Dogs and play

I'm not sure that there's a true "normal", not even by age or breed. When I met DH he had Jake (lab 6 y.o.) and Buffy (lab-x 2 y.o.). They were as close as 2 dogs could be but I rarely saw them actively play. After Jake died, Buffy wanted to play with everyone she met. When we brought Sassy home (Sassy was 2ish), they played constantly for the 1st few months and then started scuffling and the play became less and less. From that point on, neither of them seemed playful. I also don't see Shane as a super playful dog. He'll play when given the opportunity but is either tired or bored with it fairly quickly. That could be the heart condition but I suspect it's more his reserved nature. He finds super excited dogs a bit frightening, especially if they're large. I wish we had an opportunity to see how he and Bugsy would do together.

cakana

That could be the heart condition but I suspect it's more his reserved nature.

I'm gong to start this by saying "what she said!!" -- I think you'll find it's both.  Breed tendency yes ... but VERY individual.  In all the dogs I've had I have NEVER had dogs as playful as the ones I have now.  The key to that is the PUG!!!!  She walked into the house after we got home with her from Texas, swallowed the bassett-beagle's ear into that liddle puggie mouf and TOOK OFF THRU THE HOUSE!  It hasn't stopped yet and it's been 4 + years!  And Luna's almost 10.  *rolling eyes*

 Charlie hadn't been playful with other dogs til our house -- and now it's pretty much 3 way.  But the pug knows when SHE has had enough (bracheocephalic breed in hot Florida). 

Often it is one dog in a "pack" that triggers it -- with some, like Bugsy, it's a huge drive to wear off energy.  The pug?  Well, I'm convinced if she were human her favorite song would be Cindi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!!!!!" -- well, if you added Fairy Dust!! 

Not all pugs are playful -- but many are.  But I truly think it's a combination of factors.  It's also HUGELY the owners -- Karen, you in particular, are saavy enough to see what your dog *needs*.  Many people would just insist they "settle down". 

My own husband doesn't have the personality to allow huge amounts of play.  He will suddenly roar "Let's have some Decor-r-r-r-r-r-r-um-m--m her!!!"

(that brogue --the R's can roll on and on and on!!) and Heaven Forfend they get ramped up when they are on the waterbed with him!!!  (the world will stop spinning!! ) and he really doesn't get it that trying to stop it "cold" is more apt to ramp it up than settle it down.

 I find it vastly entertaining -- and I think it's interesting that this much older dog has been "taught" by two younger dogs to play and play hard and even play with (GASP) ******TOYS*****!!!!

Very interesting topic.  I think it is a bit of both breed and age and pack including the humans.

Shadow was a playful dog til the end.  We had our routine ball and frisbee play.  He went to the bridge at age 4 but days before that had a ball in his mouth.

Rocky was very playful even when Hot joined our family. Rocky was a puppy and Hot was 3 at the time.  I have noticed that because of the cooler weather they are playing more outside.   Play bow, zoomies around the trees, boxing are popular yard games.  Then they will settle down and guard the area. One faces one direction and one the other so they have all bases covered.  If anything moves they alert the other and join forces.  Rockey is now coming up on 4 and Hot is coming up on 7ish.  Both are very calm in the house, most of the time, but do get those bursts of playfulness when outside.  I believe that without Rocky, Hot would not be as playful. 

A very interesting question.  I have limited first-hand experience since we've only had 2 dogs, but based on them, as well as all the dogs in our circle of friends and family, I agree that it's a mix of factors -- basic personality of the dog, the dog's age, the "energy" in the household with other pets and people, etc.

Tonka played a lot as a puppy, but never at 110% go-go-go levels.  By the time he was 3, he played far less (he preferred chewing his bone to playing with a ball or toy).  If he was with other dogs who were super rowdy, he soon went to the sidelines and observed, looking like the playground monitor.  He seemed to have an attitude that he was too cool for such shenanigans.  But as a 135+ pound Bullmastiff, that's probably a good thing!

Ruby is the polar opposite and would play all the time if she had the opportunity.  She's a pitbull mix, and we're not sure what breeds she's got in there!  She is still at the stage (2.5 yrs approx.) where she can be a nuisance when other dogs want to rest, like you mentioned, Karen.  Our friends have a 5 year old Boxer who is overweight.  When they get together to play, Ruby runs him ragged.  Between his age and weight, he wants to lie down and rest often, and Ruby just bugs him . . . trying to pounce on him, grabbing his jowls or ears.  He ignores her for a while, then you can almost hear him thinking, "Okay, okay!  I'm getting up!  Give me a minute!" and he starts to run again.  We told our friends we're afraid he'll have a heart attack and it'll be our fault!  When they're done, he's panting like crazy, and she recovers in about 5 minutes.

I think a household's energy affects things.  We have a very quiet, calm household (just 2 of us, rather boring people!).  If Ruby lived with certain friends of ours (they have a LOUD household, activities all day long, pre-teen kids around, 2 cats, high energy people who are always talking, laughing, clapping, moving quickly), I think she'd be in constant play or arousal mode.  She might love it there, but I think she'd never learn to settle down and I could see it stressing her out.  These friends have a dog and a child who are a bit hyper-active, IMO, and I think it's because the whole house has that kinetic energy running through it.  It's always playtime there, for people and pets!

 I'm sure that it depends on the dogs living situation, breed type, and play style. The amount that my dogs play has diminished as they each reached 3. They will have 1-2 play sessions with each other per day. Otherwise, they are mellow. Of course, they are always ready to play with me, no matter what. When other dogs come into the picture, they aren't always interested in playing. Sometimes they want to other times they don't care. Also, when they play they are often chasing and running together vs wrestling. That I think is a breed thing.

 Julie I think it was you that mentioned that at 3-4 many dogs are less into 'play'

Anyway one of the reasons I asked is because Bugsy's Sunday playdate has just pooped out completely. She's a lab mix and 5 now and you should see him try over and over to get her to play. She doesn't. In fact she doesn't play with any of the dogs in our neighborhood.

Bugsy seems to find himself happiest in the company of young sporting breed/mix dogs or flat out pups. Most of his favorite playmates now are labs and golden mixes all three are about 2 yrs old.

I have noted that GSD's and Cattle dogs don't seem to want to play with other dogs, just THEIR toy and all the toys are theirs LOL

Tracy, Bugsy was totally like that at that age. He hasn't ever been one to bite other dogs but he would swat them with his foot or bring toys to them, etc.

I guess part of me was wondering if its a purely a personality thing or if there is also something about their natural position in the pecking order.

Bugsy will attempt play at the vet's office waiting area, at events like we went to on Sunday, at an outdoor patio, etc. On Sunday he met umpteen dogs but really attempted play with 4-5 different ones immediately upon meeting them. It all seems so fascinating to me, I appreciate the input

My springer loved, loved, loved to play--she had such a joy for life and having fun. When Frisby came home, it was about 8 days before Celeigh (springer) was OK with the "new dog"--then she figured out Frisby knew all the right dog games, and it was a total transformation. The loved to play with each other--pretty much up until the last few days of Celeigh's life.

Sinbad had no clue how to play when he got here. Not a clue. But, Mozey is teaching him. They play a lot or often, but every now and then--may be a couple times a week, they do.