Boxerlove Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 I have two boxers, a 3 year old girl called Ruby and an 18 month old boy called Archie. Ruby, from as early as I can remember has always been incredibly vocal when she plays, always growling whether it be with another dog or with me (tug of war etc). Now I was fully aware when she was a puppy that what people perceived as 'cute' back then would definitely not be what they perceived when she got older, so I tried for many years to stop the behaviour. I usually did this by not allowing play to get out of hand i.e too excitable and when it did (which never took too long for her) I would remove her from play and make her sit until she had calmed down. FAIL!! Ruby could go from being fast asleep to play growling within seconds. Now the problem arises whenever other dogs are around my two when they are playing. They play like typical boxers, bumping chests etc etc but both growl at each other. Other dogs often mistake the growling as aggression and get involved or other dog owners panic thinking they are fighting. WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THIS as everything i've tried has failed. I often think, why bother changing it, my dogs are definitely not being aggressive towards each other and I know they are just having a great time, however I don't like other people being nervous around them as they are absolute pussy cats really. Has anybody else got a dog/dogs that do this and if so, have you ever managed to stop it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 it's how dogs play, just like kids scream at each other when playing, doesn't mean they are going to kill each other - that is the point you need to educate in other people, if they don;t like you dogs playing then they can move away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverStar-Aura Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 Some dogs are just vocal about their play -- you should see my little Aussie Terrier Kirah playing, she sounds completely feral. The biggest things to look for is their body language -- when my two are both play fighting, their tails are wagging, one or both bark at the other in the play bow and their ears are pricked up. It also helps that my boy Zeus has this extremely happy goofy face! If other owners are getting anxious over what you know is play, I'd be inclined to stay away from these people -- it's clear they can't read dog body language. If other dogs are getting agro because of your guys play fighting, stay away. Those situations can turn nasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinabean Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 it's how dogs play, just like kids scream at each other when playing, doesn't mean they are going to kill each other - that is the point you need to educate in other people, if they don;t like you dogs playing then they can move away The Boxer play-style can be disconcerting to people (and dogs) who haven't seen it before. :laugh: Yours sound quite normal to me Boxerlove. I doubt you can train them not to growl while playing. That said, I'm pretty selective about my dog interacting with others as I know he could easily 'offend' other dogs with his goofy play-style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 My Lab makes the scariest noises when playing - but it's normal for her... and she's taught the camp dog and latest pup how to play "loud" tooo... nothing more annoying when I'm trying to watch TV and they are playing bitey face on the couch next to me... *sigh* T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 it's how dogs play, just like kids scream at each other when playing, doesn't mean they are going to kill each other - that is the point you need to educate in other people, if they don;t like you dogs playing then they can move away The Boxer play-style can be disconcerting to people (and dogs) who haven't seen it before. :laugh: Yours sound quite normal to me Boxerlove. I doubt you can train them not to growl while playing. That said, I'm pretty selective about my dog interacting with others as I know he could easily 'offend' other dogs with his goofy play-style. The boxer play style isn't unique to the breed, lots of large dogs play in the same way, my giants play like this as do other simmilar breeds. One of the first things we teach at our foundation/puppy course is to watch the pups play and look at the body language and sounds so we can see if it is serious or just noisy play - educate those around you and they won't be so uptight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 Kivi and Erik are kind of embarrassingly full on when they play. Occasionally someone is like "Are you SURE they're playing? Really? Are you sure??" and I show them how if we split them up they both try to get back to each other for another rumble. Most of the time, though, people just stop and watch them with a smile. It's quite a spectacle. Kivi will grab Erik's tail and use it to yank him off his feet, Erik cannons into Kivi's side, bowls him over, and pretends to disembowel him. Sometimes Erik gets really intense and makes some pretty scary noises. I say "Gently!" and probably about 70% of the time he'll reign himself in a touch. I will break it up if he doesn't. I wouldn't want them to stop making all noises, though. It's not fair. They are having fun and watching them play always puts a smile on my face. Maybe people are more accepting because I have cute, cuddly looking dogs, but if people were less accepting, to hell with them. Never had much of a problem with other dogs getting riled about the crazy play. They stay out of the way or they dance around trying to keep up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DobieMum Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 My Dobie talks rather than growls. Sorry to the staffy owners, but it's like staffy talking. It's usually only when he's excited, but if he is... Something he'll do and almost strangulated sound and that's when other owners will look at me weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 Try getting a Jack Russell or a Foxy - i currently own both and have owned and rescued many. Quite a few of them are growlers. Last week i rehomed a very Poodle like cross but he was crossed with a Foxy I thought and he was also a growler. For rescuers, it is very important to point this out to new owners and for dog owners, it's important to know that growling at certain times can be problematic and those situations (ie with other dogs) have to be managed. There is nothing you can do about it unfortunately, except manage the situations that you take the dog into. My old Foxy who died of a brain tumour was a phenomenal communicator, by growling. He was talking to me but in the dog park, you could see how it could become a problem so i only went to very large ones and kept away from other dogs. only fostered gentle dogs that soon learned he was not nasty ... just vocal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 Sounds perfectly normal Boxer play to me, my GSD and whippet play in the most noisy fashion I am sure people would think the GSD is savaging the Whippet. Most of the noise and rough housing is the Whippet though :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 (edited) My girl is very vocal & has been since a puppy. She growles loudly, teeth snapping almost constantly when playing either with me or my other BC. Even when she is running along on her own, she is growling the whole time. Just think it's all the excitment & adreniline. I have had people stare in horror as they think she's being aggressive but she is just well, being Stella :) Personally I wouldn't be concerned. Just being dogs. Edited November 23, 2012 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 My two dogs "play fight"..the growling, the rounding each other up & the punching with the left hook is their way of playing, cause they are best of buddies. It only happens when we are with them & of course we keep an eye on it & if it gets a little out of hand, we stop it. We don't let them do it when other dogs are around & we don't let them play with other dogs either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booge Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I have a boxer called Archie too. He's nearly 7 and is pretty over the top in his "playing". He growls loudly during a tug of war and is very physical when playing with new dogs. It has caused me to worry a lot about his interactions with dogs over the years. But now I've just accepted (after many years!) that's the way he plays. So I'm more cautious who I let him off lead with as some dogs (and owners) can take it the wrong way. They're an interesting dog to own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Lili is feral when she's play fighting. Very loud and nasty sounding. Mosley is practically silent :laugh: They play like idiots and there's lots of body slamming and throat ripping out :laugh: I would just assure people this is normal and if they don't like it they can always leave, don't worry about it :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 (edited) I've got a temporary resident puppy at the moment and it has been really interesting to watch him interact with my ESS bitch. He is a bold, happy go lucky little fella (aka complete PITA :laugh: ) and Em's growling and snarling has progressed from a clear "my ears are NOT a tug toy so bugger off you little sh!t!!!" to full on playing and mega zoomies. Not much about her growling and mouthing has changed and Mr TSD thought she still didn't want a bar of him. What HAS changed is the lack of tension around her face - especially around her eyes - and, of course, lots of sneezing and body shaking to take the edge off. A bit OT but I've really enjoyed trying to pick out the subtleties of play. Edited November 24, 2012 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjelkier Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 My Samoyeds sound really aggressive when they play. I've never tried to stop them. They're having fun and I know no ones getting hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianca.a Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Yep my two GSDs sound like they want to kill each other when they play bitey-face! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now