Could someone explain 'play' please

[kazP]

Looking at Jon's video on the photo section, his dog is 'playing' with another dog. I lack so much confidence with Abi that I would have broken up the' play' in fear that Abi would end up eating the other dog. How do you recognise hostility / playfulness?

Even when Abi first greets another dog, I can't interpret whether any threatening behaviour is displayed... I'm too busy pulling her away (yes, I know that is terrible, but I'm being honest). Saying that... most other dog owners are not that happy about encountering a GSD and I've learnt to pull her away because of that.

Yesterday Abi broke free from her lead... she spotted another dog and just went at a mental speed to reach it. The 2 dogs sparred a bit with some soft growling... the other dog's owner separated them without too much trouble and was holding Abi by her collar by the time I reached them. I was so embarrassed... I can't tell you! Were they sort of playing? If it had been a really hostile encounter wouldn't they be trying to get at each other rather than standing quietly until I arrived?

This is a real big deal for me because I don't know whether I'm holding Abi back from having a positive playful experiences or whether I am just being responsible by preventing something bad happening.

The impact this situation has on my day-to-day life with Abi, is massive. I am so tense when I take her out for her daily walks because we bump into loads of dogs, many off the lead. I am always assuming I have the devil dog and need to protect any other dog that comes near her... this is mega stressful for me and I'm sure Abi isn't too happy about it either.

Any suggestions?

[claire_88]

I have little if any knowledge on body language within a dog but slowly learning, i am in a similar boat with titon however he had a bad spell of fear aggression and therefore to this day if another dog is about on our walks he needs to be leashed for fear of a fight, he is not the type to flight from a challenge unfortunately.

However i watch skye when she greets a dog and it is a skill every dog needs to learn, if they do not know how to greet they are immediately treated as suspicious from another dog and this can lead to a scrap. In our puppy training class the trainer told us to approach another dog, leashes on, contact and sniffing for three seconds and continue walking.... might be worth a try if you have a friend that can help you with this.

I think from reading your interpretation if she was wanting to fight nothing would have stopped her and i believe she would have had a go at the man trying to hold her, the fact that she didn't suggests to me that it was a friendly scuffle......

Hope somebody comes along with more body language information for you as i would like to understand this better myself.

[Moobli]

It is very hard to give you specific advice about your own dog without seeing her interactions with other dogs.

I would definitely say though that she will undoubtedly pick up on the tension you are feeling out on walks and will act accordingly. I know it is difficult but you must try to relax and keep her on a loose lead while greeting other dogs.

I would suggest that you seek the help of a reputable behaviourist to come out on walks with you and help you read Abi's body language and behaviour. Whereabouts in the country are you?

Also, a really interesting DVD which may be of help to you is

Angela Stockdale, Dog Aggression Specialist - Video: a guide to canine communication

[Stuart]

I think it is one of the hardest things to read in a dog,... but I think that if every dog was to go at another in the way that we often think they might, then dogs would have become extint many years ago.

Most of our dogs meet other dogs when on a lead, this has problems attached to it, when a dog meets another dog off lead, [ shall we say naturaly] it has the option of fight or flight,.. if the dog has had those options taken away from it, then the only option left to it if things go wrong is to fight

So when a dog who meets another dog off leash then things normaly go O.K.

Our dogs here, very rarely meet other dogs, so I am always apprehensive about meetings,.. but every meeting that they have had has been off leash, when Linda [Lugard] came to visit for instance we picked a neutral spot and released them one at a time off lead, and everything was good.

....other than that, I think a dog that shows a rigid tail held high is a dog I would be wary of

[LOVEGSD]

It's so important to relax, I know it's hard but the more you tense up the more Abi will react. I also ensure my voice is light and not too firm and I praise them for every gentle and calm action. I agree a professional would help in building your confidence and helping you read Abi.

I personally find a lot of dogs have no manners, people seem to think it's acceptable to allow their dogs to tear over (mine don't and are always with me even if they are off lead) and start rough play whilst they shout 'he'she is friendly', neither of mine like that so would be narky back and then mine can be labelled as unfriendly, personally I always liken this scenario to you being in the pub and someone runs in and shouts in your face 'want a pint', you wouldn't like it would you but yet the words they are saying would be deemed as nice but not their actions.

I never allow my boys to charge in at speed, all greetings should be calm and with manners, nose to bum sniffs and then the dog can invite the other to play, this I find is a much better approach and less chance of scuffles.

I also know with Diesel and Oscar the signs they are unsure or unhappy, their tails stiffen as do their whole bodies Oscar will get a ridge down his back if he's unsure, Diesel always goes in puffed up (due to being attacked) but he moves slowly so he's no threat. It's learning about your dog, what they can and can't deal with and how he/she displays it.

[Moobli]

As I am a relative newbie ... are there any pics of the meeting between your dogs and Linda's (Lutgard) dogs I would love to see them.

I just wish I had stuck to my usual plan of staying on the Laudale Estate near Strontian in March and then we could have met up Stuart, but we decided to try the Aberfeldy, Perthshire area this time

[kazP]

Thank you for the replies. I've just had a quick peep at the link and will go back to it.

Most of the dogs we bump into are small, off the lead and quite vocal. A GSD owner friend often walks with us and has taught me how to 'block' these small, excitable dogs by standing in front of Abi, putting my arm out and shouting 'back' at the approaching dog. 50% of the time the small dog retreats. Mostly at other times I have the dog owner yelling at me "don't worry, my dog is friendly"... whilst I'm yelling back "but mine isn't" (I honestly don't know if Abi is friendly or not!). I encounter this every day and dread taking Abi out, but do.

Abi was quite passive at doggie classes... most of the other dogs were GSD rescues. Saying that... none of the dogs played with each other during classes but we always had to do a meet and greet with our dogs. We never had any problems, and I was about to say that this is because everything was well managed, but some dogs did have problems, so I'm guessing Abi is a little more sociable than I give her credit for. Still... I don't trust her though.

In a way Abi's inconsistent behaviour is the thing that causes me to stress out... I can't say she is 100% hostile, but I can't say she's friendly either... so for safety, I am always assuming she'll kill anything that moves.

The friend that I walk with is currently doing a course on dog behaviour and I'm hoping she'll also help me with this problem. When Abi hit her teens she started lunging at other dogs. With my friend's help, we can now pass dogs on the lead without any trouble (its the ones off the lead that worry me).

Should I pop a muzzle on Abi and let her off the lead so she can approach dogs? I know this puts her at a disadvantage if she meets an aggresive dog... but she's be able to run away? Or, would letting her off the lead like this make me irresponsible?

Sorry for my waffle x

[kazP]

Don't know if this helps any, but here are a few photos of Abi with other dogs... in the first set you can see how Abi is in a hostile freeze which isn't being picked up on by the other dog:

For Carla Kaz’s ‘mostly travel’ blog

[RainbowLass]

If you want to see how your dog reacts around other dogs then i would advise letting her off with another dog in a controlled environment.

Like a playdate!

Find somewhere that is enclosed so they can't run off too far. Pick a dog you are both comfortable with, let them play and watch what happens.

As i've learned, a solid recall helps a great deal, if things aren't going how you would like, you need to know that you can call abi back if you need to. Try a long lead first if you aren't too confident but i would avoid using a muzzle if she hasn't actually bitten or shown agression.

I think she will know how to play, and it will give you a good opportunity to watch her body language when she does

[gsdlover4ever]

What age is Abi?