Tug-of-war is a fun game that numerous dogs like since it mimics shaking their prey! They can play it with a human, other dogs, or even just themselves. However, there are a few instances in which dogs shouldn’t get to play tug, as well as I’ll point them out in this article.
I’m Barbara as well as I compose routinely for That Mutt. I’m likewise a blog writer over at K9s Over Coffee.
Pros of playing tug of war with dogs
Before we do that, let’s very first look at the pros of playing tug, as well as there are rather a few! Tug-of-war is a:
Fun method of exercising your canine as well as enabling him to roughhouse (within reason).
Way of costs high quality time with your canine as well as strengthening your bond with him.
Game that can be played inside as well as outside.
Opportunity to strengthen fundamental obedience commands like “leave it”.
Reward for working dogs.
Confidence booster for timid dogs.
Great chew toy for teething puppies as long as it’s a string toy or made from natural rubber.
Cons of playing tug with dogs
The pros do outweigh the cons of playing tug, however it’s essential to think about that tugging can:
Reinforce aggressive tendencies.
Cause obsessive or possessive behavior.
Be harmful for kids as well as elderly people who play with their dog, particularly if he’s larger.
Send some dogs “over their threshold” for excitement/impulse control.
We understand there are lots of opinions available on the pros & cons of tug of war with dogs. Please let us understand your thoughts in the comments at the end of this post.
Depends on you training goals & character of the dog
Whether or not tug-of-war is a appropriate game to play with your canine depends upon your training goals as well as likewise on the character of your dog.
Like I briefly discussed in the cons section, tugging CAN strengthen aggression. So if you’re conscious of aggressive tendencies in your dog, it’s finest not to play tug with him since you don’t want to foster those tendencies.
Two examples of dogs who shouldn’t play tug of war
Lindsay, the primary blog writer behind That Mutt, stopped playing tug with her Weimaraner Remy since of his personality.
Remy likes tug however he has a tendency for possessive aggression as well as he gets excessively thrilled as well as has difficulty controlling himself.
Since Lindsay doesn’t want to nurture that type of behavior, it was a no-brainer for her to stop playing that specific game with Remy.
Instead, she does agility as well as runs long distances with him, as well as likewise just recently introduced him to hunting canine training. All three activities are fantastic energy outlets for his seemingly unlimited amount of energy.
Lindsay as well as Remy on a run in the snow
One of my canine walking clients is an American bulldog, Chester. He gets excessively thrilled extremely rapidly as well as can do some genuine damage when he does, just since of his size, weight as well as power.
He’s mistaken my arm for a tug toy before, so I’ve discovered never to play tug with him again.
He gets to chew on his BIONIC metropolitan Stick toy while I play fetch with his Labrador sibling Macy, as well as that works out great! That’s a extremely durable, difficult toy that has held as much as his power jaws for over two years now.
American Bulldog Chester with his Bionic metropolitan Stick chew toy
Examples of dogs who can play tug of war no problem
I will state that out of the many, numerous dogs I’ve taken care of because 2012, many might play tug of war no problem, as well as some weren’t even thinking about the game.
German Shepherd mix Brewski as well as Labrador mix Bailey are client pups who online on the exact same cul-de-sac as well as like playing together.
Neither of them have any type of aggressive or possessive tendencies whatsoever, as well as although they roughhouse A LOT, it’s always in a friendly manner. They’ll switch between tug of war with a string toy to chasing each other around up until they flop down on the floor, in requirement of a break.
Brewski as well as Bailey playing tug together
My former pups Missy & Buzz, two Boxer mixes, likewise liked playing tug together. It wasn’t on a extremely routine basis, however every now as well as then they felt like it. They’d either tug on a long rope string, a Puller Ring, or the Liker Cord. See the section finest toys for tug below for links to every toy.
Missy & Buzz playing tug with the Liker Cord
Buzz likewise delighted in playing tug by himself, which is why I utilized that habits to instruct him exactly how to open my fridge door! All I had to do was tie the Liker cord to the fridge door deal with as well as ask him to “pull” or “open”.
Side note: Whenever we were done practicing that trick, I took the Liker cord off the fridge door handle. otherwise Mr. Buzz may have just assisted himself to whatever he discovered in the fridge!
Buzz discovering to open the fridge by tugging on the LIKER CordMy present pup Wally, a Feist mix, hasn’t discovered a doggie buddy he can play tug-of-war with rather yet, however he does delight in tugging when I initiate the game.
He enjoys the exact same rope toy Missy & Buzz had played with, in addition to a few of West Paw’s rubber toys.
Wally playing tug with me as well as his rope toy
Is it okay for dogs to play tug with each other?
Like I’ve shown with a few of the examples above, it’s okay for dogs to play tug with each other as long as they satisfy a few criteria.
1. The dogs ought to not have aggressive tendencies.
Tug ought to be fun for everybody involved, as well as aggressive or obsessive dogs can hurt each other quickly, particularly when they’re larger. The last thing you want is an costly trip to the vet’s.
