Puppies
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4 month old Malinois Puppy playing too aggressively.
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4 month old Malinois Puppy playing too aggressively.
Hi! I have noticed my 4 month old puppy only likes to play aggressively with other dogs. At first I thought it was rough play but then I saw other puppies his age tend to stay away. Neck biting, pinning down, play fighting, growling, etc. I’ve also noticed he never playfully bows and I’m starting to think it may be too much, more on the aggressive side than just rough. How can I correct him while playing and how can I teach him to play nice to other dogs? I had issues with him playing too aggressively with me and being defiant, we have worked through it and it has improved but his behavior with other dogs makes me worry he is aggressive in general, any advise is really appreciated!! Thank you all!!
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2 Replies
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I have 13 week old brothers so I know what you mean, they play rough but there’s a point where as they get bigger it’ll get dangerous to both each other and to other dogs if they continue to think its acceptable, like neck biting. Mine do try to grab and shake each other, I intervene and tell them ‘no, too rough’, if they get really rough or its down riht aggression (for being pestered or stealing a toy) it’ll be a scruff & ‘NO’, they are learning to calm down and play instead of trying to ‘dominate’ one another.
It does sound as if he is trying to be dominant or maybe he doesn’t know how to play with another dog, I thankfully have an older & spayed gsd bitch of my mum’s that I have intro them to, she’ll play with them but she’ll also tell them off for being rude, like jumping in her face or even if they are running around too much.
dogs don’t need to bite each other to be able to play and unless both dogs know and trust one another it’s unlikely one will accept biting as a level of play, He is still young though so he’s got plenty of time to learn, he does needs to because a adult dog is far less likely to take kindly to that.
have you tried puppies classes or where these puppies just encounters in park?
and remember as Robert says you’re dog doesn’t actually need to interact with other dogs, none of my gsd males played with other dogs, nor did my female collie x (all actually avoided playing with other dogs, they just weren’t interested but would go past or be in same space as other dogs just fine).
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This is a breed bred to chase, bite, and fight a grown man. It’s ok if he doesn’t do well with other dogs, its not uncommon or anything to fix. The easiest thing would be to keep the pup away from most other dogs. It will only reinforce the aggresion because it’s all very fun to him, and as he grows older it’ll be hard to keep his focus on you when he see’s other dogs. God forbid he comes across a dog more aggressive than he – he might be traumatized for life after that. The best thing would be for you to play with him 100% of the time. For socializing with other dogs, just keep it to dogs you know and trust. It doesn’t have to be much. You’ll find some dogs he gets along with, it might not be many, but they’ll come along. He’s only 4 months old – his manners will get better in general as he matures and builds a relationship with you.
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