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Dogs playing with other dogs' toys at dog park

2K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  DriveDog 
#1 ·
My dog is a Labrador and loves to play with whatever toys he finds at the dog park. Almost everyone who comes there regularly knows him and just accepts that he'll only give it back if you grab his collar. He doesn't guard it, he always backs off when another dog is chasing it, and in fact, he's eager to let another dog try and take it from him.

Every so often, someone gets all righteous about THEIR toy, and insists that only their dog should play with it, and it's my responsibility to teach my dog this. This actually happened to someone else as well yesterday. Usually it's some new person at the dog park.

Most of the regulars just tell them "hey, they're dogs, and this is a dog park. You bring your dog here to interact with other dogs."

Apparently, some dog owners have read somewhere that every dog should know "leave it," and feel a personal responsibility to give a lecture to everyone else. If you are one of those people, I just want to tell you that the dog park is not the private play space for you & your dog. Don't even bring your own toys; there are always tennis balls lying around.
 
#3 ·
Why *not* teach him 'drop', 'give', or 'Leave it'?

My dog is a Labrador and [he] loves to play with whatever toys he finds at the dog park.
Almost everyone who comes there regularly knows him and just accepts that he'll only give it back if you grab his collar.

He doesn't guard it, he always backs off when another dog chases it, & in fact, he's eager to let another dog try to take it from him.

Every so often, someone gets all righteous... & insists that ... it's my responsibility to teach my dog this. ...

Most of the regulars just tell them "... this is a dog park. You bring your dog here to interact with other dogs."

Apparently, some dog owners have read somewhere that every dog should know "leave it"...

I note that U write he "wants other dogs to TRY to take it from him" - that implies that they won't succeed. :ponder:
Which further implies it's not a game, to him - he doesn't want to share or play, he wants to "own" it, which is guarding; he just doesn't take his object-guarding to the level of biting anyone who pries it from his mouth.

If someone's dog took my dog's toy, i wouldn't GRAB their collar - it's a doggone good way to be bitten.
I would, however, expect the owner to be able to promptly retrieve the toy from their own dog, & return it. :)

If Ur dog doesn't know 'give', 'drop', 'leave it', or any variation, I'd say yes - U should teach him one of 'em, especially as he's a kleptomaniac around toys. :p

Dog-parks are where we take our dogs to socialize with other dogs - many dog-parks have "no toys" & "no food" rules, to prevent scuffles & arguments [& not only among the dogs :eek: ].

JMO,
- terry

 
#4 ·


I note that U write he "wants other dogs to TRY to take it from him" - that implies that they won't succeed. :ponder:
Which further implies it's not a game, to him - he doesn't want to share or play, he wants to "own" it, which is guarding; he just doesn't take his object-guarding to the level of biting anyone who pries it from his mouth.

If someone's dog took my dog's toy, i wouldn't GRAB their collar - it's a doggone good way to be bitten.
I would, however, expect the owner to be able to promptly retrieve the toy from their own dog, & return it. :)

If Ur dog doesn't know 'give', 'drop', 'leave it', or any variation, I'd say yes - U should teach him one of 'em, especially as he's a kleptomaniac around toys. :p

Dog-parks are where we take our dogs to socialize with other dogs - many dog-parks have "no toys" & "no food" rules, to prevent scuffles & arguments [& not only among the dogs :eek: ].

JMO,
- terry


The OP's dog may simply like to play keep away, that's my dog's favorite game, and I had another dog that also loved playing that game. Zody loves to grab a toy and have me chase him to try and get it back, he runs from room to room and play bows when he stops. His other game is to drop the toy and stare at it waiting for me to try and grab it before he does. If I get my had close to the toy then pull my hand back he'll nudge my had towards the toy. If he gets the toy he'll run around for a bit, or play tug of war, then drop it for me to try and get.:rolleyes:. Now if he's playing with one of his chews the rules change and I have to be very careful about reading his body language and listen carefully for a change from play growl to back off growl. He'll play for awhile, chew for awhile, then pester me to try and grab the chew again.

Jersey was the other dog that loved keep away, she'd grab a toy and run like the wind, tail up, happy look on her face, as Shadow (my other dog) and I chased after her. If we caught her a game of tug of war would start.

There's really no way of knowing what type of play style the OP's dog has without actually seeing him and the body language the dog is using.
 
