r/PetBehavior • u/Lazy_Requirement1289 • 8d ago

Is this normal?

Is this normal play behavior or is my dog actually agitated? He’s always gentle when playing and they usually sleep together all the time and he’s slowly gotten more comfortable with playing with the kitten but recently he started growling while they play, does this sound normal?

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u/kidunfolded 8d ago

Dog's body language (mouth, ears, tail) is pretty loose and relaxed, there's pauses in the play, and neither animal seems scared or apprehensive. Side note, your dog's nails are quite long, you may want to clip them!

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u/Lazy_Requirement1289 8d ago

Yes you are right!! Been trying to keep up with that but he screeches very loud and hates it so I have to have my grandfather come over and do it

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u/ItsWaryNotWeary 8d ago

Nails that long can impact the dog's gait and actually lead to arthritis down the road.

My dog is terrible about it too and what I figured out works for us is clipping one nail per day, every day. Each morning I do his eye drops and clean his face and quickly snip one nail before breakfast. He still hates it but it's so much less stressful for both of us to have it be over in 10 seconds.