Kai is 16 months, very good natured and gets on with everyone, human or canine! The only problem we have is when he is off lead with other dogs and he tends to play a little rough - he will run alongside leaning or bumping the other dog or will jump at them mouthing them (neck). It is not nasty and I think it is just normal puppy/young male dog behaviour but I don't like it.

I have 3 shepherds, one of whom is very dog agressive and is not let off lead, one who is a sweetheart and plays lovely with everyone and then Kai, just a pup with, what I think is, pup behaviour.  He plays / runs after Ebony (my middle dog) as described, running alongside, bumping, and mouthing her neck until she tells him off but I am happy that it is just play and this doesn't bother me.  But with other dogs it does, not so much as I am worried that there is any intent there but because other owners comment about it and make remarks about dominant behaviour etc.  He plays like this with any dog which will pay any attention to him and run with him.  I 100% do not want Kai to be dog aggressive and have socialised him to the hilt just so that he does get along with everyone so I don't really want to have to resort to never letting him off lead with other dogs.  I do think that it may be partly dominant behaviour and I am waiting for a dog to tell him off but so far, other than my own, none have.

I am not sure how to stop it so any thoughts or advice would be gratefully received!

Hi jayne

TBH, I'm not sure how to entirely stop it in a not yet mature adult as I have found it to be a breed trait - I have a similar, but lighter framed, shepherd breed and this type of play is very much the norm for all those I've owned or known in the juvenile stages.  IME they mellow with age and so eventually games of that type are kept in house as it were :)

I appreciate it can be alarming to those with other breeds even when the other breed is larger or more substantially built.  When pups through to around 2+ yrs or so, mine always enjoy playing chase - except on their terms as they are rarely the ones pursued, apart from within their own 'pack' of course otherwise there would be no fun in that :-D

Try to ensure Kai doesn't get to play this particular type of game with dogs smaller, lighter, unwell or of similar age/younger than himself as these are the occasions where injury could occur by accident or an aggressive response be made through fear etc.  Good natured mature adults will tolerate so much and tell him off without causing injury and, if mine are anything to go by, he should accept the boundaries laid out by a confident adult.

Try to take him out on his own for off lead romps and focus him on a toy - a ragger or frisbee for eg - so that he plays with you rather than seeking canine company.  You are aware there could be a potential problem, whether real or perceived, with other dog owners - that's a huge part of preventing boisterous behaviour turning into anything else :)

HTH, Teri 

I too have been told buy a someone who has worked GSD's on livestock that this is how they herd and control the animals. SHe can send her shepherd to hold down a piglet and the shepherd will hold it down with its mouth around the neck much as you describe, but when the owner gets up close and asks them to let go there is not a mark on the piglet.
Because she is aware of this breed trait she doesnt allow the shepherds to play with other dogs that don't understand this type of play. 

Hi,

I have a Dobe girl who can get a bit rough and carried away at times, I have another girl who is a lot smaller and while she is well able to stand up for herself I don't want my Dobe to practise playing too rough, I was also wary about the younger smaller irl getting hurt while they were playing while she was growing.  What I have done with her is give her a time out every time she gets a bit too rough, I say 'gently'  and either pop her back on the lead for thirty seconds or just pop her behind a baby gate if indoors for a similar time.  Now I just need to say 'gently' and she calms her playing down for which she gets lots of praise.  You need to be consistent and do it every time but it does work :-)

my 9month old ridgeback boy plays VERY rough with other dogs, and i wa brought up with GSDS! my mum has 2 at the moment and i can say truthfully that my pup is a lot more rough when playing to the extent that theres only a few dogs out there he can now play with. i know he doesnt mean any harm but he runs alongside and bumps other dogs, jumps over them, barks at them when they dont play as much as he would like, grabs their ears and tails for fun!! hes a nightmare. i can only imagine how he must look like to other dog owners!

This is 'normal' play for GSD'S. My dog is worse than this, I really have to be in control with my voice when he meets dogs, when he is loose. He rushes them, jumps on them & grabs their necks, pins them to the ground & then he will play. He hasn't grown out of it & he is over 5 yrs old, now. He lets my other dog (small terrier) do exactly the same to him, but I worry that strange dogs will take his demeanour & actions as being aggressive. He has only fought once & that was when a GSD jumped on him & would not back off. I always chat to owners & make sure that their dogs are not aggressive, before I let him play. He is a joy to watch playing after his initial rough introduction. He plays for hours with my other dog & my Mum in laws male terrier, he just gets the initial contact very wrong, although in play he is very vocal & still very rough.

This is really interesting. I am having similar problems with my 15month gsd. His play tactics on meeting another dog is very similar to how you are describing your dogs , I am trying to get him used to playing with me with a ragger or something as is suggested but at the moment it is very hard to keep his attention. The other problem is that he is so vocal which scares everyone, he is also most playful and loud when with me and not if others walk him. Good as gold with his dog walker and I have even been out with them and I see different dog than with me
Beardy you are right about the inital contact thing its as if he misreads body language
Totally different personality at home no problem with people or other dogs indoors. 

