# tug of war



## njb (Oct 5, 2006)

How many of you play tug of war with you dogs? I, myself--do not. Why would I wrestle with them for something that belongs to me?


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## Carsonsdaddy (Nov 1, 2006)

We do. I look at it this way. First: I never let him "win". Second: When we're done, I take the tug o war toy away and put it up. That way I always win and he knows it.


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

I've heard both of those arguments for and against. I personally don't play tug of war, but if it works for you and your dog, go for it  They all have different personalities.


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## Katiesmommy (Sep 10, 2006)

Nope not here. Just dont like the game.


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## ty823 (Feb 7, 2006)

I play tug of war & wrestle w/ Lucy all the time. I can tell that playing tug of war is one of her favorite things to do. She knows the difference between playing and when I really want something. A stern "GIVE" is all she needs to hear and she lets go.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

ty823 said:


> I play tug of war & wrestle w/ Lucy all the time. I can tell that playing tug of war is one of her favorite things to do. She knows the difference between playing and when I really want something. A stern "GIVE" is all she needs to hear and she lets go.


I use to play tug a war and they all no when i say *leave it* they drop is asap.... they never got rough doing it...but now that i have more than 1 , they play it with each other.....


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## Bizzimomx2 (Nov 12, 2006)

Our dogs loved tug-o-war and we never let them win the tug, if we wanted to stop then we asked them to drop. We also didn't play it until they were well aware who was boss.
Also, I've seen rescue dogs and such use this game of tug-a-war as a reward game.
Personality probably is the key.


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## LauraEyes2 (Sep 16, 2005)

I think as long as you train your dog the difference that only certain things are for tug o war, and it's only initiated by you, it's a fun game to play. Vinny loves it. Like another poster mentioned, Vinny knows that when i say to DROP IT, he lets go. This goes for toys, clothing, garbage, etc. He has a set of nylabone puppy keys and a KONG tug toy, and those are the only toys he plays tug with. 

I guess it depends on your dog and their personality. I've never had issues with him differentiating between toys and things that shouldn't be "tugged". He used to play tug with my past golden charlie too when he was still with us. They could entertain themselves for hours.


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## mblondetoo (Jan 9, 2006)

We used to play tug with Tabitha but after reading everyones negative comments we stopped. She loved it but would always end play by chewing on the rope which definitely was a no no. Now we have Magic and the two play together. When the play is done the rope is put up. It is quite fun to watch.


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## Princess Bella (Oct 17, 2006)

I think eventually they make you play it... Bella picks up everything around the house and its always a hazzle to take it away.. so we end up playing a little tug, but l usually win since I have 2 hands with thumbs!!


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## Booker (Nov 14, 2006)

We play tug of war with Booker, but like everyone else, he's learned the "drop it" command, and we never let him win. He loves the game.


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## njb (Oct 5, 2006)

I do think it depends on the personality/breed of the dog--and what type of owner you are. 

I don't think all owners should play it---in fact a bunch of owners should not play it.


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## Carsonsdaddy (Nov 1, 2006)

Yup, Carson likes it and we play, but not very often. And like others he has learned the "Give it" command, and obeys me as soon as I tell him to.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I personally LOVE tug games and I teach it to all my clients. The main reasons I like tug games are:

When playing, the dog is focusing on my and ignoring whatever distractions may be nearby, so it's great for teaching owner focus;

It teaches the dog to defer to the owner when you work in random "drop it's"; 

I use it to teach self control b/c right in the middle of the game, I ask for a "drop it" and then a sit and I won't turn the game back on until I get both behaviors.

My basic rules are that teeth on clothing or skin immediately turns off the game; I "win" by keeping the toy when we're done and I don't allow my dog to have access to the primary tug toy unless I'm attached to the other end.

I make it a goal to get my dogs to be willing to play tug with me *anywhere* and around *any* type of distractions.

-Stephanie


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Since Lucky can't seem to play fetch without me chasing down the ball myself, I dont know what I'd do with out our tug a war. When I say "no Play" he drops it and we are done. since he tears up all his toys we play tug awar with a short, small kong and he has never 'gotten" me, so he's a very good boy.


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## Ozzie's Mama (Jul 16, 2006)

We learned to play tug in our training class. We use it to teach self-control and practice tricks, by stopping mid-play and giving a command. I used to have a problem with Ozzie biting whenever we played because he got too excited and out-of-control. Playing a controlled game of tug has really helped.

Tug has also been great for maintaining Ozzie's attention when we are out and about. When playing tug while out in public or on a walk, I know he is completely focused on me. It did take some work, however, to gain his interest in the game when we are exciting environment.


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

njb said:


> I do think it depends on the personality/breed of the dog--and what type of owner you are.
> 
> I don't think all owners should play it---in fact a bunch of owners should not play it.


I agree, and I don't think that every "rule" (to play tug or not) fits every situation. For us, Augie was going through a period where he was constantly nipping at/pulling on our clothes--to introduce tug of war games at that point I think would only have reinforced the behavior we were trying to discourage.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Ozzie's Mama said:


> Tug has also been great for maintaining Ozzie's attention when we are out and about. When playing tug while out in public or on a walk, I know he is completely focused on me. It did take some work, however, to gain his interest in the game when we are exciting environment.


