Back Biting??

Yandharr

Anyone seen this behavior before? Saru always does it when Ciqala and he play. He puts her WHOLE back in his mouth and just stands there. It's really weird because they both just kinda pause and look at each other like, "Is my back in your mouth?" "Why yes i think it is."
Any meaning someone can fill me in on or is it just regular old play?

CrimsonO2

Sounds like play initiation behavior (which seem to also mimick hunting). If you're playing the whole, "I got you, but you can't get me!" game as a dog, where's the best place to get another dog that they can't retaliate?:-)

Jesse

Losech

Conker does it. Biting the backs of other dogs, if he can reach it. He tends to pick playmates taller than him, so instead, he goes after their butts and tails.

BradA1878

Does Saru do this to Ciqala when she is being particularly hyper?

BTW "Is my back in your mouth?" "Why yes i think it is." <--- cracked me up

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shibamistress

All my dogs bite others on the scruff of the neck. When Oskar is doing that Bel, the Shiba, sometimes her whole back ends up in his mouth. She does not like it at all.

Once when Oskar and Bel got in a scuffle over something (and Oskar was resource guarding), and she started snarling and snapping at him, he grabbed her like that and just held her in place. In his case it was bite inhibition: both dogs were worked up, but he just held her in place instead of letting the fighting escalate. (of course, we had to intervene then).

Yandharr

@brada1878 - I never really thought to note it, but it seems to sometimes happen after one of her ambushes, which happens at least 10 times a day. Perhaps he sees that as too hyper? Ciqala gets in these little Attila the Hun rages from time to time; usually a lot of growling, item stealing and running headbutts. That's about as hyper as I've seen her, but never then.

@crimsonO2 - that makes sense. He's usually the "loser" in their play scuffles anyway, maybe its a "Ha not this time!" thing.

@shibamistress - At first, I thought it was him trying to hump her b/c he's a little perv, but he never does. I've yet to see them get into a real altercation though. fingers crossed.