Week 6: Managing Play & Preventing Problem Behaviours

Managing Play & Preventing Problem Behaviours

As dogs settle into their homes, their true personalities start to emerge. This week, we’re focusing on managing play and preventing problem behaviours to ensure a happy, balanced environment for both dogs and humans.

Managing play and problems

Zeus’s Progress

Zeus is really coming out of his shell now—he’s no longer the perfect, quiet dog all the time! He’s starting to initiate play with my other dogs, but Nicky is getting annoyed and growling at him when he oversteps boundaries. He also got into a fight with Shiva when he tried to steal her food. These behaviours are common as rescue dogs gain confidence, but it’s important to manage them properly.

Understanding Play & Setting Boundaries

Play is an important part of a dog's development, but it needs to be appropriate and balanced.

🐾 What Healthy Play Looks Like:

✔️ Loose, relaxed body language

✔️ Play bows (lowering the front of the body)

✔️ Taking turns chasing or wrestling

✔️ Pausing or stopping when the other dog signals they need a break

🐾 When Play Becomes a Problem:

❌ One dog is constantly overpowering the other

❌ Play escalates into growling, snapping, or fighting

❌ A dog keeps trying to engage another who clearly doesn’t want to play

❌ Play leads to frustration or overstimulation

Managing Play

✅ Supervise Interactions – Don’t leave dogs alone together until you’re sure play is appropriate.

✅ Teach Breaks – Interrupt rough play with a calm “enough” cue, then reward for disengaging.

✅ Give Space – Make sure each dog has their own area to retreat to when they need downtime.

✅ Redirect Over-Excitement – If one dog is getting too intense, direct their energy into a game of fetch or training.

Preventing Problem Behaviours

As dogs settle in, they start testing boundaries. Here’s how to manage common issues that may arise.

Resource Guarding (Food, Toys, Space)

Zeus’s food-stealing led to a fight with Shiva, which shows the need for clear food rules.

🐾 Prevention Tips:

✔️ Feed dogs separately to avoid competition.

✔️ Don’t allow access to another dog’s bowl, even after they’ve finished.

✔️ Reward calmly waiting for food rather than letting dogs rush in.

✔️ Practise trading items (“swap” or “leave it”) to avoid guarding behaviour.

Overconfidence & Pushing Boundaries

Now that Zeus is feeling more at home, he’s also starting to push limits with other dogs and humans.

🐾 Setting Boundaries:

✔️ Reward calm behaviour—don’t reinforce attention-seeking barking or jumping.

✔️ Keep training consistent—if something isn’t allowed one day, it shouldn’t be the next.

✔️ Manage energy levels—regular walks and mental stimulation help prevent frustration.

Final Thoughts

Zeus is in an important adjustment phase—his true personality is emerging, which is a great sign of progress! With structured play, clear boundaries, and positive training, he’ll learn how to engage appropriately without causing tension.

You can see the mark on Zeus eye where he was nipped