I had this same question when I brought home my second boy. How rough is too rough? I learned through the noises they made when things were getting out of hand. I only intervened when it sounded dangerous.
Yelps can just be warnings. A truly aggressive growl is when I knew to break things up. I didn't intervene physically and still do not. I raise my voice or make a loud noise to call the boys to attention.
That is another good point -- when you see them start down the road, refocus them on a constructive activity. All I have to do is play a couple minutes of fetch or have the boys perform a few tricks for treats. Then they go on their merry way and stop wrestling.
__________________ Kristin, Max and Teddy  |