Stray Thoughts Winter 2020
Ask the Trainer
Tug of War – Good or Bad?
O
ur opinion is that tug of war can be good or bad
depending on how you play. If you play in the wrong
manner it can create behavioral issues in your dog, but
played in the right way it can help you raise a friendly
well adjusted dog with great manners. We have created
the following five tips to ensure tug of war is a good
experience for both of you:
Play Gently! This is especially true if you are playing with
a puppy. Puppy teeth can easily be damaged or even
pulled out, so it is important to play at an appropriate
level. You should never pull harder than the puppy does
and you should never pull the toy away from them. Keep
in mind that sharp little puppy teeth often get caught in
things and care needs to be taken when removing the
toy from their mouth. With an adult dog they will likely
pull far harder than the puppy and it is okay to match
their level, but you should still avoid pulling harder than
they do to avoid injury.
Teach a “drop it” command. One advantage to playing tug
of war is that it is a great time to teach your pup how to
drop objects on command. Once they learn how to drop
a toy during a spirited game of tug of war they are way
more likely to drop objects in other situations.
Don’t allow “regripping.” Regripping is when your dog
lets go of the toy and then jumps to bite and grab it again.
Many people are accidentally bit when a dog tries to
regrip the toy. Stop this behavior each time you see it! This
helps keep your pup from getting overly excited when
playing tug and can also help your pup learn to control
themselves in other exciting situations.
Only use one toy for tug or war. The reason for this tip
is that it teaches your dog that you don’t play tug of war
with everything they find. They will learn that you only tug
on one toy and that nothing else is used for tug. You don’t
want to be playing tug of war when they find a dead bird
or one of your socks!
Keep the toy put up when not is use. This tip goes
hand in hand with the previous one. You don’t want
your dog learning that they can engage you in tug of
war constantly. This is a game that should be played in
moderation at a time of your choosing! It is a good idea
to follow this rule if you have multiple dogs inside of your
home and they play tug with each other. Having the single
toy that they play with and only giving it to them at certain
times will make them less likely to start playing tug of war
with your couch cushions!
Tug of war can be a great game for your dog to burn off
some steam and have some fun at the same time! It also
can help them learn some valuable lessons that can be
used outside of tug time, like drop it and general manners.
Following these tips should set you up for success.
Visit www.suburban-k9.com or call (847) 232-1269
Emails and Letters from Adopters
Hello!
Roger (previously known as Dumbledog) came home with us on 12/17/19 and we just absolutely
adore him! He’s made himself right at home. We’ve found him to be such a happy, joyful, playful,
smart and loving puppy. He’s just a sweetheart. We waited so long to find our pup. We were just
waiting for Roger. He is the perfect addition to our family and we are so looking forward to all of
our future adventures together. Thank you so much for taking care of Roger until we adopted
him. We are so lucky!
Lisa and Charles
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