Dear Inquisitive Canine,
Q: I have a year-old neutered mini schnauzer/Australian cattle dog mix, (13-14 pounds), friendly with all dogs, but when it comes to playmates, he’s picky — especially when he has options.
At the dog park, I have found he will play one-on-one with most dogs, including males, but he most loves to be chased by larger female herding breeds. He’s super fast, but after some time, he can get rolled and tumbled by the larger dog. It doesn’t ever seem intentional, but it makes me really nervous that he will get injured.
He doesn’t really initiate play with smaller dogs. (The only time he’s played with a smaller dog was after a lot of coaxing and encouragement from me and the interested small dog.) He continued to play, but to me was clearly not enjoying it as much as his play with the large female dogs.
How can I let him have a ton of fun but also ensure he doesn’t get injured by a fast-paced tumble? Should I let him play with the larger dogs? Or should I just stop the play after five to 10 minutes and make sure he doesn’t get tired enough to be caught by the larger dog?
Dear Inquisitive Pet Parent,
A: Well, a round of applause (or, should we say, a-paws!) for monitoring your dog, his dog play sessions, learning his play style and preferences, and wanting to keep him — and other dogs — safe.
Keeping an eye on the situation, while reading the body language of your own dog as well as the other dogs, helps increase the likelihood that playtime is safe and fun for everyone!
Reading through what you’ve outlined, I fully support your idea of providing your dog the opportunity to play with dogs he wants to play with.
You giving him the chance to be an independent, problem-solving inquisitive canine can help him build trust and confidence in the choices he makes. (Overall, dogs are much better at reading each other’s signals than we are at trying to interpret what he or she might be saying, even if we’re skilled in the “Dog-lish” language.)
It is also fantastic that you’re playing “referee” and calling him out from play so he can take a breather, regroup and get refocused.
By nature, dogs learn through play to self-interrupt. But, similar to us humans, sometimes we don’t realize when we should take a break.
Making yourself available to be his coach, and calling him away from play if he doesn’t do so himself, can ensure you’re backing him up when he’s out on the field, knee-deep in endorphins. (As we’re taught as children, horseplay leads to tragedy, so trying to prevent that is key!)
It’s also great to hear he enjoys playing with other dogs one-on-one. Continue to look for other play-pals, reinforcing him with petting and praise, and even a treat now and again, for playing with other dogs — including those of his size, males, etc.
Your dog sounds like he is truly a social butterfly so introducing him to a wider variety of potential friends can help expand his own play skills repertoire and circle of opportunities.
You’ll just want to continue to read dog body language of both your own dog as well as other dogs to ensure the play-partnership is a good match for everyone.
Thanks for being such a responsible and caring dog parent, and for being inquisitive!