Is this type of play ok?

[shlomo1]

Our 9 month frenchie is calm and likes to play with other dogs, but we just got a 3 month old and she’s fiesty. The growls like this but I can’t tell if it’s aggressive or if it’s her “voice”. Any thoughts? Thank you in advance.

 

[sallama]

@shlomo1 Does the dog that is growling often vocalize when playing with other dogs? Many dogs will vocalize while playing and it's not necessarily aggressive.

Are you familiar with consent testing for play? I have two really good videos on dog-dog play and consent testing that may be very helpful.

and

 

[shlomo1]

@sallama We’ve only had her for a week, so we haven’t had a chance to see how she is with other puppies. I’ll reach out to the breeder and ask how she was with the other puppies.

I don’t known what that is but I’ll watch those videos. Want her to be friendly with other dogs as she grows

 

[sallama]

@shlomo1 I can't say from the video that it's aggressive... the younger pup's body is loose and bouncy, ears are up... this is a game often called Bitey Face that dogs engage with. The older dog may be handicapping for the puppy... but I'm not entirely sure the older dog is appreciating the play exactly. It's hard to really read the body language from the angle and given that the older dog is under the pup.

https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/comments/ist8bm/september_2020_wiki_deep_dive_playing_with_other

has a lot of great information on it about dog-dog play as well which you may find helpful.

 

[shlomo1]

@sallama Thank you very much for the information. I’ll take a look at that post as well!

 

[lehan]

@shlomo1 Adding on to the other comment, my trainer said as long as the voice is rhythmic then its play vocalizing (think errrrr errrrr errrrr). When its starts getting erratic/irregular it can be a sign that they are getting over stimulated/upset/trying to indicate discomfort or correct the other dog (think errrr ERRRRRRR BARK)

In the video, your older dog starts with very rhythmic errras and then suddenly gets louder and the pup hops off - that’s great! Shows puppy listened to an indication your older dog didn’t like it. Your older dog does it again a few minutes later when puppy is on his head and puppy runs away - that’s great! If you’re ever unsure, pull the instigator away and see if their playmate tries to reengage with them or if they take the opportunity to leave. It’s also good to pull puppy off if they have been on top for too long (think 3seconds?) especially if the dogs aren’t besties/same age & energy - some older dogs don’t like or tolerate that kind of behaviour especially when the puppy becomes a teenager (they become less forgiving)

 

[shlomo1]

@lehan The older one is just grunting but not growling. The younger brown one is the one grrring. But based on the information you provided it does appear to be rhythmic. I’ll pay closer attention to playing and noises and see if it does become erratic etc. thank you !

 

[lehan]

@shlomo1 Glad to help! Hard to tell noise sources with how close their mouths were

If puppy is going from grr to louder noise Pup might have had a sudden overstimulation moment, it’s great they moved off when they felt that (some pups aren’t so good about that regulation and take it out on their playmate)