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Family dogs "playing"

626 Views 3 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Konozis1
We recently added a male GSD pup to the family in addition to already having a female golden retriever.

They are friendly toward eachother (I think) and they are always playing.

And therein lies the problem...they're always biting each other and jumping all over each other. We didn't think much of it, but as the GSD is getting older and bigger (at 5 months, he is already the same size as the golden), the playing is getting rougher. To be honest, its also just plain annoying when theyre stomping around and they get all riled up. If you try to stop them, they'll just look at you and then keep going. This will continue literally for hours.

Is this normal? How do I correct this behavior?
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Yes it is absolutely normal! Your scenario is actually quite funny, because I have a male Golden Retriever (2 years) and a female German Shepherd (1 year). They will play and wrestle and chase each others for hours on end. Sometimes I realize I can't hear a thing through all the growling and playing around, and I tell them to be quiet. They will for a few minutes and then get right back to playing again. I joke around that sometimes I feel like I live at Sea World since they are always moaning and growling at each other like sea lions.
You should definitely supervise their play though, because even if they are playing sometimes they get a little too rough and that can spark some anger and aggression. When mine get that way a stern 'NO' is all I need to say to focus their attention.

As far as correcting, if they are playing nicely together to me this is great socialization and exercise for both of them. If it's the noise you are concerned with, keep them separated when it gets too much. Both my dogs would be perfectly fine to leave loose in the house while we're gone during the day, but not out together. If we left them in the house unattended my entire house would be re-arranged by the time I got home.

Also long walks or some other form of exercise will cause them to play a little less since they'll have less energy. I personally would let them play as long as they're not being aggressive or destructive. :)
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Normal- and it can drive you nuts! It's like a couple of little kids that can't keep their hands off of each other.
Whew! Good to know this is normal :) I've never had two dogs before, so it has been quite an advenure. Nikki ~ how funny that our dogs are so similar! Thanks for the advice!
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