We talk a lot about Lilly’s stunted or inadequate social skills, likely stemming from poor socialization as a pup (before we adopted her) and from her genetic predisposition for fear. This video, however, shows Lilly deferring well to Ginko’s play advances. I love when he nibbles on her because he is so gentle and shows such deliberate bite inhibition. Lilly nibbles on me this same way. It’s super sweet.
You’ll see both dogs use many calming signals and play transitions, including:
- Lip licking
- Snorting
- Shaking off the energy
- Paw lifts
- Lower body posture
In this instance, they are keeping themselves occupied on a cold, snow Sunday.
We generally allow such roughhousing in the winter, as long as it doesn’t get out of hand.
Lilly is a funny combo of deferential and bossy. I think ultimately she bows to Ginko big brotherness, but she can and does bark/growl/control his movement. And, at those times, he turns away. He stands still. He lets her have her way. He really is very patient with that BC instinct to control.
It looks like they’ve practiced their ‘roles’ in playing many times. What a sweet pair. I was surprised by how deferential Lilly seemed to be…
Our dogs do all the same things. I didn’t even know what they were called!
Awww, cute video. Z is a big nibbler, too – very gentle and sweet!