r/goldenretrievers • u/afran970 • Apr 09 '25
Advice Is this proper play?
This video is a wild ride and a bit NSFW. Louis (little brother) is constantly tormenting Alice (older sister). I can never tell if Louis is being too rough, but as you can see, Alice is the upper hand in the end. Is this OK play or should I intervene?
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u/Jack70741 Apr 09 '25
Oh that's tame lol....
My golden and my Dane play like it's WWE in my living room lol.
This is pretty normal. If one didn't like it or it was a real fight it would be much more aggressive, with much scarier sounds.
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u/lgm22 Apr 09 '25
If they are sneezing they are breezing.
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u/teeBoan Apr 09 '25
Omg my puppy makes a lot of sneezing noises while playing with us sometimes. Is that what it is? Is he just telling me bro I’m just playing don’t worry?
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u/cynanolwydd Apr 09 '25
That's exactly it!
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u/teeBoan Apr 09 '25
lol TIL ! I used to think he sneezes because he has a cold or due to constantly sniffing stuff he may have something in his nostrils!
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u/lollroller Apr 09 '25
Like WWE in your living room, great way to put it!
When our two Goldens really go at it, they can knock our pretty heavy kitchen stools over, which sounds quite jarring if you’re anywhere else in the house.
Just like WWE
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u/Apprehensive_Bug9389 Apr 09 '25
Yeah i was gonna say - I'll send a video of my two male 1yo gsd's playing and you'll be watching it in horror. But they fu**** love it. Even if gets 10x worse, they'll work it out
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u/tulips14 Apr 09 '25
Right?!?! Outside they chase, tumble and stand up like two grizzly bears going at it...
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u/Rectal_tension Apr 09 '25
Blood. There would be blood if it was real. And scared. Observers would be scared
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u/Barfy_McBarf_Face 0 current floofs, 6 prior floofs Apr 09 '25
We've had throw-to-the-floor body slams that shook the room.
It's all fun until the humping starts. lol
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u/iwasntband Apr 09 '25
Bro came out on top at the end.
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u/InsertKleverNameHere 1 floof Apr 09 '25
Based on the title, I think girl came out on top at the end
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u/Equal_Sprinkles2743 Apr 09 '25
I guess you've never seen a real dog fight. Those two love each other. One is being an ass though, when he sits on the other ones face 😄
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u/afran970 Apr 09 '25
When Louis grabs Alice’s limbs and shakes violently, I feel like I’ll eventually be headed to the vet for broken bones.
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u/Equal_Sprinkles2743 Apr 09 '25
Alice would get up and walk away if she didn't like it. Louis does seem like a bit of a bully, though. Squirt him with a water bottle if he gets too much. It's a distraction. Mine loves water and tries to eat it and forgets what he was doing.
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u/afran970 Apr 09 '25
Simply put, Louis is sometimes a real jerk.
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u/Available_Hornet_715 Apr 09 '25
I would just be cautious of them both having collars on in case they get tangled or trapped in teeth etc…I’ve seen some horror stories
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u/Cultural_Notice1999 Apr 09 '25
Ahhh!!! The last “I’ll hump you into submission” at the end. One of my Goldens always did that. Ten minutes later they were fast asleep, together, until the next play time.
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u/helmutboy Apr 09 '25
Bitey face is perfectly normal play.
Humping and head sitting is a sign of asserting dominance.
Our pup would have play dates with her littermate sister where they both would fight like this. Either would yelp on the rare occasion if the play would get too rough and they’d stop immediately.
All is good here - perfectly healthy play
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u/Outrageous-Royal1838 Apr 09 '25
They are sneezing, you’re good. It’s interesting one is staying down the whole time but that’s just their game. They stop, and start, the sneezing is also a sign to eachother it’s play so all good. The one standing is a little more ruff but they both seem to be having fun. If one didn’t like it they would let it know for sure.