By the way, if you ever discover yourself in the circumstance of dogs combating over a (tug) toy, try throwing jackets or blankets over their heads to distract them. A container of water works fantastic as well, as well as so does a garden hose.
2. The game ought to be supervised by an adult.
If several dogs are house alone, just put the tug toys away to ensure that they can’t just pull them out whenever. That way, the pups will appreciate tug time much more as well as they can play in a managed setting.
3. Dogs who get to play tug ought to understand fundamental obedience commands.
The many essential one is “leave it” for when you want them to let go of the tug toy. I likewise like “take a break” when you want them to have a bit timeout. See our post: instruct your canine when playtime is over.
Tip: It’s simple to instruct the “leave it” command with high value, smelly training treats. You know, something like cut up hot dog, cheese, fish or eco-friendly tripe. just offer your pup(s) one of those treats while they’re playing with their toy. when they decrease the toy to get to the treat, state “leave it” as well as praise warmly!
However, make sure that you’re not providing treats to several dogs at when if they’re protective over food. That might cause a fight over the treats.
Teaching risk-free tug of war to puppies
The puppy stage is the very best time to instruct polite habits in general, as well as that includes structured tug of war with limits as well as rules.
As long as those are incorporated, tug of war will psychologically as well as physically stimulate a puppy, however won’t make her aggressive. It’s likewise a fantastic chance for mentor bite inhibition. That implies mentor her not to nip or play bite human skin.
Tug of war rules
The adult human initiates as well as ends playtime. just freeze to make yourself tiring when you want your puppy to stop playing.
Puppies requirement to discover the “leave it” command. utilize it when you want them to let go of the toy. instruct it by providing your pup a tasty treat like some cut up hotdog when you want him to decrease the toy.
No biting into human skin. Puppies requirement to comprehend that they can only bite into the tug toy, however never into human skin. That’s particularly essential since puppy teeth are truly sharp!! Make a high pitched noise when your puppy does nip you as well as instantly freeze. only continue playtime after a bit break as well as when the pup has stopped nipping as well as dropped the toy.
Don’t pull upwards. When you play tug with your puppy, only pull ahead or sideways, however never up. The latter can cause loose teeth as well as spinal injuries.
Rope tug toys in addition to rubber ones are fantastic for risk-free chewing when puppies are teething. noted below you’ll discover a listing of my preferred tug toys.
Best toys for tug
Tug toys ought to be a few things. very first of all, they ought to be soft as well as shaped without any type of difficult edges. That’s since we don’t want them to cause any type of injuries along the dog’s gums or to their teeth. So difficult plastic tug toys ought to be avoided.
Next, they ought to be long or huge sufficient for your canine as well as yourself to hold at the exact same time. That makes it a great deal simpler for your canine to prevent your skin! even well-trained dogs can unintentionally get your skin if the tug toy is tiny.
That being said, the very best tug toys I’ve come across throughout the years are the following:
Tether tug toys – for dogs to play tug by themselves
Puller rings
Liker cord
Rope toys
Plush toys (for smaller breeds)
Soft frisbees – squirrel from KONG
West Paw’s rubber toys (I like their Skamp as well as their Zwig toys)
Also see our post: many resilient canine toys for much more ideas.
Me playing tug with small Lucy as well as one of her luxurious toys
About to play tug with Sydney the Weimaraner as well as Kong’s Squirrel toy
GDS Hannibal playing tug with me as well as West Paw’s Zwig toy
Using tug as a reward for agility or nosework
Working dogs are frequently rewarded with a great game of tug after a task well done. For example, if a armed forces or authorities canine sniffs out explosives or assists catch a fugitive, their handler may pull out a toy for a tug session. The exact same idea of gratifying a task well done can be utilized with dogs who carry out agility as well as nosework tasks.
I when got to observe a armed forces K9 in training when my vehicle was searched at a armed forces checkpoint. It was a random safety and security check, as well as the pup – a Belgian Malinois – sniffed every inch of my car, including the trunk.
Well, he didn’t discover anything worth letting his handler know, phew! ***Just kidding!!***
But the handler still rewarded his pup with a quick game of tug best after the browse session. He pulled a rope toy out of his jacket as well as played with him best then as well as there, only for a few moments, however the pup liked it, as well as was then excited to inspect out the next car.
I keep in mind believing to myself, wow, this is a fantastic choice of gratifying a toy-driven canine without food! By the way, as well as this is just a side note, I was likewise deeply amazed by exactly how focused that canine was on just discovering explosives (and perhaps weapons, not sure).
That’s since as a personal canine owner, expert canine walker/pet sitter, as well as pet taxi service provider, I have ALL type of canine smells in my car. To include treats. The pup ignored EVERYTHING. He was really in a working mode.
Now we’d like to hear from you!
Now it’s your turn! Do you play tug of war with your dog? Do you have any type of extra advice?
If you have any type of questions, let us understand in the comments!
Barbara Rivers composes routinely for That Mutt. She is licensed in raw canine food nutrition from Dogs naturally magazine as well as the author of three ebooks about balanced raw canine food. She is a blog writer at K9s Over Coffee.