Good for you! That's really cool that you can get him playing on a walk now!  

See you Monday! :wavey: 

-Stephanie


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## DaisyMay's mom (Feb 27, 2007)

Hi. Ive read \in puppy books that playing tug of war is not recommended since its a dominance issue so Daisy and i don't play it.


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## Rob's GRs (Feb 25, 2007)

My 2 love the game of tug-of-war. Not only do I play it with them, they play it with each other. Never once have I ever had any problems with this.


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## Wilson's REAL Mom (Nov 10, 2006)

If it was just me, Wilson would probably never get to play tug-of-war. However, just _try_ to put teen-aged boys and a golden puppy in the same room for any length of time and get them _not_ to play tug-of-war and wrestle! I figure as long as the furniture stays in one piece, and everybody stays happy, it's just that much less energy (testosterone) I have to deal with.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

DaisyMay's mom said:


> Hi. Ive read \in puppy books that playing tug of war is not recommended since its a dominance issue so Daisy and i don't play it.


My personal opinion is that it can only become a problem if you let the dog "win" by pulling the toy away from you. When I play, it's always tug-tug-tug---GIVE--- (dog releases toy to me)--- and then I ask for a SIT before I turn the game back on. That way during the game the dog defers to me (the give) and then has to show some self control (the sit) before we play again. When we're all done, I keep the special tug toy and put it away. That's worked really well for me and my students. I really like getting dogs to play tug b/c it's a great way to teach them to focus on YOU and irnore other stuff around them. I tug with my Golden on walks all the time.

-Stephanie


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## GoldenGratitude (Jan 25, 2007)

FlyingQuizini said:


> My personal opinion is that it can only become a problem if you let the dog "win" by pulling the toy away from you. When I play, it's always tug-tug-tug---GIVE--- (dog releases toy to me)---
> -Stephanie


We were told in our training class with Theo that it is good to let them win sometimes b/c it teaches them confidence. When we do let him win he brings the rope right back to us to play again. We don't play it with him often but when we do, he loves it. He never tries to play tug-o-war with anything besides his rope.


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## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

I will always let my dogs play tug of war with me or eachother but they know when I say drop it,it means business.It a great way to teach them obedience when they really want something.Both of them,play growl but it's none aggressie cos I can stop it whenever I want, it's their way of playing.


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## njb (Oct 5, 2006)

I try to get Julie to play tug o war--she just wants me to throw the rope--go figure. 

I think if your the kind of owner that understand training and are active in the dogs life tug o war is fine--but too many owners don't get any of those concepts.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

I would, and I cannot imagine why you wouldn't. It's a natural dog behavior. It's not a contest- it's fun. And it's a wonderful reward for training and bonding. Get out the tuggie!


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## Lego&Jacub (Jul 18, 2006)

At this point... Geddy is only 6 months, and has only a little idea what I mean when I say "give"... so we don't play tugs. However, I do believe that "eventually" once she no longer nips, pulls at our clothes, and learns to give, then we will play the game. And she would SOOO dearly love to play it lol.

I appreciate that this post was made b/c I've learned a few do's and don'ts that I wasn't already aware of. So THANKS!!!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

We are a bunch of tuggers around here! I use the focus and drive to my advantage to get speed and excitement when drilling. It helps Liberty de-stress and reconnect with me after a difficult training session.

But didnt teach the dogs to tug until:
They were older...past the mouthy stages...and knew basic obedience command very well - I think Liberty was more then a year old...
They knew how to give quickly with one command
They knew that if there teeth made contact with skin or clothes, even accidentally, the game was over...

I wonder if tugging is a No-No for dogs that are training to hunt? Does it lead to rough handling of the game? - So far Liberty has maintined a very soft mouth...but I do wonder~~~....Perhaps tugging games set her up for mouthing the dumbell (during obedience training)...??


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I play tug of war with my dog. She wins sometimes too, fair and square!

No issues with dominance or aggression. Just have to be careful to keep my hand safe when she's regripping.

Sometimes I initiate, sometimes she does ... no rules really. No big deal


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## audreyannlow (Mar 5, 2007)

I love playing tug with Aspen! He knows full well that he is way stronger than me. In fact, it's only recently that I've grown bigger than him (sort of small for 17). I have no problem with him knowing that he is bigger and stronger than me. That way, if someone comes after me, he'll know I need his help.  It's best to play tug with a dog that you have a good relationship with. I've done it with every dog that wants to on its first day home and never had a problem with it influencing the dogs' obedience. I would actually be pretty sad if I had to rely on physical control to get a dog to listen to me! They respect me and my voice and don't care about my lack of size and strength.


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## DaisyMay's mom (Feb 27, 2007)

I read in the Golden Retrievers for Dummies books that tug of war is a big NO because it can cause aggression and dominence in a dog-- so i don't play it with Daisy since she has growled while i was pulling it away from her. Just a thought..


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

No tug of war playing here...


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