Help to stop play fighting?

Tyrant · #1 27-10-10, 04:08 PM

Some of you may know but I have two dogs, Clay is a GSD pup and Alfie is a 3 year old male Jack russel type cross thing, so he's pretty small in comparision.
Alfie has already lost the position of 'dominant male' to Clay as he basically has no chance!
We're already having to feed them seperate as Clay tries to eat Alfie's food and will go for him if Alfie tries to get near his own food bowl - I even tried giving Alfie the puppy food to make it less interesting but it made no difference, followed by swapping bowls but the fact it's not Clay's means that Clay wants it. He doesn't mind me coming along and touching his food though, or anyone else for that matter, just Alfie.
Clay is the same with the water bowl as well, they need to drink seperatly else Alfie doesn't get a look in and Clay will purposley drink the entire lot and growl at Alfie if he comes near.

I can deal with the seperate meals/drinks but what is driving me mad is the constant play fighting, they do it all day long.
Both is as guilty as the other, Alfie will creep up and ninja attack Clay and Clay will just be a puppy and want to play. The problem is I'm getting worried that now Clay is so much bigger (at least 6 times his size and god knows how much more in weight) that he's going to do some serious damage. He has a habit of jumping on Alfie's back and I'm just waiting for it to snap, his legs to give way or he gets crushed under Clay or something. Keeping them seperate isn't the solution, Clay just cries for Alfie (though Alfie loves the peace!) and he is whiney enough as it is.I've tried everything from spraying water, loud noises to distract them, even pulling them apart but they will go back for more. It's on and off all the time, even out on walks but Clay generally will start the play fighting when we're out as Alfie is too busy being nosey.

Does anyone have a good way to stop the play fighting? I know it's a social skill he needs, but Alfie has no way of putting him in his place. Clay goes for a walk with a GSD cross who has no problem telling him when he's gone too far so he does have a dog to say 'no' to him. Despite the fact I don't much like Alfie (partners dog... I can't stand small dogs.

) I obviously don't want him to get hurt and keep being pushed out by Clay due to his size.

Obviously for my boys, size does matter!

#2 27-10-10, 05:04 PM

I don't know if you can stop the play fighting to be honest. Mine do all the time too, Zee is often hanging off Remus's face; he's so tolerant of her. They should take it in turns to boss each other. Often when I let them both off lead, Remus in excitement, plays too rough with Zee and I have to intervene. He gets put back on lead for a bit, then we try again until he's better.

For the bowls possessiveness have 2 water bowls in different areas. When the aggro starts you need to step in as the main person the dogs listen to and stop it - if necessary re-inforce the relationship you have with Alfie so he will listen to you and not just your partner. You control the feeding and water so you need to call the shots.

Tyrant · #3 27-10-10, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anni

For the bowls possessiveness have 2 water bowls in different areas. When the aggro starts you need to step in as the main person the dogs listen to and stop it - if necessary re-inforce the relationship you have with Alfie so he will listen to you and not just your partner. You control the feeding and water so you need to call the shots.

I may prefer Clay but Alfie knows who is the boss. I hand raised Alfie by myself from an hour old so we do have a close bond. I don't have anything against him or wish him any harm/unhappiness, it's just he bit our little girl's foot a few months ago and since then I just cannot make myself 'get along with him' and my partner refuses to get rid of him, claiming it was just an accident etc. It really annoys me that it happened is all and that he was allowed to stay, if Clay bit her and bruised her like he did I'd have to look into rehoming him, not just pass it off as an accident. They both know who is boss though and will stop when I tell them too, but as soon as I relax again their back at it. I'm loosing my voice!

Nash · #4 28-10-10, 12:46 AM

Simple solution is to crate one while the other is out. The dogs will benefit from it.

Stuart · #5 28-10-10, 06:37 AM

I also dont think you can stop play fighting short of seperation, its more instinct than anything else,.. ours are at it all day long too, if it ever gets tooooo intense I will shout a stern `No` which calms it down for a short while before starting again,... I also think it does both dogs a world of good

A good feeding routine is the answer, my own dogs will happily eat from the same bowl if I let them with no problems, but I am keeping our foster dog seperated by feeding Nero around the back and the rest at the front,.. all I do is shout, `Round the back Nero` and off he goes, I meet him there, then feed the others at the front,...its all to do with getting them into a habit

LOVEGSD · #6 28-10-10, 11:31 AM

Again I agree with the others you can't stop the play fighting and equally it's good for them to be able to play. When my two get too rough I tend to step in and tell them to 'leave', I then encourage them into their own beds and reward when they are calm.

Nash · #7 28-10-10, 03:42 PM

Play fighting can be stopped but needs a solid obedience foundation for both dogs. This is possible when you work/train 1 dog at a time while the other is put up. So crating will solve both problems. Trying to train 2 dogs while they playing is almost impossible as their attention is not on the handler.