The key to knowing if your dog is playing too rough, is to understand your dog's body language and what they are communicating with you and the other dogs around them. Learn how to tell the difference between dog playing and fighting...

We love seeing dogs run around and play with other dogs. After all, socialization is so important especially at a young age -- and the added exercise and mental stimulation doesn’t hurt either.

However, we want to make sure that doggy play time is always safe. A question we get asked in our Facebook community a lot is “How do I know if my dog is playing too rough?” 

It’s SO important to know when your dog is being too rough with others -- or if others are being too rough with your dog -- to keep everyone safe and in control. After all, it only takes one incident to impact your dog’s socialization skills. Plus, nobody wants to see a dog get hurt.

So what’s the key to knowing if your dog is playing too rough? It’s all about body language.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND ABOUT DOG BODY LANGUAGE

As much as we wish they could, our dogs can’t communicate with us using words. Instead, they use barks, whines, and -- most importantly -- body language. 

Dogs communicate their feelings and needs largely through their facial expressions, posture, tails, and back. It’s important to take time to understand what different postures and stances mean for your dog, since they are different from what they mean for humans.

For this purpose, it’s most important to understand the dog body language that can signal stress and aggression. We’ll get to those a little bit later, but if dog body language is new to you, we suggest pausing here to dive a little deeper into it before you continue. 

For more background on understanding your dog’s body language, take a read through our guide Basics of Dog Body Language: What Your Dog is Trying to Tell You

Before we talk about body language signals to be wary of, we wanted to share the “green lights.” If your dog is exhibiting any of these behaviors with other dogs, they’re likely to get along just fine:

Play bow: The play bow is when your dog drops their front legs onto the ground and sticks their butt in the air facing their playmate. This may even be accompanied by front paw “tippy taps” and tail wags -- both inviting the other dog to play.

Tag, you’re it!: Dogs that take turns chasing each other are generally engaging in play. If chasing isn’t continually one-sided, they’re getting along just fine.

Smiling: Just like with humans, smiling can be a sign of happiness. However, this isn’t always the case -- more on that later.

Growling or barking: Young puppies often “play growl,” and adult dogs will yap away with their playmates. If the tone is lighthearted and other body language cues suggest play, this means they’re just having fun with each other.

Play biting: If your dog is nipping at another dog’s ears, don’t panic. Dogs often play by biting, and don’t cause any harm or injury by doing this. It’s important to take other signals into context here to make sure it doesn’t turn into anything more than play. For example, if one dog isn’t into it, and shows they just want to be left alone (this happens a lot when a puppy wants to engage an older dog), separate them so the uninterested dog doesn’t get annoyed and retaliate.

BODY LANGUAGE THAT CAN BE SIGNS OF AGGRESSION

Just as it’s important to know when everything’s all good, it’s equally important (if not more important) to know when a dog’s behavior is crossing the line and turning aggressive.

While we wish all dogs could get along and play nicely, sometimes that’s just not the case. Here are some signs of aggressive behavior during play to look out for:

Raised hackles (the hair on the back of their necks and along the spine)

Continually attempting to chase a dog that’s not engaging in play

If your dog, or their playmate, shows these body language cues, it’s time to separate them and change the environment. But do so carefully -- you want to avoid creating additional stress or accidental injury to you or a dog.

One thing to make clear: If your dog shows signs of aggression, they are not a bad dog. Some dogs get territorial over places, toys, or people -- this is called resource guarding and can be corrected. Other dogs are simply more reactive than others, and that’s okay too.

The important thing is that you recognize the signs of reaction and aggression in your dog so you can adjust their environment and training to address it. There are many courses in the Pupford Academy that can address specific behaviors, but you can always request an in-person consultation from a certified dog trainer.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR DOG’S SPECIFIC BODY LANGUAGE

You’ve probably noticed that some of the behaviors listed as signs of playfulness can also be signs of aggression depending on the intent. That can get a bit confusing.

That’s why it’s so important to understand the context of your dog’s cues and how they fit in with their overall body language. Every dog is different in that regard, so it’s important to take the time to get to know yours. After all, nobody knows your dog better than you do.

Our Dog Body Language Course is designed to help pup parents like you understand your dog’s body language signals so you can help them stay happy and safe during playtime with others.

It includes video breakdowns of common body language signals, PDF cheat sheets, in-depth breakdowns, and more -- everything you need to know about your dog’s body language.

What are your other tips for keeping your pup happy and safe while playing with other dogs? We’d love to hear about them in the comments! 

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<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Pupford Academy</span>

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How to Know if Your Dog is Playing too Rough | Pupford