Yote is very much my dog, he likes the whole family but when it comes down to it he is my dog and pretty darn attached to me.

So last night my husband and I were playing around and he was chasing me then held me down and tickled me. I was probably being way louder than normal and Im sure some screams came out of it all.

Yote came running up and pushed himself under Chad and square into my lap and made a little huff and whine.

There was zero sign of aggression and he didn't even make any eye contact with my husband. I booted him off but didn't correct him at all.

We decided to test it and tried it again and he doesnt react to hugging, cuddling, or laughing, only me being held down and tickled.

In any other circumstance I would be quite pleased that he didn't like someone holding me down while I struggled but its different when its my husband.

So basically should I correct in a situation like this or just do as I did and boot him off and that be the end of it. He is dominant and sometimes aggressive with other dogs, but very submissive with people.

Jennifer,

I wouldnt worry about it too much. It sounds a lot like what some dogs do in dog parks, etc when they try to use their body to non-aggressively split up something that is looking too rough. I see this with dogs that are usually a bit more on the dominant secure side and feel obligated enough to intervene.
By the sound of the huff and whine - sounds like your dog was confused and unsure so tried to non-aggressively split you two up. It was a bit stressful to him to see potential violence within the pack.

Assuming you take the time to put yourself in the proper position to lead by following good pack leader practices - I would work on some easy obedience , like a down stay while you set up the same scenario a few notches down, stop frequently, and reward the worried boy with treats.

Then again, sometimes it is easier to just manage the situation and save the extra frisky frolic for when he's locked out of the room!

I definitely wouldnt do any physical correcting for this - outside of some light ones maybe during obedience to help him out.

If it were resource guarding - he most likely would act the same with the cuddling, hugging, sitting near each other, etc.

Sounds like just a case of playing the peacemaker.

 Quote: Mike D'Abruzzo

... sometimes it is easier to just manage the situation and save the extra frisky frolic for when he's locked out of the room ... I definitely wouldnt do any physical correcting for this - outside of some light ones maybe during obedience to help him out. ... If it were resource guarding - he most likely would act the same with the cuddling, hugging, sitting near each other, etc.

Ditto. I probably wouldn't do any set-ups or tests. JMO.

It was a spontaneous thing

Its not often I go running through the house shrieking or get held down and tickled. (thank goodness!!!)

We do watch him closely and practice good pack structure behaviors due to his tendency towards dog aggression, and also his tendency towards spastic excitability.

My son does do a fair amount of yelling and running and normal kid stuff and he totally ignores that so I agree that he just didn't know what to make of the whole situation.

Newlyweds. I wouldn't give it much thought. The spontaneity will dissipate and so will Yote's anxiety.

I agree with what others here have said, but I wouldn't set up any scenarios to teach him not to react. If something actually happened for real, he might think he wasn't supposed to try to protect you. Just make sure he isn't present if you are going to rough house for the time being. Eventually he will probably learn to discriminate yours and your husband's play from you being in real danger.

Thanks for the input I figured it was no big deal, but I never know with this dog. He was also raised with Chad in the family since he was a pup, we might be newly married but we have functioned as such for 5 years, spontaneity is there because we work to keep it that way!!

If it had been any other person I would have been pleased with is actions, but I can't have him thinking he needs to protect me from chad! I will take his actions as a healthy normal response and not worry though!

And while he is very much my dog, I don't want him thinking I am his!

maybe he just wanted to cuddle and have a tickle in between?

Generally wanting to play is shown with lots of bowing, woowooing and very gentle nips on the lower legs.

He actually likes to rough house, and has very good manners with us when we do, so we allow it from time to time, this was a totally different reaction though.

 Quote: steve strom

Newlyweds. I wouldn't give it much thought. The spontaneity will dissipate and so will Yote's anxiety.

ROFL!!!!