Ours used to have really bad gas when we had them on a not so great dog food. When we started really learning about feeding them quality food and cut out corn we saw, or rather smelled, a big difference. Seems like anytime we have a problem now we can usually point to what happened, somebody fed them something they shouldn't have. Potatoes, corn and broccoli are things they love but we have to stay away from!!

 

Question 1 - Yes but be thankful they are not bracycephalic.

Question 2 - My rule of thumb is to step in and separate when tails quit wagging. Mikey and others will have more to say on that though. Puppies and dogs in general play a lot and what seems to be terrible fights to us can sometimes just be animals establishing a social hierarchy.

 

When Monty farts you know about it!!!! I swear there should be green smoke coming from under his tail. I've tried febreeze, yankee candles, plug ins and nothing kills that smell. I'm trying to learn to "savour the flavour".

Monty and Olly play fight a lot, I can always tell when things are starting to get a bit out of hand, the growling starts and the body language changes. I think the two boys are just trying to establish who boss is.

BTW - if anyone has a solution to killing the fart odour it would be greatly appreciated

 

I've only noticed it a few times with Maezie..and yes she runs me out of the house.

My daughter got Maezie's sister at the same time I got Maezie. I puppy sit for her approx 3-4 days every two weeks. They absoutley rough house so much it gets nerve racking...and the bigger they get the worse it gets. I have to seperate them or crate them just for a break. When I read you got 2...I thought I have to give it to you for doing so. I could'nt handle 2 puppies 24/7. I love my daughters pup but love to see her go as well. Hopefully soon my daughter will keep her home. Then they can visit each other periodically.

 

Ours used to have really bad gas

the harrier yes the basset not really every dog is different and you may find it is relateded to a food intolerance not a food allergy. It took a long time and Intially I though Fischers was tied to corn in the dog food but it turns out it is chicken which eliminates 70% of the dog food out their for him.


o play fighting do a search on this sight for more info and read the following two articles

Dogs Use Non-Aggressive Fighting to Resolve Conflicts

Because we live with multiple dogs, study dog behavior and work professionally with aggressive dogs, we think a lot about canine aggression. Some dog interactions clearly qualify as aggressive — for example, a dog with a history of initiating unprovoked attacks and inflicting damaging bites is clearly aggressive, and letting her interact with other dogs is dangerous. No one would disagree about this. However, what about cases where teeth are f lashing, spit is flying and the growling is deafening, but in the end, neither dog is the worse for wear? This is a gray area that is so very interesting precisely because it’s often not clear-cut. Are these instances of aggression?The answer depends upon whom you ask. Even among behavioral scientists, the term “aggression” can have so many meanings that, in effect, it has lost its meaning. For example, behaviorists might use the word “aggressive” not only to describe a dog who has killed another dog but also to describe a dog who growls or snarls at a dog who is trying to take his bone. The motivations and emotions are clearly very different in these two examples. In the first case, the dog intended to do harm and did, but in the second case, the dog was likely just communicating his displeasure. Using the same word to describe two completely different scenarios can affect how we think about and respond to a wide variety of dog-dog interactions.
Perhaps a more useful term to describe growling at a potential bone thief or the interaction between Denny and Meadow is “agonistic behavior.” Ethologists, who often use this term when studying nonhuman animals, define agonistic behaviors as those that occur between individuals of a particular species in conf lict situations. Examples of agonistic behaviors in dogs include threats like muzzle-puckering and growling; submissive behaviors like crouching, lowering the head and tucking the tail; offensive behaviors like lunging and snapping; defensive behaviors like retracting the commissure (lips) while showing the teeth; and attacking behaviors like biting. With the exception of biting that results in punctures or tears, none of these behaviors necessarily indicates intent to do harm. They simply reveal emotion (e.g., anger or fear), communicate intention (e.g., to maintain control of a resource or to avoid an interaction) or function as a normal part of play fighting (e.g., growling, snapping or inhibited biting). To determine if an interaction meets the criteria for “agonistic behavior,” an observer must focus on an objective description of the communicative patterns displayed rather than automatically jumping to judgments associated with the use of the term “aggression.”

