Tug Of War

labgirl said:
As long as you control the game and have rules set out (don't jump up at me, give toy on command, etc) then tug is just a bit of fun. Dogs play it together and if you watch they take turns for who wins.

Cadbury loves tug, he even has a play growl, its really funny, more of a grunt. But he does know that when I ask he has to give up the toy, and if he jumps up to grab the toy, that's a no-no and the game stops straight away.
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Totally agree here! I control the game. And if it gets too aggressive or possessive, then I shut it down.

Unfortunately, Bacca almost always wins the tug over Indy. Bacca just snaps his head left to right, and Indy just caves!

They like it best when I play with them, but Indy will still defer to Bacca.
 
We definitely tug with both our dogs. I've heard that tugging with a puppy causes aggressiveness because it teaches them to be mouthy (even Monks of New Skete says this), but I think everyone is right--there are rules.

The first for us is that the dogs rarely win (like Randi said). That way, they are aware that you control the resources.

Secondly, we taught Lexi to "give". So she can tug tug tug, but when we say give, we get it. That teaches them to snap out of instinct mode back into control. We also make her sit or down before she can play again.

And the third thing is that if the dog's teeth even accidentally touch my hand, game over.
 
Tug can be a great leadership building/drive building activity or it can be a problem if the person doesn't make the dogs follow the rules. The Rules: the people decides when to play, The person decides when the game is done, no touching the person with teeth and the tug will be released when I say. Break a rule the game is over.

I love tug and would not hestitate to play with my dogs. Even my friends with Rottweilers tug. :smile2: However, if you don't think you can control your dog don't play.
 
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