Thoughts welcome please

[kateincornwall]

Nelly and Reuben get along very nicely , in fact he has brought out her inner puppy and her OCD has reduced as she is far too busy to react to lights and shadows ! What I wanted to run by you is this : About two or three times a day , the pair of them play rough , sometimes quite crackers , racing around the house or garden , each session can last for an hour or so . On occasions I have had to step in and make third man as Reuben doesn't know his own strength and is so much bigger now , but guess who comes back for more ? Nelly often instigates the rough house , but I do worry that maybe I am encouraging lunatic behaviour in Reubs , or should I just let them be ? Out on walks, he did have a tendency to run at her, but I`ve stopped this by blocking him and offering a treat instead , it worked and this has all but stopped now . So , do I attempt to stop the rough play, or leave them to it, its 50/50 ! x

 

[MellowYellow]

Hi Kate, I found the exact same problem with Poppy and Merlin, when he was a puppy. They would play all the time, and sometimes quite roughly, although the dynamics were different with us as Merlin was the little one! I hated breaking up their fun, but in retrospect I wish I’d been firmer with them, as I’m not sure whether the bump in Merlin’s tail might have been caused by an injury sustained through rough play. Good luck with it, whatever you decide! And it is lovely that they get on so well, you must be delighted. Xx

 

[kateincornwall]

The good thing is that Nelly is much faster than clumsy Reuben , so she can escape, but then she comes back for more, its futile !

 

[Boogie]

I call it over-playing. I separate them when I’ve had enough or when one of them is getting either tired or over wound up.

No need with Tatze, as she will only play when she’s just woken up. But when I have a new pup and an older pup or a boarder I need to separate them often. I teach the cue ‘enough’ with fish cubes.

 

[Charlie]

I have an "enough" cue when it all gets too much. It works. xx

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

I also had a time out cue for Brogan and Mama Jodhi. Sometimes just so I could make a phone call because otherwise the noise was too much to hear in my little house!

Overwhelmingly though, having a puppy who gets along so well with the adult dog in the family was a huge advantage and a real joy to watch. Nelly is running the show for initiating play now and for years yet she'll be faster than Reuben, so personally I wouldn't worry about them hurting each other. But maybe a 'time out' cue for when you want some peace and quiet might be helpful for you.

 

[kateincornwall]

Just wondering if introducing another cue word might cause confusion at his young age ? I might try just a simple Stop , which I already use for him when out and about, he takes it as meaning to be still and is learning it well . I don't mind them playing , not one bit but sometimes I cant hear myself think and also they get too wired at times , it reminds me of when my children would get too excited in play when they were little and I used to say " It will all end in tears !" . I`ll try using the cue when they get too frantic , and maybe pop them both on leads for a few minutes , thank you xx

 

[SteffiS]

Same here, I'm never sure how long to let the play go on for. It can get very rough at times with Toffee squealing as Ripple gets hold of his ear but he always goes back for more.
I keep hoping they will get tired and settle down together but this hasn't happened yet, Ripple may give up but Toffee just keeps on at him until he starts playing again.
I've been using fish cubes as well to stop the play, that works well. Unfortunately over Christmas things have gone on a bit too long and we've had several instances of Toffee drinking a huge amount of water then weeing everywhere, today being a case in point .

 

[snowbunny]

The "scatter" cue is always my go-to in this sort of scenario. When Squidge is doing zoomies right next to a steep drop-off or anything like that. A scatter stops the bonkers without frustration.

 

[Boogie]

I have a room divider which I use to separate over-players to give us all a rest (a puppy pen opened out)

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

I have a room divider which I use to separate over-players to give us all a rest (a puppy pen opened out)

I used to use Brogan's ex-pen as a divider, too.

 

[Aitch]

I rely heavily on the "scatter" cue. My lot can be really loud. It sometimes sounds as if mass murder is being done in the house. The other thing I sometimes use if I have no treats to hand is a simple settle. Scatter is much better though.

 

[Granca]

It’s lovely that Reuben and Nelly play so well together, but probably best to intervene if it gets too hectic. I use ‘enough’ too with mine (and with previous dogs too). Even though Wispa and Tuppence are fairly evenly matched, accidents can still happen. If they still try again to be too manic after the cue I then settle them with a kong, or separate them, but that’s not really necessary now as ‘enough’ calms them down instantly.

 

[edzbird]

Our 2, whilst very well matched, can get a little over the top, sounds like they're killing each other. I call ENOUGH and it interrupts them, they both give a shake and either start again, gently, or walk off for a bit.