Appropriate Play In Dogs
When dogs play, there are a number of ‘green flag’ behaviours that we want to be seeing. These include:
- Mirror and matching. This can be seen when dogs copy and reflect each other. For example, one dog play bowing and the other copying the action. This shows that the dogs are listening to each other.
- Balance. Good playmates will also switch roles during play – at first, one may be being chased and then turn around to start chasing the other.
- Pauses in play. Pauses allow dogs to process and assess their interactions and to cap their arousal levels. This can look similar to a freeze but is them taking a moment for processing. The dogs may also pause to shake; if arousal levels skyrocket, both dogs may stop and ‘shake it off’ as this diffuses the stress or indicates that a play session is winding down.
- Self-handicapping. This is when a dog modifies its behaviour for equal play. For example, a greyhound may run slowly in order to play with a pug. Dogs are capable of easily hurting each other if they wanted to but this is not something that happens during play; dogs learn to regulate their strength to match the needs of their play partner, which may be seen in bite inhabitation or toning down their play style.
- Vocalisation. This can include whining, chattering, growling or barking and is fine as long as the dog’s body language is soft. Bull breeds are particularly vocal during play.
- Soft body language. Dogs playing appropriately will have loose, relaxed bodies with floppy movements, open mouths and wiggly bottoms. They should happily fall down and make themselves vulnerable without being afraid to expose their belly.
- Respecting space – dogs shouldn’t be too in another dogs face or bottom. The dogs should also be happy to share the resources around them such as water bowls, space, toys and their owner.
- Windmill tail – otherwise known as helicopter tail! A tail that is wagging super fast but is still soft and wiggly.
It is important to note that dogs who know each other will play differently to unfamiliar dogs. Dogs that don’t know each other well tend to be ‘ruder’ and less tolerant. Similarly, we must understand that dogs are individuals and will have their own play styles.
Further reading:
Preventative Vet – Press Pause: How to manage dog play
K9ofmine – Appropriate dog play: keeping dog play fun & safe
