# Rough housing just me and my dog.



## fortyfootelf (Feb 2, 2010)

i know alot of people have mixed feelings about rough housing with their dogs but i feel that it is necessary in order to build a firm bond with your companion as well as keeping them happy, especially if your dog is still in its puppy stage of life. what i mean by this is your dog will feel more comfortable around you and will protective of you as his master. happiness is the key to a strong relationship with your canine, you will realize this soon enough, if you havent already. 

now that i got that out of the way, i wanted to share this with those who want a good laugh. Last night me and Red were on the floor in the livingroom acting like dogs, playing rough housing and barking and growling (my roomate thinks im crazy for this) when i got him so rowled up he started running from room to room histerically. it was obvious he was having a good time wagging his tail and nipping on my skin (never biting, pinching more or less) just plain ol' having dog fun. i thought it would be funny to jump in the middle of his path while he was on his rampage of fun, so i got back down on all fours and when he came around the corner he jumped up on his hinds and tried to tackle me. it looked like 2 dogs fighting in the wild, except i was the other dog. well he has a tendancey to want to bite my ear while rough housing, he knows it isnt ok but i think he feels that he needs to do something in order of retaliation. either that or he just likes the feeling of the ear on his tounge... idk. anyway he pierced my ear pretty good, it hurt me and i left him know by biting his neck that the game was over. i went and doctored my bleeding ear then came back and sat down on the couch. i never had to yell at him or punish him any further bkuz we were playing and it was an accident. he knew that he was in the wrong for clamping down on my skin, i could tell by his face. once i got on the couch he stood in front of me for 5 minutes staring at me like he was trying to appologize to me. then after he saw that i wasnt mad by any means, he sat down at my feet and continued to watch tv:hug:. 

:woof:such a smart dog. and i love him like he was my son...:woof:


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## boogiebot (Oct 7, 2009)

i think playing with the dogs is great. this is just my opinion but your dog should never bite down on you. i know you mentioned you rialed him up. we play at our house to and i get my girl going pretty good and she zooms from room to room similar to what your pup does. but if i feel her trying to nip at me thats it the game is over. as soon as she does this i tell her sit and get her to calm down. 

i know what you are saying about your dog not meaning to get you.


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## coppermare (Jun 25, 2010)

To funny! I could just see your dog running from room to room!! Nice to see someone so in tune with their dog's body and face language. I play with most of my dogs, I've had a few though that I could not play with. I was alpha as long as I was on two feet but when I lowered myself to their level and became another "dog" they were NOT NICE dogs. One was a chow, the other a weimaraner.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

there is nothing wrong with rough housing with your dog as long as they are not bitting or nibbling you. They should have a toy in their mouth so that doesn't happen. If you allow them to bite you in play you are allowing them to bite you in anger, when they are scared, or anytime. Dogs are very black and white and when I deal with a bite case normally the dog was allowed to play bite or nibble then they are shocked when the dog bites them out of frustration or anger. Be black and white no tooth to skin contact and you will avoid problems in the future.


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## Saint Francis (Jun 2, 2010)

I don't have a problem with rough housing, probably cause I did it To me, there was no other way to play with them LOL! Of course there is that point where the play can cross the line, it happens, and you deal with it. One of my dogs, Cuda, was really good at knowing that point and Jack wasn't. You live and learn how each dog is wired. I also have to point out that the owners themselves have to realize what level they are taking the rough housing. It works both ways IMO.


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## American_Pit13 (Apr 23, 2007)

We love to rough house here. I have been head butted in the face tho. Nothing like a fat pit head to the nose.


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## Saint Francis (Jun 2, 2010)

american_pit13 said:


> We love to rough house here. I have been head butted in the face tho. Nothing like a fat pit head to the nose.


Holly, been there and done that! I think it is some sort of initiation rite that every pit gives it's owner


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## coppermare (Jun 25, 2010)

My puppy "fleas" me. And noooo I don't have fleas. LOL


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## APBTHAUS (Mar 3, 2010)

coppermare said:


> My puppy "fleas" me. And noooo I don't have fleas. LOL


LMAO to the flea bites, Bailey does the same thing. I think they are trying to show you love via cleaning off non existent fleas. I thought my dog only did that!!


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## jmejiaa (Dec 8, 2009)

I rough play but Sasha doesn't bite... At first when she did I would stop with a bold NO. She know's NO. Now she taps me with her nose when she would usually play bite.


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## Pancake (Jun 11, 2010)

APBTHAUS said:


> LMAO to the flea bites, Bailey does the same thing. I think they are trying to show you love via cleaning off non existent fleas. I thought my dog only did that!!


When Cakes and I roughhouse she'll do the flea nibble thingy to me. :roll:


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## Indigo Bully Connection (Dec 21, 2006)

fleaing is not love, it's dominance


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## SARGEnNIKITA (Jan 3, 2010)

Sarge used to try nibbling and play biting (soft biting) and I had to stop that real quick... He started thinking it was ok to play with the kids like that... He is real good now but Nikita has started this now and so we are currently trying to break her of it. I agree with Indigo no teeth to skin ever but we rough house all the time...


