shelb'smum Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 I am curious if any of your dogs wrestle 24-7.... that seems like its all wicket and shelby ever do together. just wrestle.... always... is there a way I can "teach" them to maybe stop wrestle learn to not always want the others toys and cuddle? so whats it like in your house? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkie Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 ALL THE TIME! if i don't break them up. We have a little fence just big enough for my little one to squeeze through but sometimes she doesn't make it and my lab would pull her tail and drag her out to wrestle some more Sue R actually gave some good tips: "My opinion, which is only worth what you are paying for it (which is nothing), is that you need to be the adult, allowing reasonable play and breaking it up when it is going to get out of hand. Remember, you are in charge, not the Lab, and not the pup. You set the ground rules and enforce them fairly. Let them have some playtime but make sure it's something that won't escalate - no toys to fight over or compete for, etc. When it appears that things are revving up too much, separate them and give them some quiet time, and something to occupy themselves if need be. There are many members of this board with multiple dog households and I would expect that their advice would be that the humans need to be clearly in charge (and I don't mean through harsh physical ways). You wouldn't leave human children to sort it out by themselves without your supervision and input, and you need to do the same for your dogs. Their relationships will be growing as they grow and your supervision will help that to be a positive thing." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest amylobdell24 Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 I totally agree with Sue's response as well - I have two, and they would play all the time if I didn't step in and let them know when it's enough. I got my second one just 3 months ago, and I thought at first it was newness that would wear off, but it soon became apparent that they were establishing a routine of crazy horseplay in the house when there was nothing else happening. I was worried that correcting them would make them not want to play at all, but what worked really well was a verbal warning, like - okay, that's enough, play quiet! With follow-through if they didn't cooperate - the instigating dog got a verbal "time out!" command from me to mark the behavior, kenneled just a minute or two, then let back out. Amazingly, just that minute of calm-down time would really help. Now, most of the time they take that first verbal warning seriously, and if I say "time-out", the naughty dog runs in the kennel for their time-out! You can't tell me they don't know they're misbehaving! There's conflicting views about using time-outs as corrections, since it's not really mimicking any behaviors in the wild, and I know you can't use it for everything, but in my situation it really worked well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SincereArtisan Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 I agree with using time outs. Its taking the dog away from where they WANT to be, but not putting them in a bad place. Time-outs certainly help cooling my two down if they start to get too rowdy...and trust me, soe days it sounds as if they're killing one another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 There's not a lot of wrestling going on in our pack. If there is any, usually Piper instigates it but she is classic example of 'can dish it out but can't take it' as she gets angry really fast and then it turns to fighting. So with the exception of the Woo, who fears nothing, everyone is scared to wrestle with Piper. Tweed sometimes gets an attack of the Crazy Dogs and gets Piper going too, but he refuses to wrestle with the Woo so as soon as Woo joins it, Tweed stops. Everyone is terrified of Old Man Red Dog because he is the fun police. He is grumpy about 92% of the time and Does Not Put Up With Nonsense - like wrasslin'. On the rare occasions when he decides he does want to wrestle, everyone looks at him with a healthy measure of trepidation as no one understands what he is doing. He and Tweed used to play a lot, but neither of them are spring chickens anymore (though Tweed is, for all intents and purposes, a big chicken all the time). Piper and RD have NEVER wrestled. Ever. Don't even suggest it. As it happens, I don't care for wrestling in the house. The house is for quiet time - they get lots of outdoor time for that sort of thing. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 I'm rather thankful that our dogs wrestle... gets a lot of energy out. We don't get much outside time. But I too agree with Sue's comments. I really don't mind them playing with each other, even when it gets loud - I tend to put down what I'm doing and just watch them for a while. But we definitely step in if it starts getting too rough and someone's temper is starting to flare. We've never had to do time-outs - a simple "HEY? What is going on in here?" is enough to cause them to break it up and stare at me sheepishly. Sometimes they go back to wrestling (nicely), sometimes they just wander off in opposite directions. Zoe and Merlin the cat wrestle ALL THE TIME. Zoe LOVES to wrestle with the cat. Every time he jumps on the bed, ready or not, she flattens him. Again I've never had to put her in a time out but I do verbally tell her to cool it when the cat is looking sulky. (And this particular cat? Never actually gets mad. He just lays there looking grumpy while she badgers him until I tell her to knock it off. Any other cat would take matters into his own hands and set the dog in her place... not this one.) So to answer your question... the dogs only wrestle sometimes. It used to be a lot more, but they've apparently mellowed. (And she's taking out a lot of her energy on the cat now!