# need help interpreting play



## mlg1900 (Jun 12, 2013)

Hi all,
I need some help figuring out play body language. So, I thought I would come here for some answers. Ginger is 9 months old now and Day 17 of her heat cycle. We had a little play time with a small dog on sunday. I noticed that little dog did alot of growling, baring teeth and snapping at Ginger. While she was running away and spinning around and such. She seemed to be enjoying herself. Never yelped or tried to avoid the dog. But hearing and seeing this behavior in another dog scares me and makes me think I should stop the play. Is this normal play behavior or play fighting? Will Ginger stay away if the dog was REALLY trying to bite or hurt her?

Then, today, Ginger wanted to play with the neighbor dog. The neighbor dog is a 3 year old mixed breed dog of the same size. Ginger had been on a leash and the other dog was off leash but they were bouncing around and bowing and all kinds of stuff indicating they wanted to play with each other. So, I let Ginger off the leash and they ran around like fools. I noticed that they both played chasER and chasEE roles but when Ginger was being chased her hackles were up from shoulders all the way to her tail? and she would run with her tail tucked low. Or if the other dog would catch her she would even tuck her bottom down low to the ground too. It surprised me because I thought the tail tucking was a sign of fear? But again she didn't stop playing. At one point, I think the other dog was getting tired and when ginger came over to her she did growl and snap at her. This time Ginger ran away and came over to lay down next to me. I then leashed her up and the other dog came close to me and layed down too. After a few more minutes we said goodbye and went on our way. 

Is this all normal dog play ? I don't know when I should intervene or when to just let them have at it. I definitely don't want Ginger to get hurt. She has only been on a few play dates and during those previous play dates the other dogs did not growl, bark, snap, etc. They all just ran around with each other without making any noise. They would even mouth each other without making any noise at all. 

Looking forward to hearing back from some experienced dog owners! 
Thanks!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Not sure on the first dog. 
The second sounds like normal play and the other dog let her know when playtime was over.

Mine sound more like bears when they are play fighting. They mouth, chase,growl and body slam each other.
It normally starts with one pointing the other one with hackles raised. If the other one make a move closer its on.


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## FLgatorgirl (Mar 11, 2013)

Sounds pretty normal to me too and I agree that certain breeds (definitely shepherds, any herding dog like border collies and some bulldogs) don't mix well with our Vs. Also, Ellie gets her hackles up sometimes during play and my understanding is that it is totally out of excitement. I have never seen any indication otherwise and we have had anywhere from 4-7 playdates a week with three different dogs for about 14 months now. Also, she frequently tucks her tail and fanny when running when the other dog gets close in chase. I absolutely see it as protecting that part of her body from a play bite or nip, she has never seemed afraid and actually prefers to be chased instead of chasing the other dog.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

I second what FLgatorgirl said, hackles can raised from excitement during play. 

Do you know what kind of breed or mix the small dog is. It might be worth looking into the play style of that breed. 

Even if the dog was playing, it's fine for you to be uncomfortable with that style of play and to introduce rules. If it gets too intense, stop play for awhile and ask for a sit or down. Then have the other owner hold his/her dog back, release Ginger and see if she initiates play again. 

Has Ginger played with either dogs when not in heat?


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

maybe she was tucking her tail in to stop from being mounted...just a thought as she's on her heat.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

Darcy will raise her hackles during play with other dogs, she then looks like a Ridgeback, but when she is very nervous she tucks her little tail under and almost creeps on her elbows..


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Willie's hackles are raised when he is excited and nervous at the same time. An example of this would be when a new dog comes to greet him through the fence. They can be nose to nose, and Willie would really love to play, but is unsure of the other dog's intentions and mental state. Happy and excited but also nervous and unsure. _(Once he gets to know the other dog, his hackles settle right back down again.)_


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## CatK (May 29, 2013)

mswhipple said:


> Willie's hackles are raised when he is excited and nervous at the same time.


Same for Morris. He was playing with a collie cross, and a lurcher/greyhound cross the other day and the lurcher was a bit older. Morris was crapping himself! Hackles up, tail down, but every time the other dog paused for a moment Morris was back in there play bowing and asking for more! The collie x must have been a good companion for them because we bumped into the lurcher again last night and he was being a real bully, Morris was too scared to play, so we called it a day and hopefully when we next bump into the lurcher, the collie will be nearby to help relations a bit!


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## mlg1900 (Jun 12, 2013)

harrigab said:


> maybe she was tucking her tail in to stop from being mounted...just a thought as she's on her heat.


Neither of the other dogs looked like they were trying to mount her. They were just chasing her but never really catching her. I thought that maybe a few times the little dog made contact with her when snapping at her. But if he did, I guess it wasnt hard because she never cried and Ginger did not have any marks on her.


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## mlg1900 (Jun 12, 2013)

einspänner said:


> I second what FLgatorgirl said, hackles can raised from excitement during play.
> 
> Do you know what kind of breed or mix the small dog is. It might be worth looking into the play style of that breed.
> 
> ...


Both of the dogs are mixed breeds actually. The dog her size is suspected lab / shepard mix. But I think she looks like she has pit bull in her. The little dog must be some type of terrier breed with long silky hair. 

It was the first time playing with the dog her size and it was very intense play! And we have had attempted played dates a few times with the small dog but the few times before he didn't really play with Ginger, Just kind of ignored her or would chase her away if she tried to play with him. So, I was thinking this time we were making progress. But I just am not used to all that growling and snapping and it kind of makes me nervous! Really great idea to look into how different breeds play with each other. 

I also want to thank everyone else for responding. It is nice to hear from people who have alot more experience. I want her to experience other dogs and people but I want to make sure she is safe and that I am not doing anything wrong!


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## Chaos911 (Oct 30, 2013)

I've never heard the term Hackles. What are they referring to?


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## Sail (Jun 18, 2013)

It's when the hair on their back stands up. Quite visible and it's a signal the dog is apprehensive.


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