TO TUG OR NOT TO TUG???

2

September 15, 2012 by sayrevilleshelterblog

In some training circles playing tug with your dog is still frowned upon.  These trainers still adhere to the outdated and scientifically disproven belief that playing tug with your dog will make him/her aggressive or dominant.  This is completely unfounded. Dogs love a good game of Tug, and so do their owners! Why wouldn’t you want to play something that you both enjoy!

But the game of Tug is making a comeback!!  Playing tug with your dog has many benefits: it’s a great way to exercise him/her both mentally and physically, it’s another way to reward your dog for a job well done, and it’s a learning experience, teaching your dog to “take” something and to “drop” something.  It’s also a wonderful way to teach your dog impulse control.  Most all dogs lack impulse control.  Lack of impulse control is the root of all evil!

I think the reason for the comeback should be, at least partially, credited to the Agility world.  Agility trainers use a fun game of Tug to create focus and arousal, and uses Tug as a reward; which is much easier sometimes then carrying food.

Playing tug can improve your relationship with your dog because YOU control the all the good stuff!  Of course, like with anything in life, playing Tug has its rules, and as long as your dog adheres to the rules there’s no reason not to engage in this game.

Here’s how to play:

Note: Children should NOT play tug with dogs.  A dog of any age can easily overpower a young child.  Some dogs are not good candidates for a rousing game of tug.  But if your dog adheres to the following list of rules, then this game is a great energy outlet and training session for your dog.

RULES:

He only gets this special toy for this game with you, only.

He must sit before you start the game.

The toy must be put away when you are not playing tug with him.

If your dog does not drop the tug toy after you’ve asked him, no more than twice, the game ends, but only after he has been taught what “drop” means.

If you have to physically take the toy out of the dog’s mouth, the game ends.

If your dog, even accidentally, touches your hand with his teeth, the game ends.

If you see that your dog is getting overly stimulated, the game ends.

Hold the toy out away from your body about shoulder height and wait for your dog to offer a sit (if the dog tries to grab the toy, just lift it higher or put it behind your back, so that he can’t get at it), if the dog doesn’t offer a sit on his own after about 30 seconds, then verbally ask for a sit; then offer your dog the toy with the cue “take it”.  When he takes it in his mouth start tugging.  You can verbally praise him if you wish.  Tug for about 10 sec. (always varying the time), then as you ask your dog to “drop” or “out”, bring a treat toward his nose, as he goes for the treat he will obviously drop the toy.  Mark that with a verbal “yes” and reward him with the treat. Wait for him to offer a sit and start the game again with the cue “take it” and repeat.  Make sure that you start & stop the game a few times before you put the toy away.  We want the dog to realize that just because you asked him to “drop” doesn’t mean that the game ends, just the opposite, the game starts up again.  After your dog is dropping on cue consistently, you can fade out the food reward and use the startup of the game as the reward.  It is always a good idea to ask your dog for a behavior like, sit or down after he “drops” the toy and then start the game up again as his reward.  Always end the game with your dog wanting more.  This builds you up as the best thing since canned beans!

Remember:

He only gets to play with these very specific rules.

Use the cues: “drop” or “out” and “take it”.

Children should not play tug.