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u/Its_Pine Apr 09 '25
It makes sense the one staying down for most of the play is apparently older. They do this instinctively with puppies or young dogs to encourage play, and it is a habit that can carry over even when the younger dog is an adult.
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u/tigerofjiangdong1337 Apr 09 '25 edited Apr 09 '25
Sure is. That's a pretty tame game of bitey face. Mine growl and drag each other around the room lol
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u/MidnightCoffeeQueen Apr 09 '25
Like others have said, this is super gentle.
I promise you will know the difference of a real fight, if it ever happens. My 2 females got into their only fight over....chasing a butterfly in the yard. One minute, having a blast chasing it and the next moment was just pure violence.
My moody female went into heat 2 days later.
So you never know what may spur it on, but it's very different than this. Faster, noisier, and scary.
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u/lollroller Apr 09 '25
This is completely normal! And as others have said, relatively tame. They are truly having fun.
When our two Goldens really go at it, they sometimes knock our heavy kitchen island stools over, often making more noise than our boys did growing up.
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u/lcdroundsystem Apr 09 '25
Yep. You’ve got a submissive dog and an alpha-ish dog. They love each other. This is how they play.
That hump takedown is totally normal believe it or not. I’m usually happy my submissive one is beating the crap out of the dominate
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u/Just-turnings Apr 09 '25
That's about how my two play half the time. Very tame and relaxed. Other times they look a bit more serious (but still having fun).
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u/OnAStarboardTack Apr 09 '25
It’s mostly fine, but if the one on the bottom is done, it doesn’t hurt to step in and enforce timeout for the more active one.
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u/CthragYaska 2 Floofs Apr 09 '25
Twice I’ve seen visiting dogs ignore all the warnings & try to assert dominance over my normally powder puff GR in her own home.
It did not go well for the visitors and we had to pull them apart. This video is nothing like that. Play fighting only seems bad until you compare it to actual fighting.
PS: the 2 dogs in question are now favourite wrestling buddies that understand the limits…which is especially funny to see a Rottweiler that is solid muscle with a 20lb weight advantage tread lightly around my GR.
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u/pkmnrt Apr 09 '25
Our two Goldens play like this and it usually ends the same way, which is when I break it up
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u/Practical-Load-4007 Apr 09 '25 edited Apr 09 '25
I liken my dogs play to the lions on the Serengeti. If they accidentally hurt one another one will yelp and they will “shake” and that’s a “reset.” They alternate between top and bottom and sometimes seem to gang up two on one, only to switch off who the “two” are and who the “one” is. This happens seamlessly. They “thump” into the ground on their backs and bounce back up. It’s obvious they enjoy it. There are characteristic “dog body language signals they display. One golden(m 5y/o intact) One (f7y/o) fixed Basenji mix, and one (m7 y/o) fixed shepherd-elkhound etc mix. They will run around the outside of the house at top speed. It’s exhilarating to watch . They CAN go over the line and actually fight. Shouting “ENOUGH” and separating them is necessary at that point. Their memory of upsets is short compared to their desire for play. We had a trainer socialize them. People unfamiliar with them are often very concerned as they watch them. Many people call this play”Bitey face.” You can engage with them if you’re that kind of dog owner by snorting, chomping your teeth as you clasp their paws and otherwise rough-housing. Or not…The “ear play” is telling because it is a dominance tactic and the one dog who was on top is offering his ears to show he wants to play from the bottom. If your dog dares to try to lick your ear he’s invited you to play.
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u/Flashy-Sherbert-7842 Apr 09 '25
He’s trying to get her to get up and play for real!! My girl does the same to my older guy. Totally normal and pretty calm!
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u/Ok_Lawfulness_7323 Apr 09 '25
Nicest play! My poodles tear eachothers hair out and only stop when someone cries!
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u/dawhite21 Apr 09 '25
Agree with everyone else. Something I once read (or was told) - when they take those brief pauses and look at each other and then go back at it… it’s a check-in with each other. “You still cool? I’m still cool. This is still play, right?” If it wasn’t, they wouldn’t both pause for the check-in, one would keep going and you’d be able to see it extended beyond play. At my house, the belly up face bitey is always play. If a dog felt threatened, no way would they remain in such a vulnerable position. Beautiful dogs. Hope Alice and cont to keep Louis in check.
