Rope/Tug Toys

[MiloZabe]

We bought a couple of these for our one year old boxer Milo. My husband mentioned that he had read as well seen on a tv show about training dogs, that playing tug of war with a dog might make it more aggressive. Is this true? Should I just return these to the store and just get him some more chew toys and squeaky toys. We have little kids so agressiveness is a big no no. Thanks in advance.

 

[Demismom]

We were told by our trainer that its ok to play tug of war, but the human should always win, don't let your dog win. I don't always adhere to that, but I do see the logic, sort of. I think it's a dominance issue, more than an aggression issue myself.

 

[whiskers]

I play tug all the time! It is my most commonly used reward for good behavior. Juno LOVES it. And I have absolutely no rules whatsoever. I don't believe in the "winning" stuff - there are many times where Juno is just much stronger than I am and she can pull the tug right from my hands.... and then she just brings it back to me like "why'd you let go?!?" She has absolutely no concept of "winning," and it doesn't make her want to take over and start paying the bills. It's just a game. Some people are stricter about it (human always "wins", dog teeth cannot touch human hands, dog must let go immediately when asked) but I let Juno do what she wants; yeah, sometimes she accidentally nips my hand instead of the toy. Oops. We carry on, I know she's not purposely doing it. And we certainly don't have a solid enough "drop" command .

She is not in the least bit aggressive. If you want to play tug, go ahead.... figure out what rules you want in place and be consistent about them. But dogs know when it's a game. I also wrestle and rough house with Juno, where I encourage jumping, mouthing, and boxing; something else that is heavily discouraged with dominance-based thinkers... and she knows she can't just jump and attack me willy nilly. It's only when I initiate the game.

Sorry for the novel. But no, I don't believe for a second that playing tug contributes to anything negative.

 

[CoraBoxer]

I heard this when I got Cora as a puppy and wondered the same thing. But after years of playing tug with her and now Kahner I'd say it may apply in some cases but I don't believe playing tug makes the dog aggressive. Maybe a dog that already displays signs of aggression shouldn't play in the same way a dog might otherwise play. That said, I think its fun to sometimes let the dog win and watch the head flipping and tug toy tossing . Other times ask the dog to leave the toy. I'd love for the two dogs to play with the toys together but hasn't happened yet. Cora loves her Kong frisbee for tug. Kahner loves his rope ball tug. They bring it over to play and if I let it go or it slips out of my hand they run right back up with the toy so I can grab it.

 

[rrboxer]

I think it depends on the dog's personality. Also, when I play tug with Lacy I make sure we don't go over the top like trying to get her so riled up she doesn't listen to your commands. I would teach your dog "drop it" or "give". This way when you are ready to stop play you are the last person to have the toy.

 

[Jan]

As long as your dog will drop it on command, there is nothing wrong with playing tug. Just make sure that you teach the drop it command first. You can occasionally let your dog win, but it is best that you to win most of the time.

 

[seanandnala]

I play tug all the time with nala. I'll let her win sometimes when playing but when the tug session is over I always make sure I win at the end. If she still wants to play with the rope I'll usually throw the rope so she can still chew on it.

 

[LILYLARUE]

YEP, tugger toy play here too. All the dogs know "drop it" or "me see" and they adhere to the command. None of my dogs are aggressive, nor do they play too rough with me. I have had to step in when two are tugging with each other and they get too riled up. Again, the "drop it" command and they stop until I give it back and play resumes.

The only times I would not play tug is:
1. The dog has resource guarding issues.
2. They don't have play bite down to a science
3. They get to intense in their tugging - deep growls along with dilated pupils and intense staring
4. They tug too hard to rip my shoulder out of socket. LOL

Other than that, tug away!!!!

 

[johann]

I'm with Whiskers and BadAxe. Johann loves tug. It is probably his favorite activity, other than wrestling with doggie friends.

The only rules are "no teeth on skin" and that the game ends when I say so. He often wins due to sheer strength, but is quick to shove the toy back into my hand so the game can continue.