Aggresive beagles

Question
Patti,

I have a 6 month old unspayed female beagle named Roxie.  We have had her for 3 months now and she has been as cheerful and loving as can be.  Because my husband and I both work full-time during the day we decided to get her a friend so she wouldn't be so bored.  So we adopted a 4 month old unneutered male beagle from a shelter named Apolo.  A few short minutes after bringing him home and introducing him to Roxie, they began wrestling and what seemed to me as fighting.  She started biting his ears and tackling him.  He will growl and "show his teeth" when he seems to have about had it with her.  She originally was the one going after him, but now he has begun to instigate the "fighting" and is wanting to bite her neck when they fight.  Now is this really "fighting" or are they just playing?  I just get worried because Apolo really seems to get angry, but I can't tell if it's just them being young beagles or if this is cause for concern.  They are both being fixed next week which I am hoping will help, but do you have any suggestions of what I might do?  or why they are acting like this?  My husband and I have a hard time breaking them up when they really get going and I just don't want to see one of them get hurt.  Anything that you can share with me would be very helpful!

Answer
Hi Meredith,

Dog play can seem like all out war, but if neither of your dogs have gotten hurt, that's a pretty good sign that they're playing, no matter how convincing the growls may sound.

Just let them be, they are having fun and playing like dogs do. When Apollo gets overwhelmed by Roxie, then it's okay to break up the game, and let Apollo have his space.

When their play seems to escalate, and you feel that you need to stop the game, tell then "No! Gentle!" As you pull them apart. Using a squirt bottle filled with water on the dogs is effective in distracting them into stopping the game.

Having your dogs spayed and neutered is definitely a good thing, but it probably won't put a dent in the activity level or intensity of your dog's play. Over the years, as the dogs age, you will see a lot less of this very active kind of play. They're both still puppies after all.

Obedience classes would be a good idea. These classes can give your dogs other playmates on which to expend some of that glorious puppy energy, and will mentally stimulate them. Getting mental stimulation might help control the number or intensity of your dog's "games".

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,
Patti