My GSD and Pyrenees play rough. Are they playing or fighting?

It's true that play between two dogs can sometimes get out of hand and become a more serious fight. It can be hard for many owners to distinguish this from rough play, so feel free to request a one-on-one consultation if you wish - you can take a video of the behavior for me to look at, so that I can give you a better idea of whether this is normal play or something more serious. In the meantime, I would recommend distracting the dogs from their play session and redirecting them to something else if you are concerned that things are getting too intense. You can do this by shaking a treat bag, and asking both dogs to sit for a treat when they come to you. This helps to bring their arousal level down a bit, so that they are calmer when they go back to playing.

This sounds like puppy play to me. When they bite, is there any blood or wounds visible after play? If so, it may be best the separate them. If not, let them work it out! I would be more concerned if the biting was occurring on the hind or along the legs. I would also be concerned if there were other signs of aggression, such as during feeding time or potty time. If you are uncomfortable with the puppies play biting each other, try to throw some puppy toys in the mix, maybe even some that have treats inside to distract them.

If they are just playing (loose, wiggly bodies, high pitched growls and barks, lots of hopping around, etc) it could just be normal play and wrestling behavior together. If Gypsy is low growling, baring teeth, having a stiff, tense body, or is otherwise seeming upset by the puppy, it could be that she is trying to tell the puppy "enough" and get it to back off. If she seems uncomfortable, separating the two for a bit to let both dogs calm down some is best. If they're just playing, then just monitoring their play and making sure to give both dogs breaks to rest and relax in between can help.

Hi there! I can't say for sure if your dogs are playing or not without observing them - but in general, I can tell you that it's very normal for dogs to "fake" bite each other during play. Biting and mouthing, wrestling, and chase games are all normal ways that dogs play with each other. As long as neither dog seems afraid of the other one and both are actively participating, it's likely that this is play. If you're unsure, you can always try to get in touch with a good reward-based trainer in your area who can observe the dogs in person and give you a more definite opinion.

It can take dogs awhile to get used to each other, and the best thing to do is to make sure hat they each have their own space to retreat to if they don’t feel like interacting. If either one is starting to act aggressive you should separate them. They should have separate water bowls and eat food separately for awhile as well. Even though there haven’t been any injuries yet it would be safest to keep them separate while unsupervised until they are getting along. That being said it can be very normal for dogs to growl during play and sometimes vigorous play can seem similar to fighting. If you’re not sure it might be helpful to talk to a trainer or behaviorist - your vet can make a recommendation.

Hello, rough play is ok as long as they are not showing teeth or biting each other. It is also ok, as long as both of them want to play and not one picking on the other. If you think they are showing some aggression or if it is getting too rough, you can separate them for some time. Also ensure they have enough toys, especially chew toys so that they can redirect their rough play to those chew toys in particular. Hope this helps.

The behavior by itself is hard to discern out of context. You want to look at body language as a whole. A dog that is playing will have a loose, wiggly body, may hop around or play bow, and may have high pitched growls along with playfully biting or showing teeth. A dog that is not playing will often have a stiff, tense body, be staring down the other dog, low or straight out tail, hackles raised, and with bared teeth may be telling the other dog to go away and leave them alone.