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderlicious Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 No. After one of our lamps met its untimely death during a BC Smackdown in the living room, indoor wrestling has been banned. It turns into wild zoomies quicker than we can break it up. And I think everyone with a Border Collie knows that they excrete some sort of teflon when they're doing the zoomies, making them too slick to grab onto and shove outside. Wrestling outside is encouraged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 Oh yeah, lol.... mine are crazy. That is why you have to separate them. That or they will go all day. I take mine outside and let them run some of it off and then we also play ball or sometimes frisbee. Then we also separate them durinng the day, and do training too. This all helps to wear them out. Then when they too obnoxious, if you separate them(in say crates) they will nap for a bit! Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carson Crazies Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 My dogs don't wrestle all the time, allthough they do play some most days. They played a lot more when Nick was a tiny puppy, but that's tapered off some. I choose to stop it if any one dog appears to be feeling overwhelmed - and Bree is typically the one. She likes to start things and then hide when the other dogs take her up on it. Zippy doesn't have a clue about mouth wrestling, but he surely loves to get Nick going and chase him around the chairs in the living room (yarking for all his small dog self is worth ). Nick will take whatever he can get, and will play with *any dog* he can rook into playing. June quite specifically only wants to play with Nick and Bree - but her form of playing can sometimes get a little rough so I play referee. Ginger is the fun police, *and* the hall monitor. If the other dogs get going, usually she finds herself in a crate where she doesn't feel the need to get involved with her "ugly face". I will say that Nick has been an interesting addition as he's helped all of the other dogs to loosen up... a lot! Usually their opportunity to play together is small compared to everything else in the day, though. Nick and June's truly favorite thing to do (play wise) is to go play with Auntie Lark and chase her around at hyper speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyrasmom Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 The adults don't in the house, and by adults I mean 2 years and up. But now that we have Wentworth and he has the absolute worth case of puppy zoomies around 8 pm or so, he usually gets Poco to play and they wrestle. If he gets really rambunctious, I just put them both out which brings the tussle to a halt as it's much more fun, apparently, to tussle and bump into things. I don't mind his puppy zoomies because at the end of them, he's out for the night so I do let him get it out of his system but the adults all know to settle down quickly on a pillow when they're in the house. If the dogs are outside alone, there's always someeone wrestling around but if I go out, they all stop and look to me for instructions. Well, except for Cooper who just brings me the first available ball and gives me instructions. Maria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 I have 4 dogs and when I am home the 2 crated dogs (during the day) are out and about with the other 2 dogs. My acd (Foster) is the Fun Police. She sees no point in playing with others and will usually step in as soon as she realizes the others are having any kind of fun if making noise. My borderjack (Riot) likes to play and will get the zooms sometimes but he prefers to burrow under the covers and sleep. My toy poodle (Aspen) is the one that plays with the bc (Tempe). They wrestle quietly on a dog bed most times but it only lasts a few minutes. So needless to say my dogs don't really play in the house. They play more outdoors with me one-on-one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
border_collie_crazy Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 I wish lol most of mine only wrestle a couple times a weekif they are REALLY hyper or you are on the phone..then they suddenly start wrestling right beside you and really loud lol.Happy never wrestles ever(well she has quietly wrestled with Misty for about 30 seconds like 4 times in her nearly 7 year life) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 Ummm, they would if I'd let them. Seriously, they have big wrestle matches a couple of times a day, which I don't mind, until it turns into the zoomies. Then it's time to take it outside. (where they promptly stop and just look at me) *sigh* They all play very nicely together, even when it's rough, it's never escalated into fighting. When the wrestling gets too much for me to take (hey, I'm trying to hear the TV!) I tell them "enough" or "that'll do". DH swears they don't know what that means, but I'm working on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katherinelynne Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 I have 2 bc's and they wrestle alot inside and out , they seem to love it! I have never seen them fight but it can get real loud my 4 month old is a barker he is the most vocal bc we've ever had. With tile floors it gets crazy loud sometimes. My older bc will sometimes go to her crate for a break ( I think he gets to be a little much for her sometimes) but we also have an 8 yr old rat terrier and she is the CRANKY grandma and she has been a cranky grandma all her life even as a