Tug of war

This is Suki's favorite game to play and she is always bringing me her jolly ball trying to start a game of tug. She thankfully doesn't growl at all but she does do a death roll like an alligator as well as a good shake of the head like a fish trying to spit out a hook.

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All smiles after some good exercise and ready to go home

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Might be time for a nail trim?

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I love this pic....

jstaff wrote:

Ouch!!

jstaff wrote:

It seems like she always seems to get me at least a little bit.

Not on purpose, of course!

Caryll wrote:Not on purpose, of course!

Surely not but even if it were it would be my fault anyway since I've played like that with her since she was a pup.

Great pics. They do love a game of tug don't they. That scratch looks painful

Aw it looks like she's having a blast. I love the 2 of her jumping. That scratch looks nasty, definitely time for a nail trim!

Lovely shots of Suki having a great time, hope the scratch wasn't too painful

She is looking fab, great pics there J

Great pics.
She looks like she had a great time....stunning

Thanks guys. The scratch isn't too bad it just barely broke the skin so not very painfull

They very often look a lot worse than they are

Troy loves this too and is a very vocal dog. He does growl but does it always mean he is giving a warning or being aggressive?

He will always try grab a toy when we are playing and has never gone for my hand or anything like that.

If he has something and I tell him to drop it he listens too...most of the time!

Gee wrote:Troy loves this too and is a very vocal dog. He does growl but does it always mean he is giving a warning or being aggressive?

He will always try grab a toy when we are playing and has never gone for my hand or anything like that.

If he has something and I tell him to drop it he listens too...most of the time!

Hi gee troy is a great looking dog No him growling during play doesn,t mean he is warning or being aggressive my two sound like they are killing each other in a tug of war games, staffies are well known for being very verbal, as long as she isn,t showing any other signs of aggression ears back, hackles up, curling his lip or snatching the toy and turning away from you guarding it and growling, then he is just having fun

great photos suki is a stunning looking dog and she is having so much fun my skye is like her always jumping up and flying through the air and i have had quite afew scratches too!!

Well we play in the house sometimes where I don't take the toy off him but slap it in his mouth and he comes forward then runs off etc. So sometimes when I reach for a toy he will run away.

He doesn't curl his lip or turn his back on me. Not sure if he guards the toy. He will stand over it and look at me but that's because he knows I will try and grab it lol which is sort of part of the game.

I have very recently noticed hackles up when playing inside sometimes but I read they can also do this when excited? I trust he would never bite me at all, so how do I know if it is really aggression?

Aww great pics of Suki! They do always seem to leave a mark one way or another!

Gee does Troy wag his tail when he's playing and growling?

Gee wrote:Well we play in the house sometimes where I don't take the toy off him but slap it in his mouth and he comes forward then runs off etc. So sometimes when I reach for a toy he will run away.

He doesn't curl his lip or turn his back on me. Not sure if he guards the toy. He will stand over it and look at me but that's because he knows I will try and grab it lol which is sort of part of the game.

I have very recently noticed hackles up when playing inside sometimes but I read they can also do this when excited? I trust he would never bite me at all, so how do I know if it is really aggression?

I think it more likely that he's simply excited. Suki's hackles will come up as well sometimes but her tail will still be wagging.

Yeah normally Blue will growl but he wags his tail so much that his whole back end moves

His tail doesn't wag really. It will slightly when I pet him or when he is fetching the toy over.

He will actually go retrieve things, toys and bottles from the field and BRING them to me to specifically to play tug. So I'm and not sure if tail wagging is a concrete sign?

No sign is concrete. Hackles can come, eyes can widen, tail can wag, chest can be puffed out for both aggression and play. It's about knowing your own dog and what his/her body language means.
Do you feel like he is being aggressive? If you don't and you think he is playing, I'm pretty sure he will pick up on that energy and know your both just playing

Nice seeing pictures of them enjoying themselves. Tyson also likes a bit of a growl with tug-o-war but it is a play growl and it is harmless in his case.

BlueStaffBlue wrote:No sign is concrete. Hackles can come, eyes can widen, tail can wag, chest can be puffed out for both aggression and play. It's about knowing your own dog and what his/her body language means.
Do you feel like he is being aggressive? If you don't and you think he is playing, I'm pretty sure he will pick up on that energy and know your both just playing

I definately believe he is playing. He just likes playing intense lol.