Collie wrestling and different playing styles

I love watching Lassie and Petal play together.
It’s so fun to watch two dogs of the same breed play. Of course it’s fun to watch any dogs play and interact together, regardless of breed, but there’s just something about watching dogs of the same breed.
Collies, for example, like to herd. They like to challenge their minds and they’re quick thinkers and learners. So you’ll see them putting these traits to use when they’re playing and since they both have the same instincts, it’s interesting to see them use them on each other.

Like, for example, the way Lassie and Petal wrestle is very different from the way Petal and Ella wrestle or even the way Lassie and Ella wrestle (if you can call it wrestling).
Petal often gets her butt kicked by Ella in the wrestling department. Ella will smack her down to the ground and they’ll wrestle and wrestle and then break off into a run (which Petal starts because Ella gets too intense for her sometimes).
Lassie and Ella don’t wrestle much anymore. Their wrestling matches consist more of Lassie sunbathing and Ella coming up and smacking him until he gets annoyed and then she runs off, hoping he’ll chase her, and sometimes he does.

Though Lassie won’t wrestle Ella anymore, he will wrestle Petal. Why? Ella’s style is too rough. Petal’s style is much more like Lassie’s, so he prefers to wrestle with her. Lassie and Petal don’t pin each other to the ground, ever. But pinning Petal to the ground is Ella’s favorite move. Lassie and Petal’s wrestling matches are also considerably more moderate than Ella’s. And, in a way, they’re more graceful too.
But they’re also louder, because they like to trash talk each other. 😉

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These pictures are about a month old, but this is how it’s done. 😉


Petal likes to wrap her front paws around Lassie’s neck and bite at his ears and mane. Then when he bites back, she leaps away and runs a circle as he nips at her. Then they nip at each other’s faces and bonk their long noses together (I call this sword fighting, haha). They bark, they nip at each other’s feet, they duck out of the way, they jump back, they run a circle and come back for more. It usually ends in a high speed chase around the yard and then it’s over and onto the next game. They won’t go at for ages on end like Ella likes to do. With my Collies, they like to play a few different games during their play sessions outside and nearly all of their games involve me in some way. Ella is the opposite. She’ll play one game (wrestle, chase, or fetch) until she’s tired and then she digs (of course) and the only game she needs me for is fetch (unless we’re playing indoors, then she does like to play tug with me).

It’s fun to see how different they each are. Even Lassie and Petal, being the same breed, are much different from each other. And even though Ella’s our resident mutt and mystery dog, she has some things in common with Lassie and Petal.

What about your dogs? How do they like to play with other dogs? What’s their favorite game to play with other dogs?

6 thoughts on “Collie wrestling and different playing styles

  1. Oh wrestlers! Betty doesn’t wrestle much, but she loves to pounce and then run away hoping her friends will chase her. She just sprints around like crazy!

  2. Isn’t it funny how each ones wrestling style is different and how Lassie won’t wrestle with Ella. Fred and Gloria pounce and jump and bite each others jowls and ears. Fred usually pins Gloria to the ground!

  3. LOL re: sword-fighting. :)

    It is very interesting to watch dogs of similar, and dissimilar, breeds interact and especially play. Of course, it’s impossible to do this with our Bella (since the conglomeration of breeds that put her together is beyond analysis) but there are certain breeds of dogs she plays better with than others.

    In fact, she no longer wrestles with anyone but me as her Golden Retriever friend grew too big and, well, clunky to wrestle with her. She still likes a good game of chase and, much like your Collies, she especially likes trying to outsmart the chasers. (Bella does well in small spaces, tight turns and flips and spins, she’s not good on the straight-away.)

    • Hahaha. ;]

      It’s the same way with my Ella. I love trying to guess what breeds went into her, but I really haven’t got a clue, haha.

      Petal does well with the tight turns and small spaces as well! I bet her and Bella would have some fun together. ;]

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