pup. She is the fun police she will try to stop them if it goes on to long, maybe she gets mad cause they ignore her. when Mac came home and we became a 2 bc house they only have eyes for each other they dont even notice casey most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MirageMerle Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Zoe and Merlin the cat wrestle ALL THE TIME. Zoe LOVES to wrestle with the cat. Every time he jumps on the bed, ready or not, she flattens him. Again I've never had to put her in a time out but I do verbally tell her to cool it when the cat is looking sulky. (And this particular cat? Never actually gets mad. He just lays there looking grumpy while she badgers him until I tell her to knock it off. Any other cat would take matters into his own hands and set the dog in her place... not this one.) Sounds like Mirage and her friend Sabbath the cat. This cat is a scrapper (I rescued him from the pound and he's covered in scars from fight wounds), and has never done anything to really fight back. Mirage likes to suck on Sabbath's head. I've only got my Mir, but when she's around other dogs, they totally wrestle. She lived with a Cairn terrier for a few months and they did nothing BUT wrestle! And she's got an uncle-dog that's a German Shepherd. She tries to wrestle with him, but Dakota is like, "No way, man!!". Mirage and her buddy Rossi. - Brooke - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Sounds like Mirage and her friend Sabbath the cat. This cat is a scrapper (I rescued him from the pound and he's covered in scars from fight wounds), and has never done anything to really fight back. Mirage likes to suck on Sabbath's head. Oh, Merlin definitely fights back with the dog until he gets mad. He's not a fighter, but he loves to play. (And I'm glad he's not a fighter - or hasn't figured it out yet. He'll attack strings like anything, but if you hold him down and tickle his tummy or any other number of things that would cause you to lose an eye with any other cat, he just lays there and wiggles to try to get away.) Zoe and Merlin: The two cats being dorkbutts: It's great amusement for cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandasmom Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 We have three big dogs and one small dog and all four of them wrestle ALOT! it's a bit of a mess when they try to wrestle in our 825 square foot home, so we usually send them outside for that, but they love it! and it's great cuz after they wrestle for a while, they will quietly sleep and i can get chores done without having 4 dogs underfoot! haha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MirageMerle Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 It's great amusement for cheap. I see what you mean! LOL, it's like that at our house too, but with our rats rather than our big animals. I could seriously watch them for hours!! Mirage too -- she's obsessed with sitting by their cage watching them hop about. - Brooke - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenajo Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 No, and I tolerate only a moderate amount of it even with young dogs. Outside is the place for contact sports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 My 4 do wrestle in the house, but not 24/7, they also have lots of down time. They do get lots of outdoor exercise which I'm sure helps, but besides wrestling in the house there are also lots of games of tag around and around through my kitchen and living room. When all's said and done this is what I can expect: We used to have a couple of great danes, and back then this wasn't an uncommon sight: But again, once they tired themselves out they settled down nicely p.s. the danes were still only puppies in that wrestling picture, about 8, maybe 9 months at the time (I'm trying to remember and judge by the size Noah the collie pup was, he's 4 months younger than they were and I'm guessing he was about 4 months old there) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra s. Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 They wrestle a little after dinner (to celebrate), but mostly they wait until they are outside. They're never crated, so there's nothing special about being "loose" to them, or about having access to each other's throats , so they just play a little when they feel like it and then go back to bed. Bunch of couch potatoes . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkie Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 woa ic fish tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcdawg Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 i have 4 border collies and 3 of them wrestle. My oldest male wants nothing to do with the others or other dogs. Ash is the mom of Wolfie and they have been wrestlin since he was a pup. Bella our 9 month old, wrestles with whoever will wrestle! The b/c near us and her will play constantly when they get together. Sometimes its just too much. Lamps fall over, tables get moved, fur is flying, and you best not get in the way lol!!! I just have to loudly say THATS ENOUGH!! and they quit, at least for a little while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelb'smum Posted March 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 i! I just have to loudly say THATS ENOUGH!! and they quit, at least for a little while hee hee same here!! about five times every morning in fact,they forget and five minutes later are banging around!!! silly puppies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcdawg Posted March 30, 2007 Report Share Posted March 30, 2007 LOL its Wrestlemania all over again!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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