Is Your Dog’s Rough Play Appropriate?

We have been videotaping dog-dog play for more than 10 years and, together with our colleagues, have analyzed hundreds of hours of data to test hypotheses about play. We present our results at animal behavior conferences and publish in scientific journals. Here, we focus primarily on dog play that some might consider “inappropriate” or “not safe.”

...Even though play fighting is very different from real fighting, people often feel the need to intervene. Sometimes it is obvious at the beginning of a bout that two dogs are playing, but once the dogs start growling or their arousal intensifies, observers may no longer be sure that the dogs are still playing. After all, humans instinctively avoid a dog who is snarling or baring his teeth, and it is natural to think that our dogs should do the same. When people interrupt really rowdy play, they assume that they are “playing it safe,” that is, doing no harm. But what if this assumption is mistaken?

Our research shows that for many dogs, play fighting is the primary method used to negotiate new relationships and develop lasting friendships. Although play is fun, it also offers serious opportunities to communicate with another dog. In this sense, play is a kind of language. Thus, when we regularly break up what we consider “inappropriate” play, are we doing our dogs a service, or confusing them by constantly butting into their private conversations? Most importantly, how can we tell the difference?

...Sometimes people interrupt these interactions because they fear that rough play will escalate into an allout dogfight. However, in hundreds of hours of observations of play fighting between two dogs with established relationships, we have never witnessed a single escalation to real fighting. One of the authors hosted six to eight neighborhood dogs in her backyard every day for nine years, including two female German Shepherds, a male Husky, a male Husky mix and three mixed-breeds. Their play included all of the traditional “no-no’s” mentioned previously, but no dog ever received so much as a scratch. Other scientists report similar findings. The Hungarian ethologist Vilmos Csányi writes, “In some Hungarian animal rescue organizations, more than a hundred dogs … coexist peacefully.3”

 

Hence,the warning when you first told us you were getting two.Be careful if you try to separate them when they are going at it,you could get bitten.Sometimes the play will make your hair stand on end and maybe you need to shut them down just to keep your sanity, if that is what you need to do, then, do it.You can keep a water bottle handy so when you think things are getting out of hand squirt a stream their way to break it up for a moment.This is par for the course when you get two close to the same age.

 

Boys fart .... girls fluff...... I am a princess and don't do either!

 

I wish i had two to separate! hehe
Bowser rarely farts! Good food=good gastric hygiene!!

 

.You can keep a water bottle handy

I never had found water to be effective. A towel sometimes but depending on the dog it may freak them and the only escallate.

attach a leash to the collar of the least outgoing of the two and secure it to something the dog can move.
then you can go for the hind legs of the more outgoung dog and pull it away when yiou do this expect the other dog to sieze on the advantage hence the heed to secure it as well if their are two you can each take a dog the trick to not being bitten is having dog with good bite inhibbition and 2 stay as far away from the biting end as you can.


that said it is far easier better safer and less traumatic for every one involved to intervene earlier rather than latter intervene befor the dog reach a stage they can settle on there own quickly.

 

I should hope at 30 bucks a bag, the Science diet puppy food I am feeding them is best I can offer them

 

I try not to be a "food snob", but it is my personal opinion that Science Diet is one of the worst foods on the market, especially considering the exhorbitant price they charge for it.

Normally when price is a consideration I recommend the Kirkland Signature from Costco as a decent food for a reasonable price, however my experience is that my guys don't like the puppy food much, so my puppies get ProPlan, which should be comparable in price to the Science Diet.

 

Ha, Bella's "love puffs" have ceased to be room clearing since she was switched to Nature Diet, but it's only a UK food, I have also noticed when I pick up her poop from the garden it doesn't smell either and stays firm.

Eeeeee what a subject to be discussing, just as well we're amongst friends.

