How to Train Your Dog to Play With Other Dogs

Hello, Most puppies will learn how to hold their own with maturity and practice. At seven months of age, its normal for your puppy to defer to another more dominant dog to avoid a fight. Since they are going back to the other dog right after, that's a good sign they are still having fun. At the dog park, there are more personalities pup can choose from to play with, to find puppies or dogs that are more similar in play style and take turns practicing submission and dominance. It sounds like your sister's dog has less impulse control than some of the other dogs Lupin is playing with. I would facilitate more structure in Lupin and your sister's dog's play. Not waiting for Lupin to set boundaries and your sister's dog to learn how to respect boundaries but practicing activities with both, where they learn how to calm back down and listen while excited. Moderate the puppies' play and whenever one pup seems overwhelmed or they are all getting too excited, interrupt their play by happily calling them to two separate people, having each person give their puppy treats for obeying commands, let everyone calm down practicing that obedience, then let the most timid pup go first (usually Lupin) to see if they still want to play - if they do, then you can let the other puppy go too when they are waiting for permission. When puppies show signs of trying to escape the other puppy, getting tired, or getting so wound up that self-control starts decreasing or things are getting even rougher, then it's time to end the play if you haven't already done so. Additionally, I would focus even more on having them interact in ways that facilitate calmness to begin with, to help their relationship balance out and be calmer overall. Some good activities for this are: 1. Having them stay on separate place beds, being periodically rewarded for staying, for longer periods of time. Start with just a couple seconds of staying and overtime work up to adding in one step away from them before returning and rewarding, then another, then another, ect... Two seconds of staying, then another two, then another five, ect...Until pup's can stay on their places in the same room calmly for thirty minutes, chewing their own chew toy. 2. Practice walks where both pups are working on structured heeling, focusing on their owner while ignoring each other, to facilitate them adventuring together but without competing, while being respectful of you and calm, to help them associate that same attitude with each other. 3. Practice activities that develop self-control around the other dog. Have one dog practice Sit-Stay or Down-Stay with their owner, while the second dog practices Come and Heel across the yard where the first dog can see them moving. Reward both for obeying their given commands, have both on six or twenty foot leashes so you can enforce staying and coming instead of running over to each other. Periodically switch who is coming and heeling and who is watching and staying. Alternatively, you can have one Sit-Stay while the other fetches. Work up to this one gradually once they can stay during come and heel practice, taking turns being the one to fetch and the one to "honor" - something commonly taught in duck hunting and similar sports. 4. Teach both an Out and Leave It command, helping them learn that they don't have to wrestle and play all the time, but can give breaks and space when told to. Out - leave the area: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Leave It: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Activities and commands that help with impulse control are especially good for your sister's dog. Activities that help with confidence and trust in you can be especially helpful for your dog. Obedience practice, especially around distractions like another dog, once the dog has worked up to being ready for distractions, is great for both impulse control building and confidence and trust building. My biggest concern for a more submissive dog in your dog's position is simply to make sure they aren't becoming fearful of other dogs through constant bullying - their own body language will tell you whether they are liking the rough play or feeling overwhelmed and tolerant of it. Moderate and facilitate calmness for him, to keep his view of other dogs positive; if it stays positive and not fearful, then he is likely to learn how to hold his own on his own as through continued socialization with others, once he matures mentally and sexually. "My own retriever was constantly being humped and rolling onto her back during play and off leash interactions with other dogs, she was timid around other puppies at first when young, but I advocated for her, kept my attitude confident and up beat in situations that made her nervous, handled situations like another dog humping or persistently following her by having the other dog leave the area or moving her to another location, and looked for opportunities to socialize her around other more respectful dogs also. As an adult, once mature she is fantastic with other dogs! She is my best dog for helping me with clients with nervous dogs, puppies, or dogs who need to practice counter conditioning for reactivity. She patient sets boundaries and tells dogs to back off, but is also incredibly patient with timid dogs and puppies, and not overly phased by dogs who are upset. She is great at diffusing tense situations that could have led to a fight with another dog - like a strange dog encountering us off leash on a walk. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Jan. 10, 2023

Hello, How old is your puppy and what are they doing right now? Are they a puppy six months or younger who is simply being too rough, or are they a young adult dog who is bullying or behaving aggressively or fearfully around your older dog? If this is a puppy, I recommend looking for a puppy class or puppy play group, that has time for off leash puppy play with other younger puppies. Puppies tend to learn how to interact with other dogs best from playing with other puppies, opposed to adult dogs. During play the puppies will yelp or withdraw from each other if a puppy is too rough. Puppies learn how to control the pressure of their mouths, how to adjust play style so another puppy will play, and when to give breaks when they are needed. A good class instructor will let you know when to intervene and call puppies apart to help facilitate those breaks when one pup gets too rough, then let more timid pups go first to see if they are ready to play again before letting rougher puppies go again. Those social cues learned from puppies can help a puppy learn how to be more respectful when playing with an adult if the puppy is simply too rough, opposed to a more serious aggression or fear issue from an older young adult dog or old puppy. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Nov. 28, 2022