A dog’s maternal love is strong. They are mammals just like us who value their children. However, sometimes we see questionable behavior from mother dogs. When they’re playing rough with their puppies, what do we do? Is it normal? Here’s a story that tackles such a situation.
Mocchi is mother greyhound. She has three puppies, and one of them is larger than the rest. That puppy is called Gucci. The owner is having trouble keeping Mocchi in line. She’s playing too roughly with Gucci.
It’s hard to tell what’s causing the hostility. At first, it looks like an innocent mother and daughter bonding time. But when Mocchi goes for the neck and hits hard with her paws, it doesn’t look so innocent. The owner thinks Mocchi wants to keep Gucci away from the other puppies.
An animal behaviorist was invited to explain what’s going on. After a few observations, she came up with an answer. According to her, Mocchi might be stressed from giving birth, and she’s looking for an outlet to release her stress.
Gucci is the largest puppy out of the three. Therefore Mocchi might have though she can take the rough play like a champ. However, Gucci doesn’t like what her mother does.
The behaviorist suggested several activities to distract Mocchi and allow Gucci to be less fearful of her mom. First, Mocchi is trained to ignore Gucci while playing. She is rewarded with treats whenever she remains still and leaves Gucci alone.
Next was introducing a game both Gucci and Mocchi could play. It’s a simple game of tug of war. Dogs love that game. It becomes a good outlet for Mocchi to relieve her of stress while not posing any harm towards Gucci.
The game tug of war also builds a sense of teamwork between mother and child. They are more likely to form stronger familial bonds. After some time, the effects were noticeable. Instead of being rough with Gucci, the owner saw Mocchi cuddle with her instead.
Video courtesy of SBS TV Animals via YouTube.