How do you tell the difference between fighting and playing?

[FlameGrilledMama]

I have a male Labrador and today I have my mothers male CKCS they are biting each other and the CKCS is growling (but he does that when he plays with his toys) I have now got a gate between them but they are both still playing? with each other though. They have wagging tails and no hackles. But we have had one yelp. Are they playing or fighting? and how do I tell thde difference.

It is easiest if you can have both dogs on neutral territory to sniff each other out. In the house, your dog may feel territorial and protective. If you have toys in the way, get them out of the way. Always a source of an argument. Wagging tails isn't always a friendly jesture. The dogs are sussing each other out. Scraps are fairly normal, and a way of sorting out who's in charge. We don't let fights go on, and the participants get shouted at which usually stops them. Then they're fine together. Dogs look like people when they're fighting. They look as though they have a purpose. After the noise, if it goes quiet, it's serious. Yelping is a submissive jesture. Watch them and keep watching them!

The CKCS has gone home now but this happens every time they meet regardless as to where they meet. It seems to be the CKCS who starts getting snappy but he has got a touch of big dog aggression.

My labrador is about the least dog aggressive dog I have seen which is why we though we would try to introduce them. But I was unsure if they were playing or not and it always looks a bit nasty to me so I split them and tethered them both where they could see each other and let them off and if they went nuts I re tehtered them.

They have met on numerous occasions on neutral territory and always react like this.