errica

I am happy to report that Athena (3 yr old female) and Apollo (3 month old male) are getting along really well. They hang out and play together all day and seem very happy.

Athena is very gentle with the pup, she'll play bite him, but never hard enough to really hurt him, and she has certainly never broken skin. Apollo, on the other hand, is a puppy, and a boy, and honestly just a little dumb at times. He will chew on Athena, chase her, bite on her and just harass her for hours on end. She doesn't mind all the playing, but I have noticed that she has a few little scabs from superficial scratches and bites from the pup.

My question is this: Are they playing too rough, how to I determine if it's too rough, how do I stop the really rough play without stopping all play and am I just over-reacting? Will Athena protect herself if the need really arises and can Apollo do any major damage?

I have been keeping an eye on the scabs, cleaning the areas he seems to prefer to chew on and making sure that they all heal up quickly...