Hi

I have a 10 month old female staff who loves playing rough with other dogs especially another female staff. 

The other day after being in the park I was cleaning her and I noticed that she had little cuts and scabs on her cheeks were the other dog pulls.  Do you think i should keep her away from this dog.  I know these dogs like playing rough but I dont want her getting hurt.  She never growls and wimpers when playing.

Any advice is appreciated.

I don't have staffs myself, but believe this behaviour is normal for them. As long as neither dog is showing signs of aggression, i'd leave them to it! I have 3 siberian huskies and they also play rough, the noise they make is unbelievable, but while their tails are wagging i don't intervene. Their mum sometimes interrupts if they get a bit too mad for her liking tho'!

Karen

I have two puppies, who play very rough, at first I found it abit disconcerting and thought that they didnt get on but I've left them too it and now realise its just abit of rough and tumble.
They both have scraps and scratches  ut when one of them takes it too far or doesnt want to play anymore they let it be know and they usually just go their separate ways.
By no means am I authority in this subject but I don't think you should worry to much, the other bitch will soon send her on her way if its too much

Thanks for your replies youve helped put my mind at rest.

Niki

Personally speaking, although I don't have much experience with Staffies, I don't like to leave it to the dogs to decide when a game has got too rough - this can lead to one dog having to use more and more force to put a stop to a game - which can lead to aggression without the play :(

I've got 3 Staffs: a bitch and her 2 sons....and boy do they play rough given the opportunity! :-)

They are always covered in scratches and scabs from each other and never complain or wimper, that's just the way they are...but they don't play that rough with other breeds they meet out on walks, they just play normally, if invited to do so.

I think it's just the nature of Staffs! :-)

Hi
I also have 2 pups (not staffs) one is 8months and the other 3months. Please be really carefull when allowing pups to rough play. My 2 where at it last week, they where running around jumping on each other. My lab (the older of the 2) hit my bullmastiff rather hard in the back leg and now she is lame. She has fluid build up in both her back knees and our vet thinks that it was them playing that has done this.
She has been referered to a specalist hospital but untill then we don't know just how bad the damage is.

Debbie

My boston terriers play like that all the time, they will let out a whelp when the other has gotten to too rough and then they stop and right back to play. They always have scabs on their face, back side but I do tell them at times to stop it. That doesn't last long they are right back at it :) I don't think I would worry to much if its all just play and no fights.

Hi Niki G,

As long as she doesn't whimper you should be ok. Dogs are normally very good at letting everyone around them know when something is wrong and hurts. Think about it, what other way have they got of communicating? I have big dogs that like to play VERY rough, and I wince when I watch them bundle, and although we get the occasional graze they act as if nothing has happened and one of them is a real wimp :)
I also think that we are sometimes too overprotective of our dogs and treat them like children, people often lose sight of the fact that they are dogs and will do "doggy things".

My father always said to me, "let them find their own level" albeit this may seem very old fashioned advice, but he was a dog trainer for a county Police Force for 20 years,and retired 3 years ago, after my experience of dogs, I still think it is good advice.