PUPPY PLAY DATES (STELLA COMES FOR A VISIT)

 PUPPY PLAY DATES: I'm going to share a few minutes of a short playdate the my dog, Finn, had with Tara's puppy, Stella.  Stella has not had a chance to play with many other dogs, and one has to be very careful when choosing who to have a playdate with.  Why?  We want a dog that both age and size appropriate-- because we don't want any injuries between a large and small dog.  MANY adult dogs are not tolerant of puppies and will snap at them and discipline them in a way that can create a scary experience for the puppy-- which is the opposite of what we want.  We want the puppy to learn dog-manners in a way that is more gentle.  My dog Finn is just the guy for that.  That's why I often offer him up for playdates because he loves small dogs and he loves puppies.  When I am facilitating play between 2 dogs, especially a puppy, I am carefully monitoring the body language all the time.  Barking and tumbling can be very acceptable play, there is a nuance to it-- as our playdate went on, Stella became a bit overstimulated and the intensity of her barking changed.  We stopped the play session, just as you would if a toddler were overstimulated and needed a nap.  Also, many puppies are initially hesitant and unsure about playing with the other dog, and you'll see that I am keeping MY dog close and under control so if I see any sign from the puppy that she's not feeling confident I make sure she has the option to move back, we give her space by holding MY dog back.  That way she can invite play again by moving toward him again.  I don't let him pursue play with her if she is backing off-- once they know each other really well that might be fine, but not on the first visit.  Ensuring that puppies don't have any scary traumatic experiences is really really important.  Reading their body language takes practice, so I hope this video and the next I'll offer too (showing Finn playing with a 12-week old Golden Retriever) will help you see those moments of polite dog manners -- giving the puppy space to back off and regain confidence, each dog taking a turn "getting low" to show a friendly submissive invitation to play, the occasional "play bow", etc.  It's all about consent, right?  I never leave them to just "work it out" -- it can permanently scar a puppy.  Watch how Stella slips on our floor (I hate our flooring) and is shaken by that-- she shut down for a second, she yawned to process her stress (this is called a "calming signal"), she looked at Finn to try to figure out if Finn caused her fall, and she came to me to seek comfort.  She recovered, but it was the one thing about this session I wish I could have prevented.  No need for concern, it's ok, but I want to point out how observant we need to be.  https://youtu.be/TdnjtKTd8ck?si=7aH-mfwDxknNZB2-