2nd Cairn Behavior

[MaryellenK]

Hi all -

I'm looking for some guidance with how my two Cairn's are interacting. We added Finn, a large 16 month old male to the family about 2 1/2 weeks ago.  Jax is a petite girl who is 14 mos old.

We allow them to play together 2-3 times per day.  Finn is being housebroken and does not have run of the house which is why they aren't together more. For the first two weeks, their roughhousing play seemed normal but the past few days it seems to be crossing the line into aggressiveness that is making me uncomfortable.  Several times he has charged her full on and has body slammed her making her Yelp and run away. Jax is no angel and often goes after him but in what seems to be more playful type manner. Several times, we've ended it when we see things getting too rough. Other times, they lick each other's faces and lay next to each other briefly. 

 Is this normal behavior for two dogs establishing their place in the house?  They can't seem to chill out when they are together and Finn gets overly excited and gets way too rough.

 

[Idaho Cairns]

In my experience--yes.  Sometimes the play is playful and at other times, some dominance comes out and it gets rough.  So long as there is no serious biting going on, it is fine around here.  After six years together we still have to occasionally verbally stop the roughhousing when the dogs get too intense.  Always remember, behind that "play" is the real motivation, common to all animals, dominance and that is what is generally going on.  Your job is to recognize when that behavior gets out of hand and stop the engagement-- you decide when it is too much.
Here is a very typical  example of our two "playing"--the larger dog always "wins" but the little dog still engages.  They know what is going on and it is rare for them to go beyond this level of roughhousing.
 

 

Edited August 11, 2016 by Idaho Cairns

[MaryellenK]

Thanks Idaho  - very helpful to see the video.  That's what our two are mostly doing, we are watching them very carefully and stopping things when it seems to be getting too rough. I also plan to give time-outs in the expen or crate if needed.