What signs indicate that a puppy is getting a “puppy pass”?

A “puppy pass” occurs when an older, more patient dog tolerates a younger dog’s inappropriate or challenging behaviors without pushing back or correcting them. While these interactions might initially look like play, they are often warning signs that an adolescent dog with an “alpha” personality is beginning to challenge the older dog’s position in the household.

You can tell a puppy is getting a “puppy pass” if the older dog passively allows them to engage in the following behaviors:

• Placing their head and neck over the older dog’s back.

• Prolonged standing with their front paws resting on the older dog’s back.

• Humping the older dog, whether from behind or over their head.

• Knocking the older dog down and lying on top of them, refusing to let them up until the older dog “submits” and stops trying to move.

If you observe a younger dog displaying these behaviors and the older dog is simply putting up with it, it is a sign that you need to watch their interactions closely. Left unchecked, these behaviors can escalate into the younger dog restricting the older dog’s movements around the house, doing random “body checks,” or initiating stiff-legged face-offs and growling.