I have a neutered adult male Golden retriever who plays a very rough game of what I call “kill”. He makes an ugly face and shows his teeth, growls and throws his head back like a walrus and will bite. He is 8 ½ years old now and we have a 14 week old Bernese Mtn dog pup he has tried play this game with. Many years ago I fostered a Newfoundland for the shelter until a new owner was found. These 2 would play “kill” all day long while we were at work. They would have spit all over their chests by the end of the day and to my surprise they did not have any broken teeth from clanging them against each others. I don’t want my Bernese to play this game so I stop it. I’m just wondering what kind of behavior this is? Is it normal? Is it instinctive and natural in some way? When I get on the floor with him he wants to play “kill” with me and if it gets out of hand, before I can get up and stop him his intensity rapidly elevates at my yelling in distress that he is hurting me. He has always seemed to want to play this game over all others.

You've allowed this for 8.5 years and NOW you want to stop it?

Hmmm, I'm not sure I know exactly what you're talking about. Does it look like this? http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d33/Jenwilliams918/Qira%20and%20Simon/H50day1051.jpg

This is "play." These two will do this for hours- just mouthing each other and making noises. It doesn't get out of hand though, and neither try to involve me. In fact, when I get too close, they quit immediately. They would NEVER try to initiate anything like this w/me, regardless of whether I'm on the floor or not. Actually this game is apparently more fun if you are in a nice, cushy, relaxing chair, lol. Also, they are nearly the same age. I would worry about the fact that he "plays" it with you, and also that he's "playing" it w/a pup. This would make me think it may be something different than what's going on in the pic I posted.

You are obviously concerned about it or you wouldn't have posted. What do YOU think it is? How do you currently stop it?

Do you have a video?

Why do you get on the floor with him?

Does he do this if you aren't on the floor roughousing w/him? IE, does he initiate it, or is this something you started when he was little and cute, and he has continued it?

I would not say I have allowed it for 8.5 yrs. He was young...maybe 2 when I fostered the Newf for about 3 months. At that time he would try this with me but I would not allow it. Now I have a new puppy and he tries to play the game with him and I stop it. If I were to get on the floor with him and play he might try to play kill with me now but I get up before it gets out of hand.

I have not tried to train the game out of him, I have just stopped it when I saw it. I would rather he and my puppy play something else less violent.

Yes I am concerned about the game...I don't want him playing it with my new puppy. As I said, this is his game of choice and I think its odd and would just like to know more about this behavior. I would also like to know how to make them stop like you can just by walking into the room. I have to separate until the rush subsides.

Why would I get on the floor with him? I enjoy his company and laying on the floor, it has carpet and everything!


Thanks for the responses.

Actually I got him when he was 8 weeks old and he played the game then to a level that often got out of hand. He goes crazy...maybe he is.


With me its only when I'm on the floor, not other time and even then its like he has to sense something in my behavior to key on and goes for "kill". I just have never heard about other dogs doing this.

Interesting. This sounds kind of like what my golden puppy does. He bares his teeth (called an agonistic pucker I think) an rolls his eyes (whale eye) and kind of poses with his head to the side in a tense manner. The next step is to attack. I get tired of him biting the crap out of me. My analysis has been that it is a combination of high prey drive and him treating me like a litter mate. I think he hasn't completely learne dto rules of good manners. He mostly does it when I am sitting in a chair (I don't get in the floor- bad knees). I exstiguish the behavior but standing up tall and moving into his space. He is a pup, learning is slow but we have made progress. I think it may also be part of him still trying the boundaries of who is boss.
It will be interesting to see what other folks have to say about this. I am glad you brought it up.

Ok, I think I misunderstood what you meant at first. From your original post, it sounds like a more serious problem than it sounds like now.

Does it look like the pic I posted? Just trying to grasp exactly what the behavior IS before I go telling you some wrong way to approach it.

I don't make it stop, it just DOES stop when I approach. They both quit and look up at me w/happy faces and hanging tongues. They will usually resume if I go away again or don't ask them to do something else. Sorry I can't be of more help in that area. Mine go from this:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d33/Jenwilliams918/Qira%20and%20Simon/Nikon4-08108.jpg
to this:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d33/Jenwilliams918/Qira%20and%20Simon/Nikon4-08101.jpg

(so off topic, but gotta love those "what? we weren't doing anything" faces!)

Back to the topic.

It does look like the first photo and then add biting. He is too focused to stop...you are lucky. I just would prefer that the new pup not learn this behavior too.

That's my new question, you have said this is play. Any way to teach them not to play this way?