 

I realize MikeyT does not advocate the "Water Bottle" ,but ,it is something that has worked for me and using it has never caused a fight to escalate in puppies.

 

I think I'm going to try a water bottle for when Carly's here with Maezie. I'll try anything at this point.

 

I feed mine Chicken soup for the dog lovers...it's $40 for a 35 lb. bag. I get it on amazon, free shipping, comes to my door. It's a 4 star out of 5 and considering what the others are charging, pretty reasonable. So far, and I'm crossing my fingers on this, no ear problems, no allergies, and no smelly outbursts. He has the energy of 10 dogs and loves it. I have two dogs that play fight constantly.....and yes, it seems like they get too rough sometimes, but have never heard a long lasting yelp in pain or seen any blood, so I pretty much let them go at it. They both institgate the play so am confident that one isn't getting picked on.

 

Great feedback everyone.... thanks. So the "no comments" on Science Diet means???? I really do not have a huge selection here unless I want to fork out mad cash on the local economy for food. I am limited to what the PX sells pretty much and everything the Commissary sells might as well be labeled as "Ho Ho's and Twinkies for Dogs"

 

What brands do they have?

 

I realize MikeyT does not advocate the "Water Bottle" ,but ,it is something that has worked for me and using it has never caused a fight to escalate in puppies

that is absolutely correct however that does not mean I disapprove either. when advocated as punishment I point out that for dogs it rarely is punishment but more of a disruptive stimuli it stops them imeadeately but deos not work a prevent future incidents which is the behavioral definition of punishment. Some time a disruptive stimuli is all you need and if used in conjuction with reinforceing the behavior you do want can actual make a difference behaviorally but used by itself rarely effective. As for fights I have not found hoses, and pots full of water effective disruptive stimauli so i serious doubt the effectiveness of a spray. but each dog is different.

A lot depends at the the dogs excitement level at the point of intervention. the higher the arousal the less likely a disruptive stimuli is going to disrupt.

 

Ok that is a load of Crap.. Hills Science Diet has some bold claims to be selling food for 30 dollars a bag that is the same as Kibbles and chunks at 8 dollars a bag. I just ordered my Chicken Soup for Puppy Lovers soul food. Not # 1 on the list but in the top 10 so that is good considering there are over 2300 different brands and variations of Dog foods out there.

 

Not # 1 on the list but in the top 10 so that is good considering there are over 2300 different brands and variations of Dog foods out there

a list is only as good as those that complie it so wen it comes to dog food that means any list is pretty worthlist because they are all bases on biased assumptions.

Critique Of Internet 'Rate Your Dog Food' List

this can be applied to every other list out their as well. The list and how food rates tell you more about the rater than they do about the quality of the food.

this is from the best and most honest article on feeding dogs on the internet.'
Dog food help in making the choice easier

Just because a food is listed in a magazine as their 10 best, doesn't mean its better than another food that isn't listed. They do no testing of the food, they base their opinions on the ingredients. My dogs have not done well on any of those foods. Think for yourself and don't get brainwashed into thinking you are a horrible pet owner if you don't buy these foods for your dog.

...Remember, what works for my dogs or anyone else's dog might not work for yours. Buy the smallest bag you can find of what you want to start trying and if the dog doesn't eat it or you don't like the results, then you aren't out much and you can donate the rest to a shelter. I swear this last year I have to have donated more food that didn't work out with my dogs to shelters than anyone else in my county.

 

a list is only as good as those that complie it so wen it comes to dog food that means any list is pretty worthlist because they are all bases on biased assumptions.

Critique Of Internet 'Rate Your Dog Food' List

this can be applied to every other list out their as well. The list and how food rates tell you more about the rater than they do about the quality of the food.

this is from the best and most honest article on feeding dogs on the internet.'
Dog food help in making the choice easier

Thanks, I say this because I looked through about 50 different reviews and the Chicken Soup brand was consistently in the top ten. Thats all