Is My Puppy Having Fun? A Quick Test (Patreon)

I was editing the puppy socialization video and came across this brief clip that I wanted to share. In this video the larger doodle puppy had been overwhelming the younger Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever puppy (you can see at the end of the clip, the doodle going back to the Toller). The doodle had been on top of the Toller in all of the play, meaning the play wasn't reciprocal. The Toller puppy was never on top, and there were no natural breaks initiated (like to sniff, lay down, trade positions). In general, we like to see reciprocal play with breaks and changes of position.  The handler is administering a test to see if the Toller puppy is actually enjoying it/having fun. To test this you can: 

- Pull the puppy on top back for 10-30 seconds either by their hips or chest (being sure not to put any strain on the puppy). Does the dog on the bottom return, or go off to sniff or do something else? 

If the puppy that you're testing goes away and chooses to remove themselves from the situation, it's time to take a break from play or redirect the doodle to another dog to play with. If the puppy goes back, we know the puppy is willingly engaging with the doodle and play can continue, unless you feel that over-arousal is a problem. In this video, the Toller goes right back to the restrained puppy to engage with them, so we know the Toller is enjoying the interaction. 

However, the doodle goes right back to looming over/trying to hump the younger puppy. For that reason, we picked up the doodle and did a time out. The reason for this is that we don't want the doodle practicing one-sided play/humping. This doodle was known to get over-aroused/intense, and giving breaks in play helps calm the dog down so they aren't practicing inappropriate play behavior. You can also do this before everything gets out of hand by recalling the puppies over every two minutes for a treat, perhaps a behavior cue like sit or down, and then releasing them back to play. 

In general, we shouldn't just let one-sided play continue, especially for your puppies when we are trying to shape appropriate play behavior. But, if you are ever unsure if a puppy is having fun with another puppy, take the more intense puppy, pull them back, and see what the less-intense puppy does. Do they return to the restrained puppy for more play? They are likely enjoying themselves. Do they disengage and move away? Time for a break, and a new strategy for the next play session. 

Hope that helps! 

Happy Training!