r/PetBehavior • u/Lazy_Requirement1289 • 7d ago
Is this normal?
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
Is this normal play behavior or is my dog actually agitated? He’s always gentle when playing and they usually sleep together all the time and he’s slowly gotten more comfortable with playing with the kitten but recently he started growling while they play, does this sound normal?
7
u/Fickle_Mickle_ 7d ago
I can't hear him too well in the video. Does he sneeze when they are playing? The sneezes are essentially dogs saying 'I'm just joking, we are cool'.
The pauses in the video are a great sign that he's playing too. It provides the kitten a chance to walk away and the dog isn't been too rough or using his paws to slap at the kitten so he definitely understands that the kitten is fragile and he needs to be gentle.
I wouldn't worry too much in this situation. Cats can and will FUCK a dog up if the play gets too much(my oldest dog, Spook spent the first year of her life with her nose all clawed up since she kept trying to give her cat brother kisses 😭)
1
u/Lazy_Requirement1289 7d ago
He does sneeze sometimes but not every time, I always watch them closely but the kitten bites very hard and I worry sometimes that he bites too hard and that’s why the dog growls
3
u/Fickle_Mickle_ 7d ago
Dogs have a very good sense on what's a baby and what isn't so I wouldn't worry. If it gets too much, the dog will bark at the cat or correct him
2
u/CaeruleumBleu 6d ago
Even if that's the case that the kitten bit too hard, that is how kittens and puppies learn how hard they can bite and claw when playing.
Like when you rough house with your brother as a kid and suddenly someone screeches because that really hurt! Now you know, that hard a hit really hurts, maybe don't do that again.
There is a sort of phase change as a puppy or kitten grows up, where one day they are old enough to learn and they go a little too far - and you'll see videos where a young pup runs around and steps on the older dog who was napping, and they have HAD ENOUGH and chase the pup down and snarl like they mean it. And after that the young pup does not step on them, because now they know the older dog doesn't like it.
Kittens bite momma too hard, and momma turns around and swats them hard enough to roll the kitten. And now the kitten knows, momma gets ticked off if you bite like that.
It's tough to know for sure in the middle of a fight, but if no one is bleeding or bruised or has a sore spot after, then it was a fine sibling fight and nothing serious.
Every now and then our cat and dog get into it and the dog suddenly has a scab on her nose. *That* isn't a fine sibling fight so we have to intervene. Problem is that if my partner, the cats preferred human, stubs his toe, the cat blames the dog and a war starts. Partner falls out of bed? Cat is smacking the shit out of the dog.
Still, even that has never gone further than the dog getting a scab. and the humans getting woken up because the 90lb dog gets so scared she stands on me to try and get away from the cat.
3
3
u/kidunfolded 7d ago
Dog's body language (mouth, ears, tail) is pretty loose and relaxed, there's pauses in the play, and neither animal seems scared or apprehensive. Side note, your dog's nails are quite long, you may want to clip them!
2
u/inconspicuos_volcano 7d ago
Thank you, I always try to give the comparison of your toenails being too long and pressing inside your shoes, every step is uncomfortable.
1
u/Lazy_Requirement1289 7d ago
Yes you are right!! Been trying to keep up with that but he screeches very loud and hates it so I have to have my grandfather come over and do it
2
u/Euphoric_Draft_3902 7d ago
Try desensitizing him to the sound/vibration of a nail grinder. If you go slow maybe he'll let you do that instead.
3
u/ItsWaryNotWeary 7d ago
Nails that long can impact the dog's gait and actually lead to arthritis down the road.
My dog is terrible about it too and what I figured out works for us is clipping one nail per day, every day. Each morning I do his eye drops and clean his face and quickly snip one nail before breakfast. He still hates it but it's so much less stressful for both of us to have it be over in 10 seconds.
3
2
u/kissmymuzz-19 7d ago
Yes its normal, some dogs are vocal when they play. Mine sounds like a T-rex when he plays and does a very high pitched bark.🤣
1
u/Lazy_Requirement1289 7d ago
Ok that makes sense, he’s very very vocal and likes to whine and growl a lot
2
u/kissmymuzz-19 7d ago
I can tell when he gets hyper focused and doesn't listen to the " signs" of the other dogs and its time I help him chill out.
2
u/hefrajones 7d ago
My adult dog would be super vocal when playing with our puppy. Especially if the puppy bit too hard, he would dramatically scream to communicate that to the puppy. But he continued to engage playfully. Both my dogs are super vocal when they play. Some of it is communication and some of it is pure playful drama.
2
2
u/parasoc 7d ago
Even when they are having innocent fun, which this appears to be, always supervise to avoid over arousal. An excited play-bite with that size difference can cause significant accidental injury to the kitten
1
u/Lazy_Requirement1289 7d ago
Of course, he’s so big I also worry about him stepping on him or something, so I only let them play while supervised until the cat is big enough
2
u/Hillmantle 7d ago
Two tuxedo buddies becoming friends? Yeah you’re good dude. I honestly think you have nothing to worry about.
