Play Time Training?

shortstuff · May 22, 2015

Hey everyone! I've been MIA for a while due to wedding planning chaos, but happy to be back

My fiance and I are on DogVacay and enjoy having visitors stay with us, however we haven't sat any dogs since Bisou was a puppy. We have lost two prospective dog sittings due to Bisou's in-your-face (literally!) play style. She does this bizarre gurgle-growl while running and face biting, the same way she and Shasta play, but these two other dogs just weren't having it. The most recent one was on Monday, and he was a Boxer puppy so I thought for sure they'd get along. He didn't know how to react to Bisou's noises and she just wouldn't leave him alone, so he spent most of the time cowering behind his humans. It was so embarrassing! She has learned what no means in doggy language and will back off of my family dog and friends' dogs, but she absolutely refuses to back off if the other dog doesn't tell her no. I'm pretty sure the reasoning for this is because even when Shasta says no, within a minute of being pestered she will start to play back with Bisou - therefore, Bisou has learned that no actually means eventually yes.

We really don't have the money to take her to a trainer right now. It's not too much of a problem as it currently is because she and all the dogs the frequently sees get along great... it's just dog sitting that is proving to be a problem. She's not aggressive, she is just used to playing rough with Shasta and doesn't understand that it won't fly with every dog. Without changing the way Bisou and Shasta play, is there any way I can teach her to be more gentle when playing with other dogs? I really don't want to change the way she and Shasta play because it's just so much fun. If Bisou needs to be a dog kept away from others, so be it, but I want to change this if I can! Help!!

blushy · May 22, 2015

I'm dealing with this but with my two frenchies, so I'll stick around for moral support and try to learn too.
[emoji173]️

davidh · May 22, 2015

Some like to play harder than others, and some will out grow it. I would say, just keep telling her NO!! when she gets too rough with the other dogs, and you may even have to leash her for a little while until she gets it. Just keep on her and even stop the play if you have to and give her a time out.

2bullymama · May 23, 2015

davidh said:
Some like to play harder than others, and some will out grow it. I would say, just keep telling her NO!! when she gets too rough with the other dogs, and you may even have to leash her for a little while until she gets it. Just keep on her and even stop the play if you have to and give her a time out.

agree ^^^ Cheli was like this with Banks, but Banks always let him know when she had enough or he went too far. other dogs we always have to tell Cheli to leave it of give a firm no, there have been a few times we had to lift him and take him to another area or room to get him settled down.

anns4boys · May 23, 2015

I am going through this with my new pup Munson right now. He plays hard & doesn't stop! T is keeping up & is loving the physical play but DiMaggio is not liking it at all. We've been using leave it command & also leashing him so we can control where he goes & can remove him easily. We took him to my sisters to meet her dachshund & Munson was way to rough - the normally playful dachshund was not happy. Frenchies seem to have their own style of play - rough, tough, bite wrestle- seeing T & Munson play is hysterical-to others it looks nuts! We are are going to work with our trainer to see what she suggests to control his wild play, i'll keep you updated.

Alice Kable · May 23, 2015

davidh said:
Some like to play harder than others, and some will out grow it. I would say, just keep telling her NO!! when she gets too rough with the other dogs, and you may even have to leash her for a little while until she gets it. Just keep on her and even stop the play if you have to and give her a time out.

Good advice.

Jakeyjake · May 23, 2015

I'm working with a trainer that comes to my house right now. I will ask for her advice and let you know what she says. I know Jake sometimes gets carried away when he plays with my daughter's Am Bulldog and it concerns me. We will just distract them and redirect them to a different activity. Jake will amp up and start to growl and although it's play, I don't like it.

Squishy Walnuts · May 25, 2015

Wally is a nutcase so I have no advice, but I'll be reading this thread to see if I find anything new to try.

The problem with my dogs is that Uma is a yell-y dog when she plays. She yells at Wally all the time, and he always goes back for more. When he's playing with another dog and they yell he thinks it's part of the game. However, usually the dog is saying 'piss off' but Wally just doesn't get it and goes back for more which angers the other dog (understandably). So I just let the 2 play together and if another dog is around I will leash Wally so he won't flatten the poor thing.

blushy · May 25, 2015

My main issue with my crazy playing babies is that if Isabelle is to say "stop"? Titan cannot hear her. So it's absolutely necessary to monitor them at every minute for noise and body language.

Titan still has a baby canine tooth, so when he grabs Isabelle sometimes she lets out a YELP and he doesn't know, so I have to jump up like a bat outta hell and separate them, I then let them separately get a drink to calm down and take a break, then I decide if I'm going to let them play again or not.

https://vimeo.com/129030802

shortstuff · May 28, 2015

Thanks for all the feedback everyone!! We will definitely be working with Bisou on this, perhaps by exposing her to other dogs more often. She really doesn't get to spend time with any dogs other than Shasta and my family dog, so maybe interacting with others more often will give us the opportunity to work on it.