[notscaredtodance]

I'm 18, still live with my parents and my 14 year old Sheltie (30 pound dog), and my 23 year old brother lived by himself with his 9 month old English Mastiff (100 pound dog). My dog's name is Kody, his dog's name is Jackson.

He recently had to move back home, and the dogs, while not aggressive to eachother, just don't mesh well. My dog has always been pampered, is more of a chasing, running player, and Jackson, unfortunately because of my brother's bad training habits, is a biter and an attack dog. He's very sweet, but when he's in play-mode, he sees an arm as a chewtoy. He had leapt on Kody a few times, which, if Kody wasn't so old and small, I wouldn't worry about, but Jackson doesn't know his own strength.

I've been feeding Kody first, and in a separate room, to let Jackson know his place as beta male. But during play time it's impossible to praise one dog for good behavior while correcting the other.

So are there any tips and techniques for making Jackson a more gentle player? I realize he's a big guy and will always be more to handle than Kody, but I want him to be happy without making the rest of the family, and my poor little old boy, miserable.

[Lara's mom]

You mentioned in your post that your brothers dog was a "biter and an attack dog." That would be more than enough reason for me to keep my little dog separated from him. Your dog could get hurt.

[notscaredtodance]

While I appreciate the idea to keep them apart, I'd prefer not to have to lock one dog in a room all day for the rest of his life while we are at work. If the dog ever did snap at my dog aggressively, it would come to that. But this behavior is not aggressive, just a lack of control.

My brother was trying to train him to be an attack dog, but my brother doesn't spend a ton of time with him, and I spend more time with the dog now. The training isn't instilled enough for him to be considered aggressive, he just hadn't been taught that biting is a no-no during playtim. It's not exactly feasible to keep the dogs apart, and the dog living here will be long term. While they are both relaxed, Jackson does not bite. It is only during playtime when he gets excited that he jumps around and bites, sometimes stepping on Kody. I am looking for training techniques to teach a big dog to be more careful and less like the maniac little puppy he is.