Puppys behavioral around new kitten

Question
My puppy is 8months old his name is Kano and he is a American Staff. I just brought home a new kitten his name is Kasey and he is 12weeks old. Kano is standing over Kasey and holding him there with his paw, Kano then starts to lick Kasy and than gradually open his mouth and put it around Kaseys neck. Kano is not hurting Kasey and Kasey is actually purring. I want to Know why is Kano doing this and should I be concerned?

Answer
Dear Ashley, Thank you for the questions and your attention to details!

I don't know the answers to your questions but I will share my thoughts.

From your descriptions, it sounds as if Kano is very gentle.  If he wanted to hurt Kasey, he would. But of course Kano could accidently hurt Kasey. No one ever knows exactly what any animal might be thinking  - many scientists (with much more knowledge than I) debate if animals' really think or if they just act  by "instinct."  

The best we can do is record observable behavior and make conclusions based on our observations. Watching Kano's body language may help you decide if his behavior should be allowed.

I would always praise Kano when he is gentle and keep a very close eye on their play. If Kano starts to play rougher, kindly interrupt the play session.

If you haven't already, teach Kano some basic skills like "leave-it" or "enough". Practice these with many different items in many different situations. Your goal is to be able to control Kano by your voice commands -even if he is the middle of play! That's a lofty goal-I know - but all dogs should learn: Sit, Down, Stay, Here, Go-to- Place, Leave-It and Heel.  

Happy Training!
AT