Play fighting - is it safe?

Hi there!

I'm new to the forum and have a 10 week old staffie. He is adorable. I'm concerned about how roughly he plays with my 9 month old other dog, she is delighted to have a companion but can get a bit rough with Buster - the Staffie. He doesn't seem to mind and really chews away on her ears etc. I get a bit nervous watching them as the tempo rises quite quickly and it looks quite violent, but the young pup never backs down so I have to separate them. Some people have told me to leave them to it but it seems to bring out an aggressive streak in my young staffie. Any advice on this behaviour? They are clearly smitten with each other but always play fighting.

Many thanks!

Hi and Welcome to the forum. They do play rough ! Sounds like you're doing the right thing by separating when it looks like its going over the top.

They will find a natural level of what's acceptable over time I'm sure and the advice you've been given isn't bad but just watch for when it gets a little too over the top.

When you get a min pop along here and say Hi :-
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f7-new-member-introductions

They certainly do know how to play rough - it takes some getting used to! I tend to supervise mine and when they were younger if play was escalating I would use "enough" which meant time to settle down. I'd treat them for calming down and following the command.

A bit of time out when things get heated can be good too - just to let them calm down.

Agree with above - they do play hard but you don't want it getting out of hand - time out is great when they start getting too rough Xx

Yes, I agree! Thanks for reassurance