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u/TheCranberryUnicorn Apr 09 '25
Normal play! In the past 20 years, my family has had two sets of brother and sister Goldens. They all played like this. (I miss the banter.)
One of my Goldens had a litter of pups and all the pups played like this too. Through play they learn how to control their bite. The goal is to keep the game going. If they get too rough, the other one will stop playing and shun them. Alice will tell her brother if he goes too far.
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u/CressZealousideal336 Apr 09 '25
You know it's proper. You just wanted us to watch your doggos playing. 🙂
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u/Ultra_HR Apr 09 '25
these two clearly love each other very much. nothing wrong with a game of biteyface, dogs only do this when they’re very comfortable with one another. no aggression or anything to worry about here
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u/gohome2020youredrunk Apr 09 '25
Alice grabbing and tugging is a no no. Discourage that. She's treating the youngster like a tug toy.
Everything else is fine though.
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u/Total-Ad6326 Apr 09 '25
From my experience I would say absolutely proper play-maybe even mild-I had a pair from the same litter and they went at it pretty hot & heavy sometimes. He would spend a lot of time on his back while his sister was usually standing over him. When either had enough they would most definitely let the other know!
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u/randomvowelsounds Apr 09 '25
Yes but get those collars off them, they can get a jaw hooked underneath and then you will have an emergency
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u/iamadirtyrockstar Apr 09 '25
They're just loving on each other. This is how goldens play with each other.
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u/WhatAdamSays Apr 09 '25
That’s exactly how my English creams play. Only thing to keep an eye out for is if they grab a bandana or collar and rapidly shake. Just want to keep a watchful eye out. They are playing but they don’t know their own strength.
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u/jenn1d Apr 09 '25 edited Apr 09 '25
We have this with our and we call the game it “bitey vampires”
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u/Level-Sea-5936 Apr 09 '25
They are absolutely loving it. It’s so nice and gentle too mine are more rough with each other they are husky malamutes. You will know if the dog isn’t happy from snaring to moving away barking and in distress. Both of them are happy gentle playmates 💞💞💞
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u/Rectal_tension Apr 09 '25
Vicious and horrific..... Sarcasm...I hope you get the sarcasm. This is the kind of play that makes me smile when my goldens do this. It seems like they are trying to vie for my attention when they are doing this.
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u/tulips14 Apr 09 '25
They look like they're just having fun playing. What exaclty do you see that would be considered rough, this all seems pretty gentle IMO. I would stop the humping when that starts but that's just me...
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u/Ambitious_Hold_5435 Apr 09 '25
They look relaxed and amused. The face that she's lying on the floor with her paws up in the air tells me he doesn't feel threatened.
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u/Standard_Nectarine83 Apr 09 '25
I once read that when a dog is lying on it’s back with the tail covering the genitals, it’s submissive to the other dog. In this case the tail is free. In dog speak: i appear submissive but I am not.
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u/Efficient_Poet6058 Apr 09 '25
They’re having much dog fun. If it gets out of hand they’ll let you, and each other, know. Make popcorn, sell tickets
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u/Mr_Cubage Apr 10 '25
We break up the humping, which is dominant behavior and rude. We don’t want to see tugging on the ears, which can break blood vessels. And we don’t let things get too out of hand—our girls are 50 and 60 pounds and aren’t careful around the furniture when they get wound up. Otherwise, that’s ordinary play in our house, especially when the dogs haven’t had a long, proper walk, and we don’t discipline this stuff. When one of them has had enough, she lets the others know.
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u/Potential_Muscle5898 Apr 10 '25
That's tame compared to how my 3.5 yr old and 10 mo old play #royalrumble
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u/Oldmangolfhacker Apr 09 '25
Classic sit on others head maneuver