I'm certain Bella would enjoy playing "tug," but many people have advised me against it. Both my breeder and vet say no. Some, like Ian Dunbar, say yes.

Do you play tug with your dog? If not, why?

Thanks.


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Grasslands Liberty Belle "Bella" CGC (5-7-2012)

There are divided opinions for sure. Some say yes, some say yes but never let the dog win!, and some say never, etc.

Personally I have always played it with my dogs and have encouraged them to play it with each other as well. I make it clear it's a game and that I decide when it starts and stops.

It never has gotten out of hand with real growling etc., but if it did, I'd put a stop to it right away.

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Kathleen, mom to one human, age 17, three canines, and a bunch of fish.

Tayla is a tug monster. She loves two things, playing tug and her ball. Tug is a wonderful game as long as there are rules. Tayla can bring me her tug to initiate play, but she must first sit before we start. She growls and carries on like a mad dog so several times during the game I make her sit. She has to let go of the toy and back up and sit. I then toss it to her and off we go again. When I want to stop we do and I put the tug up. I can leave it out but she chews on them and can destroy a tug in no time flat. Sometimes I let her win and sometimes I win. Our trainer who is a behavorist also said it's a great game for her so we play it as a reward sometimes also.

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Barb, Rick and Tayla (STAR Puppy)



Cheyenne (CGC) and Jesse (CGC) who will be always loved and never forgotten.

I play tug with mine. Its just as long as you can say stop and they stop. It is meant to be a game, not a challenge. I think its fine as long you can call it off easily.

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I use tug as a reward during training. It's nice to not use food all the time. Just be the one to start and end the game. As long as your dog has a solid "drop it" it should be just fine.


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Nope! I don't even see the point.

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The issue in my house would be that my 8 year old daughter (who weighs less than Bella) and 10 year old son would do it if they saw me doing it. I doubt I could rely on them to do it the "correct" way.


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Grasslands Liberty Belle "Bella" CGC (5-7-2012)

I think tug is a lot of fun, and brings value to a toy so it can sometimes take the place of treats in training. Some ground rules we use for tug are: Human starts the game and human finishes it, Dog must obey "out(drop it)" command whenever asked or the tug toy goes away, The tug toy lives on a high shelf, and it comes down to play/ train and then it goes back up there- there is no self-serve on the tug toy, if so much as a tooth touches human skin, the game is over for the day. I have a blast playing tug, and it gives me a fun way to blend play into training sessions.

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Jill &
Lush: GCH Am CH Harborview Sweeter Than 'Shine At PoeticGold CGC
Tally: Goldiva Raleigh Tangled Up In Blue CD RAE TDI TT CGC
Copley: BOS Chantilly's Bright Lights Big City RN TDI CGC
Finn: Sand Dancer's Infinite Sky TDI TT CGC
Tango: Topbrass Everlore Talk Of The Town TT CGC(co owned)

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I say yes yes yes! When I play tug it is for a specific purpose - reward and drive building for agility and Riley lest go on the "Okay" command. I love it and I think it is an awesome, great tool for reinforcing without food and for creating excitement and drive.

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-Valerie

Agree, agree, agree with everything Jill said here!

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-Valerie