What is safe play?
Dogs playing together fulfils an important social need, but can you recognise when play is escalating into something less safe?
Here’s a quiz for you!
Imagine two dogs playing together. Can you identify what would constitute unsafe play? This means that the play may be developing into fighting, not pretending. Only one answer is correct.
- The dogs chase each other
- One dog seems more excited than the other
- They are grabbing each other’s necks
- They are performing air snaps (biting at the air)
Unfair you might say! If there are other things going on, all of them could be if-y. But indulge me. Pick one!
Chasing each other can be okay: often one dog prefers to be chased over another, or both dogs will take it in turns. One dog might seem more willing and engaged than the other – again this is okay if the play encounter is brief enough. Performing air snaps is normally okay too. This is a dog’s ultimate survival instinct and practicing their ability to self-defend. Biting empty air on purpose is a dog’s way of saying I can do this, but no way am I going to actually bite you.
So the answer is 3). Even two friendly dogs in the same household who exhibit this behaviour should be encouraged to play in a different way. It only takes a small increase in the jaw tension for this to start becoming dangerous. Nor can the other dog easily move away from this hold. It may not even be intentionally directed, i.e. aggressive, but merely from over-excitement. But if this is allowed to continue, at the very least the dogs will learn this to be an acceptable behaviour. If they then try this on another dog in the park, the outcome will likely not be a good one.
Try this one. Same question, what is unsafe play, but here, more than one answer is correct:
- One dog uses body-blocking
- One dog is always dominant and on top when the other is on their back
- Both dogs are rather entangled with each other for more than a few seconds but both seem quite calm
- One dog barks at the other’s face
The correct answer is all of them. If one dog uses their body weight to block the other dog’s escape, or to constantly pin it to the ground, this is not good. Neither are the longer silent entanglements: there can be skullduggery going on here but because it’s quiet, it may not be obvious. (A much noisier example but the same thing – think of a rugby scrum!) And even demand barking (play with me!) that is in the other dog’s face, well, that’s just rude and may elicit an aggressive response. Lower, aggressive barking: same thing, amplified.
A common question
A significant number of people I train have two or more dogs in the household (about 25% in fact). A question that often crops up during an assessment or training itself is regarding play. In other words, when the dogs play together and it seems to be getting increasingly out of control, at what point does the human intervene? Is the play safe? Is it safe for the human to break it up? The same thing applies to a single dog who enjoys playing with a buddy in the park. There is often an unspoken, questioning glance between the two owners as the play continues, develops and becomes more excitable: is this okay now, do you think?
Recognise safe play
The easiest thing to do is to recognise what safe play looks like. A common thread is that the play is roughly equal: both dogs take it in turns to be on top, chase or appear more ‘dominant’. So it’s a question of balance. Chasing itself or being on top is okay, as long as the dogs swap roles. It will never be exactly 50/50, but don’t settle for more than 60/40.
The other thing to do is recognise your dog’s body language. And this is why play is so good for training yourself to learn your dog’s emotional state by their body language. When you are outside you can still do this when you are chatting to the other owner. But let’s pay attention! Fun and safe play that might be okay for a few minutes does not become okay if one dog decides they have had enough. Things to look out for here would be when one dog shows submissive behaviour:
- Repeatedly rolling on their back
- Lowering their ears against their head
- Averting their gaze
- Making their body smaller: lowering themselves close to the ground
- Moving their tail lower or between their legs (more extreme)
- Trying to move away (Flight)
By proxy, if the other dog is pretty much doing the opposite: blocking access, making their body stiffer and larger, and so on, it is time to stop.
Another time to stop is when one dog starts a warning rather than a submissive behaviour: beginning to growl (or growl lower), bark, and so on.
What about puppies?
An important aspect of socialisation is for a puppy to learn for themselves how to read another dog’s body language and listen to their vocalisations. Play is hugely important not just as an outlet but also for their social skill development. A more mature dog will often tolerate a puppy play-pestering them and then tell them enough is enough! This is a highly valuable scenario for puppy learning, but do make sure you know the other dog and that the play here is closely supervised by both owners.
How long is too long for safe play?
I am generalising here but two dogs playing outdoors for longer than five minutes, or two dogs from the same household for longer than ten minutes, need a Time Out! Why?
- Think about where YOU are in this triangle. The longer and more intense play becomes, the less significant you are.
- Even with the most benign intentions, dogs can over-arouse themselves into a more frenzied state, and here you will have a problem. The longer play goes on for, the more likely this is to happen.
So it’s healthy to intervene and suggest a break.
How do you intervene?
It’s never advisable to try to get between two dogs playing. And chasing them or moving towards them will be ineffective. Guess what, they are having a good time and they are usually faster than you!
If you are out in public, using one or all of a Recall, Wait, This Way etc. along with a reward will go a long way, as will moving yourself away from your dog in the other direction.
If you are home, it is a perfect time to first try another distraction with some toys and/or a treat reward for a Sit etc. It’s actually good training (obedience under distraction) but it’s also important to let play re-commence so your dogs do not always associate your intervention (i.e. you) with always meaning play stops. No fun!
When you do have to stop it, whether outside or inside, do give them a treat for doing something else instead. And for when you are outside, remember your dog will be highly aroused. They may want to run up and play with the very next thing they see. And that thing may not be their best buddy this time! So lower the temperature for them with a short lead walk or just a calming minute being with them.
So as long as you know what to look out for, let the safe play begin!
