Older/Younger Dogs

Question
Hello,

I have a 6 yr old mutt, arnd 75/80lbs,medium build.  I just got a 1 yr old boxer.  My question is when my friend brought his two dogs over my older dog would not let my boxer mingle with my friends two dogs.  He would just chase him off and at times they would snap at each other.  Some people tell me this will play out and other's tell me to put my older dog on a leash and correct him when he does this.  What should I really do, so that both my dog's can mingle with other dogs without my older dog being jealous and chasing my other dog away?

Answer
You might be better off letting your older dog hang with you while the younger dog plays, if he enjoys it. It sounds like the older dog is doing a behavior called "splitting up" which is getting between dogs and discouraging play when he feels like the play is getting too intense and might escalate into fighting. Of course, some dogs who are inexperienced at play can really be over the top about controlling movement and interactions and can cause more problems than they stop. And of course, when you are letting your dog play with others, it's a really good idea to have enough obedience to be able to call your dog away from interaction if things get tense. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com