Hi everyone,
I am having a bit of uncertainty regarding Caper's play manners with other dogs.

This video most closely resembles how he "plays":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUTyatIK9Gs

When another dog doing the same thing he is meets him (very rare), they seem to play beautifully like the video. But mostly he just looks like an obnoxious dog who just scares everybody by jumping on them, biting their face and legs and trying to flip them over!

Today he pounced on a dog at the dog park and a woman immediately grabbed it and left. As she crossed the gate said to me "I want her to learn better play manners!!"

Caper's been going to daycare 1-2x/wk and dog park 2-3x/wk for over a month now and although I've noticed improvements with him letting up when a dog yelps, he is still "rude" and persistent and rough in play! Don't know if this is normal or when I should step in. Day care staff at both of the locations we send him to say that his play manners are great. Are other dog owners just crazy?? And most of all, can you modify a dog's play manners?

I think this is pretty normal as well. Huskies do tend to play a lot rougher than other dogs. It all just depends on which dogs can handle it and which can't. As well as the owners.

Lycus is BIG and a husky so you can imagine how many people get scared with him, even though he isn't actually harming anyone.

Then there are some dogs that just plain don't like certain type of dogs. I know there is an older dog at the dog park and the girl told me he usually doesn't really like huskies and it definitely showed. Lycus would just run by and he would snarl at him but not at any other dog. The girl didn't mind though. She's known Lycus since he was a pup and knows how he plays.

Yes!! There is so much prejudice against huskies everywhere we go! lol it's a bit unfair because Caper never snarls or snaps at anybody, lets other dogs get up when he's flipped them over, doesn't resource guard, has a soft mouth.. he was playing with a 6 month old lab puppy that same day and didn't cause her to yip once. Some owners just let their preconceptions get in the way. I always have to preface every meeting with "if you feel uncomfortable with the way he's playing with your dog, let me know". Kind of embarrassing and frustrating that people assume he's a monster even though he's more solidly trained than >90% of the dogs we meet there (we live in an area where people don't train their dogs well... ugh. or is that true of any place?)

I agree with the above! My pups play the EXACT same way together and they sound like their killing each other lol. When they are playing with other breeds sometimes I remind them to be easy as like all huskies can get pretty rough when playing and not every dog likes to play the same way. The only time I step in is if one is yelping and the other hasn't let go.

That is typical Husky play style. I would akis the other owner if his or her dog can go the rough way, if not or they are uncertain there should be no play time, because it can end up in a fight when the other dog gets scared or gets pissed.

Yeah, its typical of how huskies play with each other. Dizzy has a really intense play growl that he does pretty much all the time when he plays and it scares people. They don't realize he's just talking, and its not a for real growl. I do notice that when he plays with huskies, his intensity level raises with other dogs for a few days after. He was much more intense yesterday after a husky play date on Saturday.

Yep, it's normal for them, you should see mine, they're nuts! BUT I do find myself going after Kody and Asia (Mya doesn't go to the dog park) because they're playing too rough with a dog who doesn't want to play like them. They're not hurting the dog, but I can see how they're a little pushy. Then the rest of the husky gang come and gang up on the dog...lol. One finds a submissive target dog and the rest of the pack come and join in  I have to laugh about it.

Defining rude behavior really depends on the feelings of both dogs involved, does he respect when a dog doesn't want to play or just continues to pester them? If both dogs are fine with the play and it doesn't escalate to a fight, then it's not rude.

I've noticed that a lot of people aren't used to dogs wrestling, and often misinterpret it as fighting. When we used to go to the dog park, countless people would try to break up the play between my shiba and husky, thinking that the husky was attacking the shiba. Some would even break up well mannered play thinking that their dog was being vicious or rude, when actually both dogs were having fun.

Here's an interesting video listing behaviors that are given during normal dog play:

wpskier222 wrote:

I do notice that when he plays with huskies, his intensity level raises with other dogs for a few days after. He was much more intense yesterday after a husky play date on Saturday.

Interesting that you point this out! We stared going to a new daycare the past couple of weeks where they group dogs according to play style and size. Caper gets grouped in the "big actives" which is the biggest roughest group there. I started noticing that he started growling, nipping dogs' legs, pulling their legs out from under, and being much rougher and unyielding at the dog park. So one of my theories is that ironically, in an effort to make play more harmonious at the day care, they end up making rough players even rougher and more inflexible by sorting them so that their only playmates are dogs with that single play style. When we go to our original day care, he gets exposed to all play styles and seems to learn to be respectful of everybody.

Caliakisses wrote:

Defining rude behavior really depends on the feelings of both dogs involved, does he respect when a dog doesn't want to play or just continues to pester them? If both dogs are fine with the play and it doesn't escalate to a fight, then it's not rude.

Great video! He used to be more respectful, but just during the last couple of weeks I noticed that he is becoming somewhat of a butthead to other dogs. The other dogs mostly run away and try to hide under benches or behind their owners as he bites their legs and wraps his teeth around their necks. I'll break it up if the dog yips. If the dog continues to not reciprocate, he'll start complaining loudly and try again in a few minutes.

Sometimes the other dog will start running alongside him or at him and air snap, which freaks me out, because I was once told that that's a precursor to an actual bite!! I'll jump in and pull him away, but the other owner says that that's how their dog plays and I should let him go. No fighting ensued... what do you think? Is air snapping a normal part of play?

If your pitapita age of Caper is correct, then part of his rude behavior could be due to being a "teenager". Around that age, dogs generally get rowdier and test boundaries just like teenage humans.

You also can't judge how a dog feels by one behavior, you have to take in the overall picture and read what the rest of the dog's body is saying as well. I have a dog that loves to air snap when he's playing or excited, he even does it when happily greeting me as I come home. It really is up to the dog as to what it means.

Teeko sometimes fixates on the ONE dog in the park that wants no part of him, stubborn boy.

On the other hand, I had an owner of another dog of another breed actually say she liked seeing Teeko there, because he actually gets her fat boy running and exercising (not in so many words, but the park has some lower key dogs there, and her chubby dog definitely needs the exercise.)

I think it helps having two, because seeing my two play rough and stay friendly, people start to understand how they play, and how it's not serious business.