Rowdy Girls

I sometimes get asked why I still use muzzles outside in the yard.  Here are some video clips to show you the reason.  Reagan, Riley, and Seven get along very well and a fight rarely breaks out in the yard, but they do play rough and it includes a lot of growling, posturing, and confident body language.  I would much rather have them wear muzzles than to referee what is going on even though I do supervise 99% of the time.

The interesting thing is to watch for all of the "dominant" body language especially from Seven.  She places her head and paws on the back of Riley frequently.  Tails are high.  Seven and Riley will often freeze before they explode.  But it is all in play.

If you have a hard time reading body language, look for it in these clips.  I would never allow my girls to greet a dog (especially on leash) with a stiff tail held high or vice versus.  Also, you will often see a moment when the dogs freeze before a fight breaks out.  You want to avoid those and interrupt if it does happen.

And this would be why I am waiting for Maddie to be full grown and coordinated before tangling with these girls off leash.