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## fortyfootelf (Feb 2, 2010)

i know that Red didnt mean to bite me, or not that hard anyway. i also had alot to do with it bkuz once i felt his mouth going towards my ear, i flinched up with my shoulder and caused the bite to be more harm then it should have been. and you guys are right, once the play becomes more than that then its time to stop. red knows that too, thats the good thing. but all in all i started it, i caused it, and i finished it. like i said before we were just dogs playing so i cant be mad at him lol. to be honest he has been acting differently ever since he ate my ear, and me returning the bite. yesterday he just didnt act the same. he was a little more passive with the things that i usually antagonize him with. he isnt sick i can tell, but i think he has a different perspective towards me. when i bit him back, and firmly said NO, i could tell he understood that biting is a no no. and the fact that i bit him back and he felt that pain too i could just see it in his eyes, "IM SOO SORRYY" look. 

fleaing is kinda wierd too, but its quite funny. i like it when he does it to my back bkuz it feels good, lol it like hes trying to scratch my back. he needs to return the favor sometimes anyway haha. indigo is right though, it is a sign of dominance and you really need to teach them otherwise. and i got to work with Red more on this...

ohh yeah!! a guy that i really dont trust much came over the other day to visit my roomate, when he started to pet Red. Red could read my energy towards the guy and when he reached down to pet Red, he started growling, and the closer that his hand got the louder red got. once he realized that red didnt want him touching him, he sat on the couch and continued to talk to my roomate. well that guy had sat in between me and my roomate and as soon as he did red started to bark at him, i mean not just one loud bark, he barked until that guy had gotten up and away from me. once he sat in the chair across the room red had came and sat in between me and my roomate and watched that guy the entire time. 

and this is why RED is a Badazz. God I love my DAWG


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## Pancake (Jun 11, 2010)

Indigo Bully Connection said:


> fleaing is not love, it's dominance


I didn't know that. It doesn't seem very dominate when she's pinned on her back on the floor. Thanks for the input. :thumbsup:


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## Loke-a-doke (Jun 11, 2010)

What is "fleaing" exactly...?


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## coppermare (Jun 25, 2010)

Pancake said:


> I didn't know that. It doesn't seem very dominate when she's pinned on her back on the floor. Thanks for the input. :thumbsup:


Hmmm, well it usually is the dominant dog that fleas the others, BUT I don't think so either in this case. I can only speak for mine but he knows who is alpha believe me. And he usually does the flea nibble thing only when I'm scratching his back with my nails. Horse will nibble each other's necks and withers while standing butt to head beside each other and I know that is not a dominance thing it is a buddy system way to scratch each other where they themselves can't reach. And since Gage can't reach that spot on his back I still say it's a buddy thing.


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## coppermare (Jun 25, 2010)

Loke-a-doke said:


> What is "fleaing" exactly...?


It's kinda like they nibble with just their front teeth all around on your skin. 
Monkeys groom each other also:roll:


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## Loke-a-doke (Jun 11, 2010)

Soo...if Loki tries to do that to me a lot that's probably not a good thing...I feel like he tries to be dominant in other ways too...

How should I get him to stop? Haha start fleaing him back?


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## Saint Francis (Jun 2, 2010)

Loke-a-doke said:


> Soo...if Loki tries to do that to me a lot that's probably not a good thing...I feel like he tries to be dominant in other ways too...
> 
> How should I get him to stop? Haha start fleaing him back?


Well, of course Or make a fart sound with your mouth against his belly That'll teach him who's boss LOL!


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## dixieland (Aug 14, 2009)

Saint Francis said:


> Well, of course Or make a fart sound with your mouth against his belly That'll teach him who's boss LOL!


OMG dude!Seriously!!!I cracked up laughing when I read that!
As far as the "fleaing" thing,I wouldn't really worry about it.Here we call it chewing.I'll say 'Pretty Girl chew the kitty' or what not and she does.Nothing else has ever come of it.I always thought of it as a form of play with her.She never has any form of dominace or aggresion towards the cats.She even eats out of the same food bowl with them.


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## christina60546 (May 6, 2010)

Im not trying to change your thread at all but i have a question since there's a portion of dominance talk in this. What does it mean when a dog doesn't let you grab its neck? Panda HATES when I grab his neck, the skin not the collar. He will either throw himself down on the floor or "try" to bite my hand, he's never actually bitten me but I can tell he doesn't like it. Is he trying to dominate me?


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## dixieland (Aug 14, 2009)

christina60546 said:


> Im not trying to change your thread at all but i have a question since there's a portion of dominance talk in this. What does it mean when a dog doesn't let you grab its neck? Panda HATES when I grab his neck, the skin not the collar. He will either throw himself down on the floor or "try" to bite my hand, he's never actually bitten me but I can tell he doesn't like it. Is he trying to dominate me?


Hmmm....I always took that as a dominance thing.But I really don't want to comment further because I don't have specific advice or knowledge about it, as mine have never done it.Maybe someone who has more experience with this sort of thing can offer more advice.


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## pitbullmamanatl (Jun 1, 2010)

american_pit13 said:


> We love to rough house here. I have been head butted in the face tho. Nothing like a fat pit head to the nose.


Same here... its like a freakin cement block!!


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## coppermare (Jun 25, 2010)

christina60546 said:


> Im not trying to change your thread at all but i have a question since there's a portion of dominance talk in this. What does it mean when a dog doesn't let you grab its neck? Panda HATES when I grab his neck, the skin not the collar. He will either throw himself down on the floor or "try" to bite my hand, he's never actually bitten me but I can tell he doesn't like it. Is he trying to dominate me?


When one dog grabs another dogs throat that dog knows he's pretty much dead. He is at the mercy of the dog holding him. Their feet are close second. He knows cripple that he is pretty much going to starve because he can't hunt any longer. It's his instinct not to want you to grab his neck. The throwing himself on the floor could be a sign of submission to you I guess. I just would not do it. The best way to learn an animals "language" is to spend a lot of time watching them and how they communicate with each other.


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