Not all prompts will be suitable for all dog-human relationships. For example, some dogs may not feel safe playing, or they might have health issues limiting play. In addition, your surroundings need to be considered—play may not be safe on all surfaces (e.g., slippery surfaces, around other dogs who may get over-excited, etc.). Older dogs, dogs with health issues, and dogs who are uncomfortable with human touch or play may not enjoy some of these prompts. It is up to the participants to use their knowledge and understanding of their dogs to ensure safety.
Before beginning, please review these two websites, which outline common behaviours and expressions that dogs’ use when nervous and/or fearful:
https://ontariospca.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Canine-ladder-of-aggression.pdf
https://vcacanada.com/know-your-pet/signs-your-dog-is-stressed-and-how-to-relieve-it
If, at any point during the study, you or your dog are not enjoying the proposition, please do not continue.
[July 29th to October 13th]
If your dog plays with other dogs, watch your dog when they play with other dogs. Do not attempt to force your dog to play – let them try on their own. How do they start play? Is it different if the dog is a stranger or a friend?*
*Please only complete this prompt if your dog is used to playing with other dogs.
Collaboration request: Answer the question: “How does your dog’s play look different with other dogs than it does with humans?”
Collaboration Request Week Four
My dog is extremely dog selective, she knows from the first glance if she will be friendly with an unfamiliar dog or not. She initiates play with friendly strange dogs and familiar dogs in the same way, with vocalization (whining), jumping/leaping and then play bowing and spinning/running. If she is off-leash with the dog at play, she will vocalize a lot (whining, playful and excited growling, and barking while chasing). When she’s had enough, or if the other dog is being too overbearing or enthusiastic, she will correct the dog’s behaviour (sharp bark, hackles raised) and disengage from play (walk away, sniff, shake off). This is different from her play with humans because she does not vocalize at all while playing with humans. Play with humans involves a lot of similar body gestures (play bowing, spinning, very gentle mouthiness, and zoomies) but with no whining, growling or barking. She disengages from play with humans by simply ceasing to play, lying down, sniffing, or shaking off. Play with humans is generally far more brief than play with dogs, with the exception of her immediate human family (myself and my partner).
My dog is still young and full of energy. When he plays with other young dogs it is ‘full steam ahead”. Running, body checks, jumping over, and chest-bumping in mid air.
When he plays with older dogs, it appears he takes his cues from them. If they turn their body to the side, he will just nudge his head into their neck area gently.
When he plays with a younger dog (female, different breed, smaller), he’s pushy, (and I feel) too rough. He’s probably not, she continues to engage with him.
He plays with his humans differently. With me, he’s more traditional (drops the ball in my lap, etc.). With my husband, it’s full contact silliness — rolling around, gentle mouthing, etc.
As far as I can tell – with this dog anyway – dogs are versatile and can get their cues from their playmates whether human or canine, young or old, rough or gentle. He does seem to have the most fun when playing with his equals, full contact silliness.
My dog recognizes his dog friends and gets right into playing with them based on the style they normally use. He is more tentative if it is a new dog. He is very friendly and social so he will do a play now as an invitation to play and of course wants to smell the other dogs behind. He is an intact male so his next step is to see if he can get away with mounting the dog. He’s a gentleman though, so stops if the other dog objects. I find it amazing how many dogs will allow him to play in this way. My dog is a medium size, and he is very aware of the other dog size. He recently met a dog more than twice his weight, and he was quite tentative and aware, it seemed that the other dog could hurt him during play. This made him much more careful. Probably his favourite game is to have another dog base him.