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#7 ·
IMO its not realistic to expect to bring a toy into a dog park and then expect the dogs to " respect each others stuff "
Like a group of young human children with toys..... You expect a certain amount of fighting over toys, arguing, etc.
Unrealistic expectations......like the people who wear nice clothes to the dog park and get upset when they get a dirty pawprint on their pants lol
 
#10 ·
We go to a local dog beach, I bring my own floaty toys for my dog's. Bc, well the beach is all out of sticks. I don't care if another dog snags my dog's toy out of the water. I do find it frustrating when the human doesn't return it.... A few throws, no problem. Keeping my dog's toy for 20 min isn't cool. Now I do get angry when not only has said human kept playing with my dog's toys with his dog, AND loses the toy. Dogs are dogs, humans know better. Well, at least I thought so. And floating dog toys aren't cheap.
 
#12 ·
In sum, he takes every toy there, & won't give them up to any human unless they GRAB HIS COLLAR - a well-documented trigger for dog-bites.
So he's a well-known / notorious toy-thief, & refuses to surrender an item until it's prised out of his teeth - that's a form of guarding; that he has not bitten anyone (yet) is IME more luck than planning.
When I got my dog, he sometimes did not release toys unless they were pried for his mouth- guess his previous owner never taught him because it's never been an issue since he learned to give it up when requested. I've never seen him RG a toy from a human, and in fact, often he's desperate for the human to take the toy so the game can continue. My childhood dog used to snatch ducks up any chance she got as a young dog (even on leash, she managed to snag one that flew too close as it passed leaving the yard), and would lead us on a merry game of keep away if off leash, or simply refuse to let go if on leash or caught. She never gave any other indication that she cared to RG over almost 14 years. Additionally, most "pet" dogs will tend toward softer temperaments, and be more apt to not bite than to bite in a given situation- it's part of what makes them "good pets". I'm not convinced that it's necessarily a logical or fair leap from "refuses to let go of toys unless physically forced" to "bites while guarding resources", any more than "plays keep away when gets off leash" means "will run away forever if not caught".

That said, I do agree that a dog who is inclined to steal other peoples/dogs toys should be taught to release said toys easily, or even to leave them alone if directed, particularly if they are going to be given the opportunity to "offend" (might not be so important if your dog were never around other animals/peoples' things to steal ;) ). Maybe carry a toy of your own so that if your dog snags someone else's stuff, you can call him in, trade him, and take him out to play on his own for a few minutes. With practice, you should be able to preemptively call him in and reward with your own toy when you see him preparing to take someone's.

When dogs play it is more than likely they don't play like humans, keeping "score" is not necessarily a component of true dog play as there are no winners or losers when dogs play.
Not "keeping score", specifically, but if a given dog is continually driving the play, it is worthwhile to pay closer attention to ensure that the playmate is still a willing participant, rather than a victim of harassment. Many dogs do play in a sort of tit for tat fashion, with one dog chasing or having the upper hand in wrestling, then they reverse and the other will chase or get the upper hand. Dogs which can't let another dog get the upper hand in wrestling, or don't like it when the other dog chases them back tend to have more conflicts, or require dogs who are either subservient by nature (and likely wouldn't chase or wrestle strongly enough to do those things to begin with- though then you have to watch that they don't get bullied), or who are essentially indifferent/goofy/dopey and don't care what the other dog does, so long as they are being interacted with.

Then there are dogs who deliberately compromise themselves seemingly as to entice play from those who are at a physical (smaller, weaker) or mental (timid, disinterested) disadvantage in play- large dogs laying on their side while a dog 1/5 of their size viciously rips at a tug toy they hold languidly, dogs that lie down to wrestle with a tiny dog, or even roll on their back. These dogs aren't necessarily "submissive" themselves, but have rather learned to alter their behavior to manipulate the behavior of others and entice them to play when they otherwise wouldn't.
 
#13 ·
any dog who's "always" Winner is a rude boor, in most cases.

...
Then there are dogs who deliberately compromise themselves seemingly as to entice play from those who are at a physical (smaller, weaker) or mental (timid, disinterested) disadvantage in play- large dogs laying on their side while a dog 1/5 of their size viciously rips at a tug toy they hold languidly, dogs that lie down to wrestle with a tiny dog, or even roll on their back

These dogs aren't necessarily "submissive" themselves, but have rather learned to alter their behavior to manipulate the behavior of others and entice them to play when they otherwise wouldn't.

self-handicapping to play with a much-smaller dog or pup, or to elicit play from a shy dog, is the sign of a well-socialized, appropriately-behaving dog. :thumbsup:

Dogs who lie down to jaw-wrestle with a young pup level the terms of engagement, so the game is more fun for both sides - themselves, as well as the pup.

Also, taking turns being chased / chasing, being pinned / pinning, etc, is another sign of apropos play; dogs who must ALWAYS initiate play or 'win' have issues, IME.

- terry

 
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