Should He Keep Playing With His Older Rottie Friend?

[Patricia Dianne]

Among other neighborhood dogs that Ruckus plays with are two unaltered male Rotties (both are just over 3 years old but owned by different people). Ruckus has played with both of these guys since he finished his puppy needles. However, he had to stop playing with the one male when he was around 8 months old because Volton became extremely aggressive with Ruckus when we approached him (Volton's owner and myself put it down to Ruckus "coming of age" ? - Volton does tend to be dog aggressive but had been okay with Ruckus until the 8 month mark).

There were no problems with Tyson, the other male Rottie, until the last two play periods, both within the last week (Ruckus is now 10 months old). When Ruckus runs up to Tyson to play, and Tyson appears to be very happy to see Ruckus, Tyson is very verbal and physical with Ruckus - does the Rottie growl thing (very loudly) flips Ruckus onto his back and holds him down, growling all the time and tries to hump Ruckus if he manages to get away and is in a standing position. This goes on for 5 - 6 minutes then they start to run and play together and everything is back to normal. Tyson has never hurt Ruckus and Ruckus has never yipped/yelped while they are playing and has never had any marks on him (just a lot of drool).

My question is whether or not we should continue to let these guys play together ... is Tyson starting to get a little threatened by Ruckus and eventually the growling and rough play will get a little more serious - OR - is Tyson just teaching Ruckus some doggie manners and telling him to start acting like an "older" puppy, in otherwords not like a 4 month old pup and to show his elders some respect ... some traits Ruckus might well need to learn he is still pretty energetic at times.

Thanks for your help guys.

Patti, Ty and Ruckus

[Carol Burke]

I would not allow Tyson to play with older male Rotties. Ruckus is being a bully and your puppy does not need that type treatment. It could lead to Tyson becoming dog aggressive as he matures and at some point he will not take what Ruckus is dishing out. Believe me, a fight between Rottweilers is not pleasant and can have lasting consequences.

[Patricia Dianne]

Thank you for your quick reply Carol, but I just wanted to clarify one thing ... Ruckus is actually my pup and Tyson is my neighbors 3 year old Rottie. I know my question got a little rambling, sorry about that.

Anyway, your answer is sort of what I was thinking while I was standing watching the dogs last night ... my neighbor never said anything to her dog (Tyson) and I wasn't sure how, I don't know which word to use - "strongly ?" male Rotties/dogs play.

Is it better to keep our Ruckus away from/not allow him to play with ALL unaltered male dogs or is it okay if the male dog has been neuteured, or better to make our decision based on how the relationship is progressing. If there is any sign of dominance on the older male dogs part (or I guess any dogs part) then should we call the "play" period to an end?

[brunie's mom]

I believe that Ruckus is Patti's dog?? Tyson is the older intact male??

I agree with Carol, I would not be letting a 10 month old male play with an intact male Rottweiler. One day Ruckus is not going to put up with being mounted,humped,etc. and all hell could break loose.

Ruckus is not a little puppy anymore...he does not need his "puppy playtime". Whatever socialization has happened with other dogs, has happened. Set up play times with dogs that he does well with...usually males play well with females and don't push your luck.

If Ruckus get's into a dogfight it could make him aggressive to all dogs...and then very hard to change things around.

I noticed when my pup was around 10-12 months old, he started not taking crap from older dogs anymore...and that was the end of "playtime". He now has a few male (neutered) dogs that he has grown up with that he plays well with and all females dogs he does great with. He is now 19 months old.

Gina

[Carol Burke]

Sorry for the confusion on the names. I would not let him play with intact males. Stick with girls, it is a lot safer. First of all, intact males are going to look at him as subordinate to them and if he decides not to play that part you will have a fight on your hands. Second, it is not fair to your dog to put him in a position where he is being bullied. And, as Brunies Mom said, he really does not need puppy playtime at this age.

[damp]

I agree with what already is said.
I just want to add; it’s not promoting for your dogs confidence to be dominated or push around by any dog. That is not play and not fun and not all for your dog.

[Patricia Dianne]

Thanks guys, I printed your replies and showed them to my son last night and we've decided that I will have a talk with our neighbor and let her know that we think the "boys" are too old to play together safely any longer. Hopefully she won't get annoyed .... and if she does then that's her problem. She didn't stop her dog the other evening and if things ever did get out of hand I can't see her jumping into the mix to sort things out - maybe the other evening was a blessing in disquise and a "dangerous situation waiting to explode" was nipped in the bud.
Thanks for reinforcing that we're not overprotective owners and overreacting to the situation.

Patti C.