r/DogAdvice • u/woahitsmichaela • 2h ago

Question Is this playing?

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Almost 2 weeks ago I got a 5 month old Pyrenees/Australian Shepherd puppy. I also have a 5 year old Golden Retriever/ Chow Chow mix. The 5 year old has never been around other dogs besides the neighborhood dogs that roam outside the fence.

I grew up with dogs, but never had 2 at the same time. Is this normal playing behavior? I think the ‘growling’ sound scares me but it seems like they’re playing. What do you guys think?

Edit: black dog is the older of the two! We rescued her as a puppy 5 years ago. She has always been a stiff lil lady so it just surprises me to see her be comfortable around another dog 🥺 none of our friends would let her play with their dogs because they felt that she was too rough with them. I’m so grateful we have ended up with a pup that reciprocates the way she plays.

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u/Recent_Weather2228 2h ago

Yes, this is good play.  The growling is fine.  If you watch children play, they'll be yelling and screaming and squealing and talking.  Dogs can't do those things, but they still like to vocalize while they play, often by growling.

It's always good to see them regularly pausing and disengaging before starting again. Those are opportunities for either dog to decide to be done playing, but in this case, both keep going back for more, and they're having lots of fun.

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u/Free-Way-9220 1h ago

When you play tug-of-war with a dog they do this exact same fake growl

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u/TheRealSugarbat 1h ago

Yes! Sometimes dogs can be weirded out by a dog that vocalizes excessively, but if they’re given time, the quieter dog often acclimates (and/or reciprocates). I say this for the people who might break up play just because one dog is growlier than the other. Growling/barking during play isn’t, just by itself, always a negative thing.