Playing Tug With Your Dog / How To Play Tug / Tug-o-war With Your Dog

Tug is played with rules. The rules keep dogs and people safe.

1. The toy is released on cue.
2. Teeth never touch people or clothes.
3. The toy is taken on cue.
4. The intensity of the game is kept under control by the human.

Game play follows a simple script:

Behavior (such as sit, down etc.), toy is offered, tug, release the toy on cue...repeat.

The I use cues in between tug sessions perform a few functions. First, they mix in some mental stimulation in with the physical exercise. While tugging is obviously a lot of fun and great exercise, on its own it is not very mentally demanding. The extra obedience makes the dog does some mental work before the game can continue. It's also a great polisher for your "release" cue - the command that has your dog drop something for you.

They also act as a "throttle" for the dogs arousal and energy level. If your dog start to get too excited, mix in more cues and perhaps ask for a "wait" or a "stay" as demonstrated in the demo. I made the sessions in the video slow because I wanted to be sure it could be followed on a Youtube-sized video.

Finally, mixing in the cues is training the dog without treats. After a few sessions, you should have dog that will "work" for a tug toy. How cool is that?

In the demo, my Border Collie mix Caffeine does not want to drop the tug toy, which gives me a chance to explain how to deal with a dog that will not release the toy: stop playing. Don't yell, don't pull harder - stop the game until the toy is released. If this happens repeatedly you may want to end the game or add a timeout of 15 seconds or so. Pulling harder and raising your voice will simply excite the dog and probably make her think that she successfully made the game continue by not dropping the toy.

Teaching the release cue during tug is pretty straightforward. You will probably need to use food. Take a treat and literally place it on her nose and she'll open her mouth, drop the toy, and take the treat. Say "yes!" and then give her the tug toy back. After a few successful trials, say "give" or "release" (or whatever cue you have chosen) before you place the treat on her nose. After a few sessions, stop using the treat.

If the dog's teeth touch you or your clothes. Game play stops. As with failures to release, do not get excited or shout at your dog. The game stops (or pauses) and the dog has to regain control before the game continues.

In the demo my Pit/Rottie cross Gage is initially not interested in playing tug at all. He is a very nervous dog and is usually very shy around cameras. I deliberately started out making the same mistake many people make when trying to play tug: I held the toy up in front of his face and asked him to take it. Many dogs, especially a nervous one, will not take it. Sometimes a dog will respond if you make the toy more interested by soliciting a chase. This worked beautifully with Gage.

Some dogs have preferences for certain toys. Caffeine usually plays with a plain nylon rope. She has no interest in the cotton rope toy I use with Gage. gage would destroy the sheepy tug I used with Caffeine - when he finally does play tug, he has a very "hard" mouth.

Once you find a toy that your dogs loves, use it only for tug. When the game is over, put it away, out of sight. When the tug toy comes out, your dog should always be excited and ready to play!

Dogs can be picky about their tug toys. You should be too. A tug should be long enough to prevent accidental contact with the dog's teeth, sturdy enough to not tear while still being an attractive material for your dog.

Jersey Tug Toy - strong and attractive "traditional" tug toy

Wubba Tugs - attractive and fun. Some dogs go crazy for this one! Great for fetch too.

Ultimate Jackpot - has a compartment for adding food. Good for dogs that are less motivated to tug.

Jitterbug Tug Toy - unique, ring-shaped toy. Great for smaller breeds.

Squeaky Snake - snake toy with a squeaker. Another good toy for reluctant tuggers.