Tugging

Some owners and trainers are firm in their belief that playing tug with a dog increases aggression, dominance, bad manners, and encourages a struggle to see who is alpha. It's not a good game for every dog, but tug can be a great game when everyone plays by the rules. When two dogs tug with each other you can tell it's not a power struggle. It's play! Or maybe it's wild canids tugging a huge piece of meat, but even then it's not about dominance. It's a functional technique to break apart large pieces of meat. If your dog does have aggression issues like resource/toy guarding, has poor bite inhibition, or is easily over-excited by tug then it may not be a good game to play. Tug is great to work on impulse control but it's not great when the dog is too overstimulated to show any self control at all. Work on easier games and maybe some day the dog can play tug, but maybe not. Again, it's not a good game for all dogs.

The rules I have for my dogs:
1. The dog must drop the toy when I say "Drop It". The drop cue needs to be practiced before expecting a dog to drop a toy in the middle of an exciting game. Keep the game calm and don't let it escalate while you practice Drop It. Start with easier exercises and toys to teach Drop It before using the tug toy. This video gives a great demo on how to teach a reliable and fast "Drop" including using Drop when playing tug. One thing I've learned is that if you're pulling on the toy it's tougher for the dog to let go. Relax the toy, and move in toward the dog a little if you need to so you can relieve the tension on the toy.

2. The dog's teeth must never touch my hands. In order to accomplish this you must set the dog up to succeed. A short toy being swung around in the dog's face will set the dog up to fail- it will launch itself at the toy and very likely grab your fingers. Instead of waving the toy around, offer it. A little wave back and forth is ok, as is dragging the toy on the ground. Encourage your dog to take the toy to begin the game. Don't yank! Yanking and jerking the toy can damage your dog's mouth.

Swinging the toy wildly or shaking it in the dog's face invites the dog to make an inappropriate grab at it and could very likely hit your fingers. Use a long tug rope over a foot and a half long, and ideally about 2-3 feet long. You should also hold the rope by one end, and not in the middle. The dog should be hanging on to the other end, not much above the knot. Set the dog up to succeed by keeping your fingers out of the way.

If the dog creeps up the rope or gets close to your fingers, or even touches them, then say "Oops!" or "Ouch!" and stop the game for a moment. The dog is not being "dominant" or "alpha" when its teeth touch your hands during tug. It's most likely just trying to get a better hold on the toy! Saying Oops/Ouch is usually enough of an interruption for the dog to understand that its teeth should not touch your hands. Sometimes that's not enough of a hint. Try dropping the toy as you say Oops/Ouch and turning away. The point is, the game stops if teeth touch hands. If your dog has poor bite inhibition (meaning the dog bites hard instead of using gentle pressure) there are other exercises to start with before playing tug, and if and when you feel your dog is ready for tug you may want to wear gardening gloves for protection as you continue teaching your dog to both inhibit its bite and to not touch its teeth to your hands during tug.

3. The dog must not lunge for the toy when it is on the ground. I often play a fetch/tug combo game with Diesel (who is still here, and being a good boy while he waits for a new foster), and sometimes the toy gets dropped in the middle of tug too. Often the dog picks it up right away but sometimes not. With Diesel, I toss his tug rope and when he brings it back he often drops it automatically, and sometimes he'll prance and invite me to grab it and tug. If he dropped it, he must Sit and Wait while I reach down to pick up the toy and I either toss it again or invite him to tug. If he goes to put his paw on it, gets up, or reaches in with his mouth, I say "Oops!" and stand straight up and put my hands behind my back. I tell him again to Wait, and reposition him if needed. It's too easy for the dog to scratch your hand with a paw or touch teeth to your hand when lunging for the toy. It's also good manners and teaches good impulse control to have the dog wait while you pick the toy up. You may need to walk forward over the toy so it is under/behind you before leaning down, and/or lure the dog back away from the toy for a Sit-Stay at a greater distance. This is not about "claiming" the toy from the dog. It's about making sure your hands stay safe while you pick it up, and it's about teaching good manners and impulse control to the dog.

4. I usually "win" the game, and the dogs win too! This is also not about "dominance" or being the "alpha" to be the one who ends up with the toy. It's not about finally wrestling the toy away from the dog (which should never be the case anyway). It's about me choosing when the game is over so I can then put the toy away and move on to something else. The dog needs to know when the game is over. What if you were playing Monopoly and the person you were playing with got up and walked away, and didn't come back? Pretty confusing! Have an end of game routine. Most often I simply say Drop, which is practiced throughout the game. Then for Diesel I tell him Down, then place the toy between his paws and pet him a little so he can chew on it if he wants to. For Kaytu and Denali I tell them Drop then Sit, then place the toy on the ground beside me and give lots of petting and praise as they won't chew on it. That's winning to me! The dog voluntarily gave up the toy. That's a win. You can add a verbal "All done!" to have an additional indication that the game is over. The dog then gets a reward (chewing the toy/petting) so they win too! There are sometimes exceptions to this, like when the dog chooses to be done playing first. Sometimes I'll toss the rope for Diesel and he'll bring it back but instead of dropping it he'll lay down and start to chew on it, or he'll drop it then walk off. Or we'll be tugging and he'll just stop for whatever reason. That often happens with Kaytu, she'll let go when we're tugging and be done. Fine by me! I tell her she's a good girl, pet her, and then leave her be. Pretty much the only unacceptable way for the game to end is if the dog refuses to drop the toy and rips it out of your hands and runs off. Also unacceptable is if there is any form of guarding or aggression that prevents you from continuing- and you shouldn't play again until those issues are addressed.

5. No uninvited interference from other dogs, and it's my job to make sure. Diesel doesn't care if one of the girls is next to him, he'll smash and crash into them. If I toss the tug toy he'll crash into them when he spins to chase it. They don't like that, and similar things have caused scuffles in the past between him and Kaytu. Any of them will try to interfere when I'm tugging with one. For example if I'm tugging with Diesel, Kaytu will jump on him and mouth his neck, and Denali will mouth his legs. Or one will try to grab part of the rope. It's better to keep the other dogs out of the way, unless you want them to play among themselves. I usually put two behind me in the kitchen while I play tug/fetch with one. Or I'll take one outside and leave the other 2 in, or switch that and put 2 outside and keep 1 in. Lots of options!

6. Not really a rule, but noise is ok as long as the dog is in control. Many dogs growl when tugging. Kaytu really does. Why does she growl? Growling does not always mean aggression, and does not mean she is trying to be "dominant" or be the "alpha" dog. She's playing! Watch the video below. She is growly, and gets VERY growly when I scratch her neck when we tug. At the end I scratch her neck when she doesn't have the rope and she doesn't growl at all. Also notice how when her teeth touch my fingers (about 20 seconds in) she immediately lets go, and there was very little pressure from her teeth. I invited her back to play by saying her name and waving the toy. She did not bite me or hurt me at all. She does not guard the toy when it's on the ground, and allows me to take it. She also allows Diesel to take it. Growling is simply part of her play style!


You can also see how Diesel and Kaytu play together. In this video he invites her to play 6 times:
1. At 0:18
2. At 0:34
3. At 1:04
4. At 1:05
5. At 1:13
6. Best one ever, 1:20-end, where he leaves the toy so he can bounce up and interrupt her attempt to walk away, then goes back for the toy and brings it to her. She's not impressed.