Playing tug of war with your dog is one of those things that has a lot of mixed views. Lots of people love to play and get their dog worked up--thats what it is for. Done incorrectly though, people will often say you can play but never let your dog win (they become dominant), it encourages your dog to compete with you over things, or even creates a dog who when picking things up (not toys) wants to play instead of let go. Here are my thoughts on tug: -Its an awesome outlet for a dog who likes to use their mouth (in a more productive way than on me or my things) -There is ONE tug toy, and thats the only one you play tug with (not my socks, your leash,kids toys, chew bones, etc.) -I bring out toy and take it away. It does not sit around the house for casual play -Its an opportunity to let your dog win but also teach your dog to let go (out) on command -It helps you teach your dog how to use its mouth in positive ways -Tug play is structured. Exciting, but structured! You need to be putting obedience in this game: dropping on command, sit/down/place, and stopping when its time. These are all SUPER important when doing something that gets your dog excited and encourages your dog to grab and bite something you are holding! This is not a free for all of jumping and teeth! If you feel like your dog is clobbering you more than playing, you better put the tug away for a while and work your obedience a little better first :) This clip is day 1 and 2 of Nina and I working on tug! Youll see on day one (even though she can out her food bowl) she struggles to out her toy. We worked on OUT a lot later that day with different toys and bones, and on day 2 she was a champ! :)
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 18:43:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015