coincidence or not? tell me what you think

[chuckh]

to start, my 5mo old is a landshark, haha. Were doing our best to train him and its working, just slowly. Anyways, he plays with our 18mo old lab for 6-8hrs a day and they play rough most of the time. Zeus, my gsd pup shows a lot of dominant behaviors, one of which is, he will put his entire mouth over the lab's, bentley's, neck or head (doesnt seem to bother bentley to much, other than annoys him, so i know hes not hurting him when he does it). We correct him when we see it happen but heres where it gets interesting.....

We got a stuffed animal for him (his "monkey", which is prob his favorite out of all his toys) when we first got him and it was just another toy for him. I would say 50% of his naps are taken on top of this "monkey" but he actually puts his mouth over the "monkeys" neck or head just like the way he puts his mouth over bentleys neck and falls asleep this way. I think its just a coincidence but i want to know what you guys think and what should i do?

[oifriendlyfire]

I think that is awesome! I wouldn't worry about it too much for now, discipline him when you see it, and especially if you hear your other dog yelp, or growl, I'd say that goes without saying, actually...But, I already typed it, I'm already committed.

I used to have Staffordshires that behaved much like this as pups. I don't remember any of them taking this kind of poise into their 6-12 month period.

Its those little pictures, and those little quirks that dogs have that make them so special. So, right on! Good luck!

[N Smith]

Right now your puppy has a "puppy license" allowing him to do this behaviors and the older dog will tolerate it. Eventually that "license" will run out and you may have fight and a very hurt puppy on your hands.

Also, unless you plan on having your lab raise and control your puppy, having them play for 6-8 hours a day together is counter productive to having your puppy view you as the "giver of all" (meaning food, shelter, play) and can cause your pup to become very "doggy". Meaning he likes the company of other dogs above yours (because lets face it, there is almost no way a human can be more fun than another dog) and he can start to ignore you or become very anxious when the other dog is not around.

There is nothing wrong with having your dogs play together, but the sessions should be earned, not freely given or expected, and your pup should play with you MORE than the other dog.

This is all IMO, and I realize the amount of "doggy-ness" a dog has can also be genetic. So you will have to decide for yourself what you are looking for in a dog and what you have to work with.

[AgileGSD]

It isn't really accurate to label this play as "dominant". It's play and something most puppies will do, especially when given free access to another dog willing to play as much and as rough as they want to.

[chuckh]

Originally Posted by N Smith

Also, unless you plan on having your lab raise and control your puppy, having them play for 6-8 hours a day together is counter productive to having your puppy view you as the "giver of all" (meaning food, shelter, play) and can cause your pup to become very "doggy". Meaning he likes the company of other dogs above yours (because lets face it, there is almost no way a human can be more fun than another dog) and he can start to ignore you or become very anxious when the other dog is not around.

Its more like six and its not all at once so i dont feel like its so extreme that its counter productive. when i see these signs then i will change things but i feel like their time together is positive. Thanks for your post though.

Originally Posted by AgileGSD

It isn't really accurate to label this play as "dominant". It's play and something most puppies will do, especially when given free access to another dog willing to play as much and as rough as they want to.

He does resource guard but only with other dogs (the lab included), this is why i was viewing some of this play as dominant but maybe its not, like you say.