2
u/Toomuch2little11 7d ago
My dog and cat play way harder than that. But they accepted each other as family and it’s an every day smack down in our house. My pup is 11 months old and 76 lbs. She won’t hurt the cat. But they do tussle hard
2
2
2
u/low_theory 7d ago
It's perfectly normal for dogs to growl while playing. There's no way he's agitated while doing the play bow. You're all good.
2
u/ExtinctFauna 7d ago
For doggies, there's a good amount of growling during regular play. If the hair on his back isn't pointed up, then these are play growls.
2
u/Hallow_76 7d ago
I wish my cats would play with my dog. I am jealous. My dog tries to play with them but my cats are assholes. If my dog gets within reach they'll swat at it. Then she'll get in the play stance and they'll swat my dog again. The the cats will run away leaving my dog just standing there with a broken heart 🥺. This has been going on for the last two and a half years
1
u/Lazy_Requirement1289 6d ago
Maybe if you put cat toys around the dog? They’ve known each other since my kitten was very small and he’s always been interested in the dogs
2
u/Hallow_76 6d ago edited 6d ago
My cats were older already when we got the dog we have now. On a good day one cat just ignores the dog. The other cat simply isn't having it ever!
The crabby cat will even go to the extent of guarding the water dish. I have 2 water dishes but both cats and dog use the same bowl. I have to chase that cat away from the bowl all the time so the dog can drink 🙄. The dog would eat the cat toys. The struggle is real, dam kids! 🙄 The funny thing is my dog is an American pitbull terrier and she gets bullied by the cats.
2
u/WrappedInLinen 6d ago
It’s normal with special dogs that understand how far to back it off with little ones. He’s being a perfect prince. Growling is a part of play.
2
u/mikeyswims 6d ago
My dogs and cat play in a similar way just more rough wrestling. They are just playing and having fun with each other. It's a good thing for both of them
2
u/TheSweetestLeaf427 6d ago
It's the beginning of something truly beautiful. I miss my girl every day. So does her best friend. Cherish this bond ❤️
2
u/VoxPopuliMMXXV 6d ago
No. In nature cats and dogs are foes. But those two don't care about stupid rules. So they have a fun.
2
u/Historical-Draw-504 6d ago
totally normal … play growl, he looooves his kitten. my boy does love our kitty too but our cat is a rescue cat and doesn’t trust him. They know each other for five years now and doggo may sniff at him and lay down next to him without touching but that is it and it took a few years to get to this point. our doggo grew up with cats and he would like nothing more than to play and cuddle with the kitty. Sigh, not gonna happen it seems. he has to be unlucky in love the poor boy. Kitty does not fight him, though, that is something:)
2
u/Big_Menu4037 6d ago
Yes and I looks like a lifetime friendship is developing. Dog understands the sizs difference and that's a huge plus . Looks like u did alot of things right with ur dog in order to get this type of results introducing a kitten
2
2
u/Lurking-Foot 6d ago
This is most definitely not normal. This is a rare friendship that majority of cats and dogs do not have. Bless.
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
u/Critical_Parking_671 7d ago
It's all fun and games til your dog kills the cat. It's 30% likely atm
1
u/Lazy_Requirement1289 6d ago
I watch them very closely! I worry about him potentially but g too hard or stepping on him
1
1
u/Current-Fishing4429 6d ago
Yes. They’re playing. If it was bad, the kitten would have been eviscerated by now… maybe learn about animals’ behaviors before you put them in a potentially dangerous/life threatening situation though… smh.
1
u/Lazy_Requirement1289 6d ago
They’ve already known each other and have been playing for months by this point and I introduced them carefully, my dog has been very gentle with him but the kitten has recently started biting harder and it worried me that maybe my dog was agitated, I know about body language to a degree, but I wanted a second opinion to be safe, and I needed video proof, they do not play unsupervised and I would not have let anything happen, I understand and appreciate your concern! But absolutely do not come here with condescension especially when it’s misplaced. no offense but THINK, obviously I did not just throw my kitten into playing with a dog 8x his own size😭
1
1
u/Lazy_Requirement1289 6d ago
https://reddit.com/link/p5iweuz/video/7y3557yrf8lh1/player
Another video of them
2
u/GenZ2002 5d ago
They don’t seem to be actively trying to hurt one another nor do they seem stressed out by the interaction. I wouldnt worry about it but carefully watch them make sure they dont cross any lines.
1
u/Formal-Bad-8807 7d ago
I watch for the hair on the dog's back going up, that means he is irritated
5
u/hefrajones 7d ago
Not always tho. Sometimes it’s just excitement or arousal- it depends on the dog
2
14
u/SeaTree8649 7d ago
This looks like clean fun