Do Huskies Play Rough? (Explained)

There are many good reasons for learning a breed’s playing habits. You may have young children at home or other pets that might not get on so well with rough play…

So do huskies like to play rough? Compared to many breeds, huskies are considered to play rough. Many will pounce, tackle, use their mouths, and bite while playing.

In most cases, this shouldn’t be mistaken for aggression and is simply how huskies behave when playing. Still, owners do need to be careful and always intervene if things get a little too much. This teaches the husky the limit of rough play.

Do Huskies Play Rough & Aggressive?

Huskies play with full energy and are known to be rambunctious whenever playing.

Young huskies tend to play the roughest before they’ve mentally matured. Most huskies below 2-3 years love to chase, tackle, nip, and roll around when playing.

Older huskies (over 7-8 years) typically do not show this rough play.

Rough play may also be influenced by the other dog (or person) depending on how they approach and initial playtime with your husky.

Do All Huskies Play Rough?

While many huskies love to play rough, not ALL huskies will engage in this kind of play.

Rough play can be influenced by their immediate environment, how they are raised, or whether there are other pets in the home.

The Difference Between Rough Play and Fighting

Seeing your husky and another dog get a little over-excited can quickly become worrying. How do you know if your husky is just playing or fighting…

Body language and common sense is the way to tell apart playing and fighting.

Typical signs of dog aggression to know:

Showing their teeth
Keeping their tail high
Pinned back ears
Growling
Rigid movements
Standing still

If your husky is showing any of the signs above, it’s important to be ready to act as it could indicate they are no longer just playing.

Of course, some of these signs will still be displayed during playtime too, it’s crucial to observe their body language, watch how each dog is poised, and be ready to intervene if needed.

It’s also important to identify the typical signs of playful behavior.

Signs that your husky is still playing:

Your husky is bouncy and pouncing
Your husky is running frantically back and forth
Your husky will be vocal (friendly howling or yapping)
Your husky is allowing the rough play to be equal (as in they are not trying to dominate the other dog without a break completely)

When Do Huskies Play The Roughest?

It’s normal for most huskies to play rough while they are puppies, adolescents, and adults.

Anytime up to 4 years old is when a husky will engage in rough play the most.

While it’s still possible for elder huskies to play rough, many will have a calmer demeanor around other dogs by this age.

Can You Stop Your Husky From Playing Rough?

Behavioral tendencies like rough play can be prevented and trained against with specific training and good habits.

Avoiding rough play in the first place:

Provide sufficient physical exercise every single day
Be consistent with basic command training
Keep your husky mentally stimulated throughout the day
Constantly reward and praise calm and sensible behavior compared to reacting abruptly to bad behavior
Avoid playing rough with your husky yourself
Encourage sensible playing (combine play time with training)
Keep your husky’s immediate environment as calm as possible

As you can see, there are many ways to avoid rough play behavior from developing in the first place.

With a mix of training, mental stimulation, socialization practices, and rewarding good behavior, your husky’s general behavior will be calm and sensible.

Correcting existing rough play behavior

Training against existing rough play behavior will first involve avoiding potential situations where rough play can happen. The best way to reduce unwanted to behavior is to reduce the times it happens.

At the same time, it’ll be necessary to increase basic command training and mental stimulation throughout the day.

By doing this, you’ll reinforce better behavior as well as reducing pent-up energy and nerves your husky may have.

It’s worth tiring your husky out for 10 minutes at home before you take them out for a walk. This will release pent-up tension and energy before your husky interacts with other dogs.

As explained before, rewarding moments of good behavior is crucial. This will slowly reinforce to your husky what kind of behavior you expect from them.

Good behavior always gets rewarded, unwanted behavior never gets rewarded.

Walking Your Husky With Confidence

Something many husky owners worry about when outside in public areas is how their husky will interact with other dogs, as well as how other owners may wrongly perceive their husky.

I always remind owners to never be worried about their husky engaging in harmless rough play. So long as you remain to be in control of your husky, it’s not a problem to walk them even if they try to play rough with other dogs.

Of course, it’s crucial to immediately greet and kindly explain to other owners that your husky is not aggressive and is only playing.

As long as your husky will listen to you with a single command, this should never be a cause of concern or prevent you from walking your husky in public areas.

If, however, you lack control over your husky when it comes to rough play, then this behavior must be rectified before going to busy public areas.

Rough play can quickly turn into fighting if we do not have control over our husky.

For example, your husky wants to engage in rough play, and the other dog owner quickly states that their dog is not friendly or doesn’t like rough play… In this situation, you must be able to stop your husky with a single command.

Last thoughts

Huskies are a breed that often engage in rough play. While not all huskies will demonstrate this kind of behavior, it’s certainly common.

If you struggle to control or train against your husky’s rough play tendencies, it’s important to consult with a dog trainer or behaviorist.

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Disclaimer
The advice given in this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice in any context. Before making any decisions that may affect the health and/or safety of your dog, you should always consult a trained veterinarian in your local area. For the FULL disclaimer Visit Here

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