Dogs And Bad Play

I’m all in favor of playing with your dog. It is good. But… 

What I’m not in favor of is play that escalates into more than play. For example, rough play that escalates to a contest of win-lose where someone or another dog gets hurt. I have had students that thought it was fun to get their dog to do this or that. Until it wasn’t so fun or safe anymore. It wasn’t play anymore. In some cases, the fun becomes too rough and someone gets hurt in the competition. In other cases, the fun becomes scary and the dog now doesn’t trust some individuals or types of people (such as new guests), and then the dog becomes scared or scary.

Then I am asked to come in and try and unravel all of that.

Don’t mess with dogs beyond normal play. Don’t let others mess with your dog and take your dog to levels that can easily backfire. 

Plan accordingly.