I have been trying to resolve Deuce’s one-track-mind when Rio and he are playing with other dogs. Even though he plays very nicely with Rio when it is just the two of them, he sort of forgets his good play skills when another one of their pals joins in.
His one-track- behavior involves Deuce targeting Rio by gently biting her neck over and over again. Perhaps attempting to control her movement - Border Collie style.
Rio sometimes gives him the look but continues interacting with the other dog and sometimes appears to want to get away from Deuce and end his brotherly-harassment.
In my experience, the more participants in a playgroup, the more skilled the players must be. Also frequent breaks must take place (if the dogs are not taken these breaks themselves) to keep arousal levels from escalating. When dogs are too aroused, play can tip over easily to non-playful interactions.
I was getting annoyed by seeing Deuce stuck in this one behavior because I know he has really good play skills. However, even when a dog has good play skills these can deteriorate if the dog is permitted to engage in behaviors the other playmates dislike.
So as part of my “fix it” strategy, I began to give Deuce warning cues: Watch yourself Deuce… as a way of asking him to stop his neck “biting”. For the most part when hearing the warning cue, (warning cue because if he fails to stop he will get a “time-out” as a consequence) he would take a few second break before going back to neck biting Rio - yes it is only Rio that gets this “special” attention from Deuce.
A couple of times I gave him a warning cue and when he failed to stop, I followed up with a time out cue as I removed him from playing for a few seconds. The time out did help Deuce “regroup” and calm down. Not bad, I thought and happy to see him out of the rut.
However, on one occasion, Rio and Deuce were playing with a boisterous pal when I noticed that Deuce was altogether much more appropriate in his interactions.
The difference I noticed was that he was also interested in having me throw the ball that lied in his proximity. Ah, I thought … I could use the ball as a distraction and have him take turns between fetching the ball and playing!
I began doing just that: throwing the ball for him and letting him join the game with him now holding the ball in his mouth. Brilliant! He couldn’t grab Rio’s neck while holding the ball in his mouth. I now make sure that if there are other players in the game I'll ask Deuce to go get his ball first.
From time to time it is just a little change that makes a big difference in teaching our dogs how to behave differently. This serves as a good example of not fighting the dog in order to change the behavior but instead getting the dog to do something more fitting by introducing another reinforcer (something the dogs wants or would work for) to redirect the unwanted response.
Experts in the field are still trying to find the most accurate definition (and the function) of play in mammals and even birds, but I think they all agree that one important element (if not the most salient) of play is for the participants to have fun.
His one-track- behavior involves Deuce targeting Rio by gently biting her neck over and over again. Perhaps attempting to control her movement - Border Collie style.
Rio sometimes gives him the look but continues interacting with the other dog and sometimes appears to want to get away from Deuce and end his brotherly-harassment.
In my experience, the more participants in a playgroup, the more skilled the players must be. Also frequent breaks must take place (if the dogs are not taken these breaks themselves) to keep arousal levels from escalating. When dogs are too aroused, play can tip over easily to non-playful interactions.
So as part of my “fix it” strategy, I began to give Deuce warning cues: Watch yourself Deuce… as a way of asking him to stop his neck “biting”. For the most part when hearing the warning cue, (warning cue because if he fails to stop he will get a “time-out” as a consequence) he would take a few second break before going back to neck biting Rio - yes it is only Rio that gets this “special” attention from Deuce.
A couple of times I gave him a warning cue and when he failed to stop, I followed up with a time out cue as I removed him from playing for a few seconds. The time out did help Deuce “regroup” and calm down. Not bad, I thought and happy to see him out of the rut.
However, on one occasion, Rio and Deuce were playing with a boisterous pal when I noticed that Deuce was altogether much more appropriate in his interactions.
The difference I noticed was that he was also interested in having me throw the ball that lied in his proximity. Ah, I thought … I could use the ball as a distraction and have him take turns between fetching the ball and playing!
I began doing just that: throwing the ball for him and letting him join the game with him now holding the ball in his mouth. Brilliant! He couldn’t grab Rio’s neck while holding the ball in his mouth. I now make sure that if there are other players in the game I'll ask Deuce to go get his ball first.
From time to time it is just a little change that makes a big difference in teaching our dogs how to behave differently. This serves as a good example of not fighting the dog in order to change the behavior but instead getting the dog to do something more fitting by introducing another reinforcer (something the dogs wants or would work for) to redirect the unwanted response.
Experts in the field are still trying to find the most accurate definition (and the function) of play in mammals and even birds, but I think they all agree that one important element (if not the most salient) of play is for the participants to have fun.
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