Hi Jayne
Definitely a shepherd thing, however you do have to be careful as a lot of owners don't appreciate this type of interaction. Having moved from a lifetime of GSD's to a golden retriever bitch who is very meek, I have seen the different side of the coin. Jade would be very worried by this type of interaction, and would look to mum to save her from this "uncouth yob". Young GSD's can be a bit pushy and yobbish for want of a better description, they mean no harm but just love the rough housing, however it can lead to problems with how other dogs react to them. Unfortunately it doesn't take many ear bashings from other dogs, that don't appreciate the rough play, before our lovely well-socialised GSD decides that other dogs are a bit unpredictable and start to lose confidence. Before you know it you are on the slippery slope of having an uncertain gobby dog, being misread by other as a nasty aggressive dog. Rather than wait for other dogs to tell off Kai, I would be controlling the situation myself and only letting him play with "been there, done it and got the badge" dogs that are happy to play but are not likely to let him get away with murder. Well balanced, older dogs are great at showing our youngsters the ropes, without over reacting and leaving us with a bigger problem than we had before. Good luck and I hope this makes sense.

Staffords have this trait too so we are picky over who our 2 can play with :)
Think its a breed trait of the stronger breeds so they need equal powered dogs to play with or it can look a little overbearing on the other persons dog and I would feel the same if I was in there shoes and knew nothing of Staffords and how they play.

Your pup sounds healthy and lively, I wouldnt be worried unless he did actully become aggressive while playing as it sounds like normal pup play to me :)

In total agreement with all other posters.

After reading your first paragraph I knew instantly which breed it was. :-D

I brought up my brothers two GSD's from pups and one in particular once an adolescent was like this, it's kind of like the play you see with two male lions isn't it?  Grabbing by the scruff and bringing down is not comfortable for most other breeds to have to contend with, but it is a typical way that this breed play/empower themselves and especially young males.

Other breeds need to be protected, a long line may very well come in handy whilst he comes out of this stage (I strongly recommend you get one) and your bitch in particular will be the main focus for this play/hormonal grappling, so yes she will tell him off, she may infact do more than that if he does not listen so if you see your bitch unhappy call him off, as suggested with play, it is also a very good idea as already said that at this age you do more one to one walking with him, he is very likely to end up in a few scraps otherwise, often even ones he is not un-beknowingly instigating, his size will often just be enough.

As you have found other dog owners will also become very worried by his 'behaviour' but these are extremely normal GSD traits, which he will outgrow, just keep him safe and other dogs too and all will be well. :-)

> TBH, I'm not sure how to entirely stop it in a not yet mature adult as I have found it to be a breed trait - I have a similar, but lighter framed, shepherd breed and this type of play is very much the norm for all those I've owned or known in the juvenile stages.  IME they mellow with age and so eventually games of that type are kept in house as it were :)
>

You can add Juvenile (to two years) Elkhounds to this too.  Fortunately as you say they do mellow and I have found with mien that letting them say hello quickly and moving them on is the best way, as if you try and prevent them greeting other dogs they are looking to outwit you.

I have found teaching steady (meaning slow down go carefully, etc) and the walk on commands the best for these off lead situations,a s expecting a reliable recall from such temptation is asking for failure.

I teach steady in more controlled situations, when rough housing at home,w hen walking up steps or pulling on lead, so the dogs learn it means to ease off and especially to slow down from a gallop say to a walk.

Putting them on lead every time we saw another dog would simply mean they were never off lead as we walk in well frequented areas, and of course they a re not a breed whose natural distance from you is a few feet.  Once past the initial buzz round the normal ranging distance when keeping with you is about 25 to 50 feet, not the trotting at heels of around 10 feet of many breeds.  As far as they are concerned at that distance they a re with you, and get rather confused if you call them back closer, unless your offering a treat of course ;)

This is why with Elkhounds and breeds that range like Pointers etc you need a big enough area sn to know what lies ahead.

I have even been told off fro being a nag by my now departed oldest, almost as if to say, "well I'm back, what the hell do you want?"

My GR and terrier play like this. To the uninitiated it looks very rough and could be misconstrued as not playing at all but something more serious.

As with your dogs Barbara mine also tend to range at a fair distance from me. The GR is only put back on his lead if an approaching dog is on lead as he has good manners and good social skills. Our terrier is usually put back on lead when I see another dog as he is still learning his manners and thinks every dog wants to play as roughly as mine do - especially if it is another GR. He is let off again if the other owner and dog are agreeable and it is the only way really that he will ever learn to read another dog's body language. He isn't put back on lead if it is a familiar dog and owner who don't mind the interaction and will sometimes stay off lead if we are nearing the end of a lead and is in a calmer frame of mind. Because he is often put on and off lead on a walk for his recall training he hasn't yet associated this action to the approach of another dog.

It is quite hard to get the balance right between learning social etiquette through interaction and ensuring that your dog is not a nuisance to others :)