growling, barking and play...

[Dixies momma]

ok so i have an aprox 2 yr old boxer, jake and a 2 month old pit dixie. they are good together. play really well. i know dixie is a puppy and when they play i hear some growling etc normally its is ok least til it sound like dixie is about to tear off his head. she sounds ferocious and serious. so is she just playing or what? i assume shes playing. and how do i stop that? i dont mind her playing and know they have that way to play but i hate the way it sounds. also shes in the chewing stage. everything she gets her mouth on, skin included. whats the easiest way to stop that. her training is going good. she does sit, touch, high five, stay(wait) then come. stay(wait) then come is the newest training edition. tho i am trying to figure how long to work with her per day and how much treats to give and what type of treats to give. suggestions and advice would be much appreciated. thanks

[Dixies momma]

i was trying to figure out how to edit once posted cos i have another question i forgot to ask.
dixie tends to like to bite/tug on jakes neck and mouth. he does not seem to mind but i want to know is this something to be concerned about or is it normal? is there a way to break that habit? oh and she likes tugging on his collar end too.

[swany23]

i have naber dog hes pit and he barks when he plas and growels if it happens agian take the dog and tell the dog not to bark ot growel when palying that is what i do when it happens

[swany23]

it normale for a dog to tug on the neck when play but if thr dog doesnt let go clap you hannds togethter and let go of the neck dogs ar e smart that way

[Leigha]

Dog's don't understand human words... so I could look at my dog and say "Bruiser, don't bark or growl" and it's not going to mean a hill of beans to him. Dogs growl when they play and it's normal. Not all dogs do it. Bruiser will have a toy in his mouth, be happy as can be and run up to me growling because he wants to play tug. He doesn't have a cute growl either--his sounds like he means business, but I can tell that he's just playing because of the way his eyes look, the way his body's moving and because for the most part I know my dog pretty well. I haven't figured out how to "fix" all the problems yet, but I know him fairly well.

You don't want to train or force a dog to not growl. Growling and barking are the only vocal "language" they have, and as humans most of us kind of suck at reading dog body language (or human body language for that matter), so growling and barking's all they've got to communicate with us.. If a dog is growling there's a reason for it--whether it's "grr, let's play" or "grr, get off my yard" or "grr, come any closer and i'll try to kill you." If you make a dog not bark you're not going to have any idea or warning that your dog is not happy with something, and it will lead to your dog lashing out for what will appear as "no apparent reason" because you took your dog's almost one and only means of communication away. It's incredibly dangerous to make a dog not growl.

If you watch and listen to your dog enough you'll learn the different growls--Bru's a very intense kind of boy and he can go from playing and having fun to serious pretty quickly, but I can tell by the pitch of his growl that it's going to a place I don't want it to go and I intervene. I'll take Bru outside to play with me, or throw the ball or whatever else. When I can see he's in a better place I'll let him be around the other boys again.

I imagine if Jake didn't like what Dixie (great name by the way--it's the name of our walker rescue) was doing, he'd let her know. She's still a puppy now and is getting away with stuff that older dogs wouldn't get away with. The other more knowledgeable ones might have better ideas on that part.

[swany23]

thare is a new book out my library and i look at it its a traning book how to train your dog new age training

[Leigha]

thare is a new book out my library and i look at it its a traning book how to train your dog new age training

Please share the title--we're always interested in new books.

[Dixies momma]

i understand that its normal and part of what they do. the part that concerns me is there are moments theres a sound of viciousness like they are about to fight. the biggest concern really is when i hold her sometimes and if someone else holds her she wants to bite/nip and them teeth hurt. she drew blood from my bf lip one evening tho she was just playing. we want it stopped b4 it gets out of control.

[Leigha]

She's still a little puppy and is learning how to interact with other dogs and people. If she nips you, put her down and walk away, or watch her so you can learn when she's going to get mouthy so you can stuff a toy in her mouth. I have scars on my hands from Bruiser's mouthiness and psychotic episodes. And when I walked away, he would follow me and latch on to my pants, feet, or shoes. Time out is what I had to use for him. Another thought is perhaps she doesn't like being held and is trying to get you to let her down. Not all dogs like to be cuddled and squished by humans. The ones that do like it have learned to like it. My weenies like it and will ask for it, Bruiser doesn't care for it. If she doesn't like it, don't do it (unless you have to of course, for things like grooming or giving medicine--and in those circumstances you need to really make it worth her while). So I guess I'm saying don't pick her up unless you have to... and work with her on tolerating it when you need to.

[Noobs]

What do you mean by "hold her"? Are you holding her down for a specific reason, or do you mean cuddling on the couch watching TV?

Also your photo in your signature is kind of large. I think your dogs are beautiful but any way to shrink that if it's going to be on the end of all your posts?

[Dixies momma]

oh no i didnt mean holding her against her will, but like sit in my lap or cuddling etc. i didnt realize the pix was too large. i can see about trying to shrink it once i figure it out.

[Leigha]

Humans have the need for cuddles, not dogs. They don't always like being held and hugged as much as we like to do it.

[jacksdad]

Humans have the need for cuddles, not dogs. They don't always like being held and hugged as much as we like to do it.

hugs are a primate thing. if you really watch the dog, most will give off clear signs (for them anyway) that they do not like to be hugged. Once your dogs gets to know you, they will probably give you a pass on it and learn to tolerate it. But still have the "oh no, not again what is with this human and these hugs".

Jack likes to snuggle close by laying as close as he can get. But he clearly does not like hugs. But he puts up with them, particularly when I am going on an on about something he just did right. But he always has this "oh no not again, *sigh* get it over with quick" attitude.

[Dixies momma]

so heres the thing i tottally get what u are saying about not picking her up unless she wants it. thats just it, she will jump on my lap and will start sniffing and licking then nipping in a playful way but man oh man lemme tell u those teeth are sharp. she doesnt do it all the time. i guess just when shes in a playful mood. i will keep working on putting her in the floor and walking away.thanks

[Leigha]

Give her a toy to redirect the nip, or get up and leave the room.