Dog Play or Dog Fight? (video & pics)

[lizbud]

I see that behavior all the time at the dog park. Being so dumb, I panic internally (it doesn't involve Logan) but the owners just laugh like crazy! So far, no injuries (an occasional yelp and then it continues).The pups seem to have lots of fun!

Karen, don't feel bad. I was pretty much like that too. You can't
really tell with strange dogs, but you sure can when they are your own
dogs.

[Seravieve]

Definitely playing. If it was fighting, one would be cornering the other and there would be fur flying. And lots of welping, crying or yipping.

Its playing because:

1) Body language: Tails are wagging; theyre not going head to head biting each other- theyre biting and then turning around and following each other, and then pausing, and then going back.

2) Tori would never roll on the floor like she did if it was a fight.

3) There's no blood... No cuts... No missing fur...

Eli and Bunny play like this as well. They'll get each other on the ground and bit legs. Bunny really naws away on Eli's legs but it doesnt seem to bother him. When dogs fight, its very obvious. There's no doubt.

[Rachel]

I would have sworn it was real fighting until I read that it was Tori who was making the noise, yet in the video is seemed as she was the more submissive of the two. Boy, Katie really faked me out on this one.

[ParNone]

I can tell it's playing based on Zach's reaction. He's walking around them quite calm. If it was real fighting, he'd be distressed and panicky, barking for you to stop the insanity, before somebody gets hurt.

Les...

[RobiLee]

Yep, its all play. With all that nasty growling it makes ya wonder...lol.

Zack does not really care much for their type of play. He likes to do the run and chase kind of thing. It use to be Zack wouldn't get anywhere near the girls when they started their playtime but he has improved quite a bit as you can tell by the video he now just acts as if it is all nothing.

Thanks for all the replies and for checking out my video everyone~!

[ParNone]

Zack does not really care much for their type of play. He likes to do the run and chase kind of thing. It use to be Zack wouldn't get anywhere near the girls when they started their playtime but he has improved quite a bit as you can tell by the video he now just acts as if it is all nothing.

Yeh that doesn't surprise me at all. That version of play looks a wee bit too rambunctious for a Collie. I had Oz and Gull at my Mom's a couple of weekends ago and I let Oz play with her next door neighbor's 4 mo old Border Collie mix. Poor Oz. The puppy was pouncing on him and nipping at him. It was just too much for Oz and he wouldn't correct the puppy. He had a look of desperation for me to save him, so the neighbor finally had to corral the puppy. Oz looked so relieved.

When he and Gull play, they make a lot of noise, snap at each other and bounce and spin around in a circle near each other, but there's not tons of actual touching. All the craziness happens near each other, not on each other.

[wolf_Q]

I enjoyed the pics and video, Robin! I think your two sound even more vicious than mine when playing, well, Tori that is, since Katie is the quiet one. Nebo and Keva play just as rough though, they just don't make that much noise...usually it's only Nebo that makes a sounds, with his bear growls. Cisco and Nebo really look/sound like they are killing eachother sometimes, but they've never so much as left a scratch on one another.