Advice needed on really loud, rough play fighting

Hi there,

New to the forum, we recently adopted a little pup who is a staff mix, the staff in her is definitely strong though as all the traits are there.

We have had her for about 2 months now, she is almost 4 months old. We started socialising her from the get go, we have friends with dogs and a really good park nearby with a strong, active dog walking community so she has met loads of other types of dogs and people and has gotten along with them all, especially other staffs (even ones that other dogs in the park dont get along with). Because of all this, we have a really happy, social dog who just loves playing with people and other dogs.

So whats the problem, you ask? Sounds like the perfect little dog? Well she is, she's great in the home and in the park, but there comes a point where i begin to worry...

Some of her best dog friends are other staffs or staff cross's and she likes them so much because they play rough and loud. She began becoming really vocal as her play fighting advanced, to the point where she sounds like a little gremlin. Some of her friends as super vocal too, so it sounds like a proper dog fight! but this is just their way of having a load of fun.

But the older she is getting, the more i'm noticing an increase in vocals and really powerful play, along with a lot of snarling and teeth bearing. She really throws herself into the thick of it, and loves every minute of it. The dogs who know her, know these sounds and looks so they are ok with it and play back, no problems, but like today she met another smaller terrier type dog and began to play with it. She was in hyper play mode so started making sounds right away, the other dog took this as aggression and was not too happy about this, so I got her out straight away and explained things to the owner.

Now that she's still a pup a lot of dogs are tolerant to this, but if her behavior keeps increasing as its done she's not going to be able to play properly with some dogs...

So should I be doing anything to discourage this behavior? The hard thing is that she is in play mode and I dont want to tell her off for playing...if i see her tail go up or hair on her back raise I jump in and tell her off, but apart form that i let her play with other staffs (who like this sort of stuff).

I just dont want her to have any issues when she gets older, I already get some dog owners taking their dogs away when she starts play growling because they dont understand staffs...any advice is appreciated!!

***UPDATE***

Thought I'd let everyone know how things have progressed and I'm pleased to say that there are some signs of improvement, at least with other dogs who are not bull breeds. Im trying to wear her out a bit more too, so I'm taking her out twice a day now and also playing fetch for a good 15 minutes before going and seeing the other dogs, so she's not as full on as she usually would be. I think she is also starting to pick up on other dogs energy levels more now too because some dogs she will just run up to and say high instead of trying to initiate play all the time. When she is in play mode, I keep a sharp eye on her and as soon as there is any sign of things escalating or going a bit too overboard then I step in and take her out of the play until she's calmed down a bit.

One of the biggest lessons learned for me was to be more in control of the energy levels. Dogs need to get rid of their energy and if not done in a productive manner then stands a chance to come out in the wrong way, especially when they are so young.

what i would do is if she going over the top have an cooling out time make her sit

I'd do as Steve suggests and give her a time out for a couple of mins to cool off, Stafford's play rough.

The very loud, rough playing IS very normal for a bull breed BUT not every other dog will be happy.

If she is playing with another dog who is reciprocating then just supervise and leave them to it, but if another dog take offense then remove her and get her to calm down away form the situation.

My two play rougher then i've ever seen other dogs do but they are used to each other and are very typical boys

Thanks for the replies, yeah I think i'll try giving her cooling off periods, then hopefully as she gets older it will sink in and not over develop. I love having her play like this with other dogs because she is so happy, it all normal behaviour for bull breeds as mentioned above - it might also cool down as she gets older and when she is neutered as well...

Thanks again!

when they young they dont know when to stop just like kids really you have to teach them what right and wrong

They do play rough, you should see Daisy! That butter wouldn't melt face goes out the window! Best thing is time out like said above!  

Ok great, I'll start implementing this right away and update on the results! She is really responsive and picks new things up fast so hopefully I'll be able to gauge the success rate or changes in behaviour within a few weeks...

Next weekend we are up to my aunt and uncles place and they have two extremely well behaved staffs so it's going to be like doggy boot camp for her! I want as much of their influence to rub off as possible!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

You too, keep us updated on Roxie's progress  

Chiquito has a fur friend named Iggy, they sound like they are killing each other when they play together! His other friend Teddy and him are noisy as well, however he is more quiet/silent with others .... as he has gotten a little older he seems to understand the 'rules' more and approaches familiar and new dogs differently.

As said above, I too do use time out as needed .. I also let other dogs (within reason) tell Chiquito off when he is behaving badly, helps him to learn doggy manners

yep, I have been doing that too, I dont mind at all when another dog snaps and puts her in her place because she can be very overwhelming, especially for older dogs - this is how they learn at the end of the day - but this is mainly with bigger dogs (ridgebacks, alsatians, staffs) but smaller dogs seem to take it differently and today this one just went into fight mode which sparked her off. She is getting so big and strong so quickly as well (10.7kg's) that she is now dominating smaller dogs...and when they show real aggression she just wants to get involved instead of backing off.

I know the smaller dogs are just intimidated by her style of playing and size, but they bring real aggression to the mix...I might have to just stay away from anything smaller than a staff but she wants to play with them all

Persistence and perseverance is key. They communicate with their mouths, sounds and mouthing, this is the only way they can expressive themselves to you.

Stick with it, the years of pleasure you have ahead of you out weight the few months of stress.

exactly! She's a real treasure, they all are really! I know she'll do just fine as her training gets better and better each week...really responsive little pup!

Thanks for all the replies!

My friends Bull terrier is the only dog that Boss doesnt sound like he is killing for some reason they both play silently, throwing each other about like rag dolls and throwing their paws at each other as they do. Every other dog though sound like they are murdering each other :/ i dont mind it unless its getting to rough then a little rest and drink until they calm down

As said by others, remove her and give her a few mins to cool down. At four months old she has tons of energy and also doesn't understand when enough is enough. As she gets older she will start to understand when a dog isn't interested in play or has had enough. Just make sure you always watch closely so if she doesn't get the warning signs from the other dog you can jump in and take her away for a few min to settle down. Gwen was the same way at this age..she would play so rough and wouldn't take a hint when other dogs didn't want to play anymore! She is now 7 months old and she still gets carried away sometimes but she is definitely starting to learn when a dog warns her, she should back off!

Awesome, thanks a lot for the advice everyone!