Self Handicapping

April 3, 2024: Edition 218

Bless The Bullys shared this post on social media on April 3rd. We appreciate their input.

Bless the Bullys: Self-handicapping in dogs is a useful skill that helps prevent harm to smaller or more vulnerable dogs who are at a disadvantage.

Self-handicapping is when a dog intentionally limits his speed, strength, or play style to match that of their play partner. This can help make the game more fair for the other dog (who may be smaller, a puppy, a senior, etc.). Self-handicapping is generally seen in social situations, specifically during times of play between a large and small dog.

Examples of self-handicapping are a larger dog rolling over to expose his belly, frequent paw lifts, allowing the stealing of high-valued items, submissive gestures, etc. It's when a dog puts himself at a disadvantage or invites another dog to “win” in some way.

This behavior is especially endearing to watch once you've seen the big dog play with a dog of his own size. You immediately realize that the dog, on his own initiative, has taken his behavior down a notch to accommodate a playmate he views is at a disadvantage.

Kohle, the larger dog in the below image, has a very "rough-and-tumble" playstyle when playing with dogs of his own size. However, when he plays with Cheney, who is 40 pounds lighter, he is deliberately much more submissive with him. He often lays on his belly so they are "equal" in size, frequent paw lifts, and he frequently gives up the "valuable" item. Cheney wins...A LOT.

Self-handicapping certainly shows that dogs are, indeed, self-aware, and they do have some understanding how their actions affect others.