Dogs playing tug-of-war and it goes too far

dc197

Hello team
Not really a money-saving question, but hopefully you have some advice anyway.

We have a dog who's 8, male, and liked to rule the roost. He has a thing for his head/face, no-one is allowed to touch it or get close (except us). Last week we got a second dog, female, 2, and very tiny. We ensured she had the confidence to stand up to him before acquiring her, by meeting many times on neutral ground for walks, and now at home they're still getting to know each other and work out who's boss. That's fine. We're confident it'll settle down.
The older dog has always loved tug, but had never played with anyone except me & the wife. If any other dog tried to tug, he used to relinquish the toy immediately, or else snap at the dog.
With the new !!!!! he's finding that he enjoys tug with her. Great! When they have a long rope, they can play well. Or with a shorter rope, I can mediate and ensure they stay far apart. But left to their own devices, the little girl slowly works her way up the rope towards his face, until they're literally touching. He hates this, you can see it in his face (lips curl). Eventually the toy is dropped and they have a brief scrap face to face.
I'm not worried about them scrapping because they're still deciding who's boss.
But I'd love to hear about a technique, toy or device to allow them to tug without getting too close. Any tips please?
Thanks

halfone

How about punching a hole in the bottom of a plastic bottle and threading it onto the rope lengthways? That way their faces will always be a bottle's length apart.

If either of them are chewers though, something like this pear dog toy might be safer. (I have one of these; the 'narrow' end is reasonably wide - to give you some indication I can ram a 'shape' biscuit in there but it's not wide enough for a full size 'bonio').

sheramber

It is early days and any play should be supervised. You can stop the game when she starts getting too close.
Also, be aware that if she is smaller than him and her head is being tugged upward this can cause neck problems. All tugging should keep the head level.

They will sort out the pecking order but don't be surprised if she becomes 'top dog'- most females do.

My two are evenly matched and swop as to who comes first in different scenarios. e.g My dog always jumps into the car first and my !!!!! waits for him to get in before she follows. But she always get out first.

Watching how dogs interact with each other can be very interesting.

MovingForwards

Little dog syndrome what breed or mix is she.

dc197

Thanks guys. It's interesting to see how how old dog, a long-term suffer if little-dog syndrome, is now dealing with an even smaller dog.

Nice idea about the bottle, I'd considered the same idea but hadn't thought of using a bottle. Is it something you've tried, or do you have a photo, please?

Both are pedigree Boston terriers. Therefore both have terrier determination and Boston attitude.

I can't believe they bleep the word b.i.t.c.h here.
I can