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. 😉

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?