Q: I have a 4 year old male Blue Heeler and a 6 month old male Basset Hound who "seem " to get along ok, but there are someday's that I'm just not sure. Sometimes it seems that they just take their playing beyond playing. How do I know if they are just " tussling around " or  really getting ready to rumble?  When is enough , enough?

A: Whether it be two dogs that you own, or your dog with another familiar dog, the two should never be left unattended and unsupervised when playing. Play can very quickly escalate  into a fight.  When dogs are playing together, they will use all of the same body language as if they were in the wild hunting, gaining rank or during mating. If the two dogs playing are effective communicators, they will continually remind each other that they are " just playing" . As a dog owner, it is equally important for you to be able to determine these signs, so you know when to properly intervene. There are many signals and combinations of signals that a dog will convey to another indicating friend or foe. Dogs will play the " role reversal game" This is where one dog will appear to dominate the other with a series of growls,mouthing and biting, move apart and then re-initiate the play often reversing roles. If one dog is reluctant to assume the submissive position this would be a good indication to you to step in a break a possible conflict.

Dogs are predatory animals.They have a natural instinct to chase down and capture their prey. However, being that they are domesticated the need to capture their own food no longer exists, so dogs will often use play as a means of satisfying their drives. Often one dog will chase down another pouncing on them simulating a kill. Problems can occur if the predatory dog becomes to focused in drive and forgets that he's playing. This can lead to an escalation in bite force putting the other dog on defense which could quickly escalate into a fight.  Some good indications that this may be happening would be a deepening tone in the dogs bark, a more intense, non relaxed body posture and a refusal to release the other dog once "captured" .

If you see your dogs beginning to escalate, break them up to avoid a conflict allowing their adrenaline levels to lower, also allowing them to shake it off and check in with each other for their calming signals. Breaking up the play should be done often as this will also help to reinforce your position as the controlling pack member.

We could go into great detail about other signs such as play and prey bows,stalking and targeting and others however these signs can be very subtle and happen quickly and are often misinterpreted. If you are unsure if your dogs are playing or truly aggressive ,you should seek the assistance of a trainer to help you analyze your dogs behavior. 

As always, seek the help of a professional before attempting or applying any techniques or advice.

This article was published March 8, 2009 on Page 3 of the Sunday Sentinel