Biting visiting dogs

Hey Isabelle,

Quick question - what is the other dog doing while its being dragged around by the face? Is it unhappy and trying to get away, or going along with it, tail maybe wagging, but certainly not down?

Face grabbing is a pretty common play behaviour, usually with younger dogs, but my own dog still does it to his good buddy Daxter If your dog stops after a while and shows no other signs of wierd behaviour, it might just be his personal way of saying hello and starting play, especially if the other dog isnt outright bothered by it.

Just wondering how the other dog reacts before I give any solid opinions on what to do...

Hmm...I stick with my opinion that this is just an excited (albeit rough) way of saying hello.

Try continuing to verbally correct him. As soon as he starts, give him a sharp "no". If he listens, good. If not, call him to you and give a sit/down, and stay. Make him sit there for a few minutes, then let him go. If he goes to grab the other dog by the face again, repeat.

If his listening isnt the best, especially when another dog is around, put your dog in time out for a few minutes in a different room, but use the same idea - he gets put away when he acts roughly, and gets another chance to behave better. I know its a pain, but hopefully you wont have to keep it up long before your dog understands that its an inappropriate behaviour.

As I said, my own dog and his puppy playmate do the same - Jackson (my dog) grabs Daxter by the face and walks around like that. When they were younger it was a bigger problem because it just riled both of them up, so we were constantly telling them "no" as soon as it started, and it seemed to work. Jackson does it occassionally now, but only for a minute, and he still listens if I tell him "no" when he does it.