screaming and rolling around in the yard. Frightening behavior in an adult, good fun in a child. Tired puppies are goooood puppies, and nothing tires them out quicker than wrestling with a fellow puppy!

When one lets out a cry of pain, watch the other's reaction. The other pup should immediately stop and back up. As long as that's happening, they're respecting each other and keeping the play within fair grounds. Biting, to little puppies, is fair game. If they're not crying about it, don't be concerned. Obviously if they're running into furniture or endangering themselves near stairs, etc., you need to step in and keep them safe.

But this is a very important developmental period for learning just how far to push somebody else. Getting that cry of pain and respecting it is crucial. If you always break them up before they reach that point, THAT, as you said, will lead to problems down the line, because they won't know or respect their own strength.

 

[lisabethshaw]

Congratulations on your new puppy!

Hi, Taren-

I agree with Kassa's response. We brought Kali home in late December when Shiva was almost a year old. He weighed 60-65 lbs and was a forceful beast compared to our new 12-14 lb baby! We did introduce them on neutral territory on leashes and watched them very closely when they played together. It looked and sounded mean, but Kali rarely yelped. I separated them for a minute or two when that would happen - it was usually Kali who would go running back to Shiva for more, though!

And while Kali never had a scratch on her, Shiva had cuts and scratches all over his face and neck for about two or three weeks! I felt terrible about it, but he loved it and never wanted to stop playing.

I also have to say that we never had to teach Kali not to nip at our hands or feet and we both suspect it is because she expended her play-biting energies on Shiva and he taught her bite-inhibition. (Sure am thankful to him for that!)

We have so much fun just watching our two play together. Kali is almost 40 lbs now and Shiva is almost 70! Here's a link to the silliest photo in our gallery from a few months ago:

http://www.boxerworld.com/photo/showphoto.php/photo/34250/sort/1/cat/500/page/1

 

[Taren]

i agree with the both of you completly i just cant get this through my sister inlaws head. she always breaks them up and we are planning on breeding them in the future and we want them to know who's boss ya know. but when i am at home i rarely break them up unless they are in danger. i willjsut have to print this off and let her read it. hopefully it will work. shejust makes me so mad when they growl at each other and she yells HEY.

 

[Taren]

those pictures remind me of macie and mav lisabethshaw they are so cute.

 

[JMUFly]

I agree. Let them play... but keep an eye and an ear out for them. If one doesn't respond to the other's yelping, it may be time to step in and act as the momma, teaching the other that if they don't pay attention to that cue, play time will stop.
Another thought... you mention wanting to breed them later. Do you plan on showing them and testing their health? It seems like that is the only way to make sure you are breeding two boxers that are worth breeding. The show judges are the only ones qualified to say "yes, this is what a boxer should look/act like" and "this boxer is worth breeding". On top of that, it takes several different judges opinions to get a champion boxer!
We have a TON of dogs out there that need adopting, so for the sake of the breed, we should only be breeding the best and the healthiest dogs!
-stepping down from the soap box-
Dave

 

[Taren]

JMUFLY-they are only 14 weeks and 12 weeks. yeah we will get them tested before we breed them. we are not positive if we are gong to breed them but are thinking about it. we are responsibile people and are not going to do something that will not be successful and healthy. we are going to have everything done before we decide.