Okay...I wondered if anyone knows how to stop body slamming..?  I need it to stop becaus it's already almost killed one of my dogs a while back when he dosged the slammer and spiked himself on a tree. And also knocked people over in the past. And right not it is so muddy it cakes my younger dg in clay and it really makes them a nightmare to walk together on my own because as soon as I let them off the lead which I will only do now in very open spaces the older one just has to beat the younger one up ad roll hin in thick mud and I'm getting sick of it.

Any ideas...?

This is the way that some dogs just play, not much fun for the younger one getting rolled and knocked over though.

I'm no behaviourist, there are some good ones on the site who will hopefully come to your rescue.  The only advice I can give is perhaps to keep trying to occupy the body slamming dog with a ball to retrieve or find him something else to play with as if there is nothing else to occupy him/her then the other dog will become the only focus and playmate.

You could always lead your dog if it becomes too bad, or walk them seperately until you have taught this dog to stop with treats etc.

I think that the first step is to re-focus your dog on something else though.

Thhanks.

At the moment I mostly walk them on the lead.Then find a safe spce away from any dangers to play ball in. I then let the slightly older and smaller fearsome girl loose and throw the ball several times for her to take the edge off ... then I sit them both and they wait for permission to move and then we play and I throw her ball one way and his ball the other way and I juggle them to try to keep them away from body-slamming temptation. They both place the ball in my hand so I can fire them off quite quickly to avoid them meeting....

... but a little slip in timing and it all goes pear-shaped! 

He likes getting beaten up .... and they like playing charging full speed towards each other playing 'chicken' but I don't. It is just not safe.

my two young bitches play this body slamming game. the bigger one who is the underdog dosnt fare so bad as she is taller. however my smaller bitch gets a right hammering, and she goes down liek a sack of potatoes. they soon stop when they have had ebougth.
they save it for when i take them to the fields as they liek to get a good run up at each other. and they get so excited about goign to the field. im pretty sure its there favourite game.

other than walking them seperate there is nothing you can do,

Tenaj, you might like to have a read of this:

http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/inappropriate_play_with_other_dogshumans.pdf

Mine sometimes play like this, but the slammers are invariabley the younger ones getting the rise out of the older.

my two do this when we go to the beach, they love it.
They haven't got any trees to bang into, so it's not that
worrying for me.
But, if i had to stop them i would use, some kind of distraction
method

I agree it's best to prevent it. I am fairly certain the actual act of body slamming led to the death of one dog on here a few years ago, although may be mistaken.

It's natural in rough play but needs to be curbed as you have realised. I'd invest in a trainer www.apdt.co.uk near you to go with you ona walk and talk you through some ways of preventing and re-training for this problem :)

Lindsay
x

You are right, Lindsay - I remembered that, but couldn't find the relevant thread :(

Daisy

Was that not a chihuahua and a much larger breed?

It was a bigger breed, if I remember correctly it happened while they were playing in a London park, I think. The two dogs just crashed into each other :(

Daisy

I know on another board a dog died in another country crashing into another dog... they were both medium sized dogs but going fast and playing rough...one sadly dog broke his neck.

Also locally two dgs were running and crashed into a goal post...one shattered it's hip and died. 

Avvidents can always happen but it is possible to reduce the risks.  I almost had mine so they would stop when I told them to and I think this lasted for one day...but I notced it didn't lat long. I'm sure with training it will become safe for them to be off lead together without having to fit in the bdy slamming...dogs seem capable of learning most thing if you find the right way to teach it.

my viz suddenly just runs madly around playing with herself and changing directions alot and the other day she ran full pelt into some railings which were small enough for her head to go over but her body went straight into it. luckily she only got winded but i am really scared she will really hurt herself soon.

another time she was chasing a squirrel and at top speed whent head first into railings - again no indury but a bit dased. again scary

no idea how to stop her as i just don't see it coming

I believe it was a flatcoat although again, not totally sure - it kind of stuck in my mind as such a sad tragedy :(

Lindsay
x

Agree Brainless, another form of play invitation, bit of a drag when the one doing it is larger and heavier than the one being slammed of course and so I generally stop it by ME playing games with the dog so that it realises I am the play station, not the dog! :D

No open spaces, I find that works for me, but as soon as we step out of the woods and into the openess of a pasture, I can get slammed just for the hell of it! They are mad, quite mad.

I usually find yelling 'steady' stops them :D  Of course they know what steady means :D  Often used when they head straight for you full tilt.

along with AAAAAARRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHH!!

what is body slamming?

It's when a dog runs full pelt at another dog and shoulder slams it with full force thus sending it flying or into a crashing roll. 

For some reason the dogs find it fun. :rolleyes:

the version I most often see with two well matched dogs is they run along jostling each other as they go, sort of bouncing off each other..

oh how sweet!

....that version is far far too gentle for my two!

They even do the doggie duel..... go in  oppisite directions ad turn to face each other and do a full speed charge towards each other to see who chickens out first...and right at the last second one chickens and dodges sideways or leaps over the other. Then they look at me and tell me all delighted saying that was fun. 

I think some breds are more into body slamming then others.

probably as the version I see most often is really more shoulder barging with the scruff grabbing and mutual mouthing, very noisy and ferocious sounding for those who don't realise it is only play.

Yep...mine do that too... I don't mind that as it's play.. they do ned to play. But you're right...some people think it s fighting and say 'oh..don't they get on'  or drag their dogs way in horror.