Just wondering, oh wise ones....

Tug-a-lug toys- or anything where you basically play tug of war with your
dog- are these a good idea?
My dog ADORES playing wrestle with a tug-a-lug or a knotted rope toy (second
only to kill the tennis ball), but are we not teaching the pet to 'inverse'
retrieve- I.e. go get something then fight you for it?

Isn't this a 'negative association' trainng method?

Cheers, Jon.

Tug-a-lug toys- or anything where you basically play tug of war with your
dog- are these a good idea?
My dog ADORES playing wrestle with a tug-a-lug or a knotted rope toy
(second
only to kill the tennis ball), but are we not teaching the pet to
'inverse'
retrieve- I.e. go get something then fight you for it?

Isn't this a 'negative association' trainng method?

It all depends on *how* you play the game. Tug is a wonderful motivator
for many dogs, *especially* terriers. It's also how I taught my Jack
Russell to drop things on command, and to be careful with her teeth.


--
Sarah
Brenin, CGC, AD, O-EAC-V, O-EJC-V, EGC
Gwydion, Handy Cat
Morag Thistledown, Novice Triple Superior, S-OAC, S-OJC, O-OGC, EJC
Robyn Meezer, Inspector of Human Activity
Rocsi Cadarn, S-NJC, NAC, NGTG, OGTG

In article ,
"Shelly & The Boys" wrote:

very young puppies, and a theory pertaining to proper tooth growth.
Shelly & The Boys who live to TUG!


All of the above sounds sensible to this novice. But also note that some
dogs shouldn't play tug. Frankie is an example, who is not allowed to do
so because of his spinal problems.

In general, though, I think its a fun game that, when practiced rightly,
yields mucho fun...

Chad
--
Looking for a pet? Adopt one! ** http://www.petfinder.com
Info for a healthy, happy dog? * http://www.dog-play.com

Wilson Jack (tm), rhymes with smack, not with grapefruit....

In article ,
"Shelly & The Boys" wrote:

"Dimpled Chad" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Shelly & The Boys" wrote:

very young puppies, and a theory pertaining to proper tooth growth.
Shelly & The Boys who live to TUG!


All of the above sounds sensible to this novice. But also note that some
dogs shouldn't play tug. Frankie is an example, who is not allowed to do
so because of his spinal problems.


Oh definitely. Does Frankie try to play tug (does he know that
it will hurt him?), or do you just not play tug at all, ever? I know
there are other people's dogs that I'd never play tug with, just
because...well, I like my thumbs! :-) I don't think I'd play tug with
dogs that have any sort of jaw/mouth issues either. But with
my own boys, it's one of the best motivators around.

Frankie *wants* to play tug. We'll get into a round of 'fetch the toy'
and he'll bring it back and want to tug with it. Poor guy; he loves tug
so much. We'll hold it and kinda play the game of 'hold it in the mouth
while making lots of noise', but no real tuggin goes on. He thinks there
is, but not really. Big smiles ensue.

Chad



--
Looking for a pet? Adopt one! ** http://www.petfinder.com
Info for a healthy, happy dog? * http://www.dog-play.com

Wilson Jack (tm), rhymes with smack, not with grapefruit....

"Dimpled Chad" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Shelly & The Boys" wrote:

very young puppies, and a theory pertaining to proper tooth growth.
Shelly & The Boys who live to TUG!


All of the above sounds sensible to this novice. But also note that some
dogs shouldn't play tug. Frankie is an example, who is not allowed to do
so because of his spinal problems.


Oh definitely. Does Frankie try to play tug (does he know that
it will hurt him?), or do you just not play tug at all, ever? I know
there are other people's dogs that I'd never play tug with, just
because...well, I like my thumbs! :-) I don't think I'd play tug with
dogs that have any sort of jaw/mouth issues either. But with
my own boys, it's one of the best motivators around.

In general, though, I think its a fun game that, when practiced rightly,
yields mucho fun...

Definitely.
Shelly & The Boys

Shelly & The Boys wrote:

there are other people's dogs that I'd never play tug with, just
because...well, I like my thumbs! :-)

Khan likes to play tug, but only with humans, not other dogs. As has
been previously established, I'm a sore loser, so I don't play tug with
him much. There isn't a chance in hell that I'll actually win, and
winning by telling him to drop it is cheating.

These days, we play tug with his rawhide. He is a lot more interested
in his rawhide if we make a game of it, and "wins" it from me. It's
kind of cool really, because he used to not feel comfortable playing
games where he would attempt to take stuff, especially food, away from
us - used to go into default 'sit and stare at human' mode. Now, he'd
jump for it, swat at it using his paws, put his feet up on our arms to
reach it, etc. And like you, I would never encourage this sort of thing
in another dog.

Suja

On Fri, 1 Aug 2003 10:00:00 +0100, "Jonathan"
wrote:


Just wondering, oh wise ones....

Tug-a-lug toys- or anything where you basically play tug of war with your
dog- are these a good idea?
My dog ADORES playing wrestle with a tug-a-lug or a knotted rope toy (second
only to kill the tennis ball), but are we not teaching the pet to 'inverse'
retrieve- I.e. go get something then fight you for it?

Isn't this a 'negative association' trainng method?

Cheers, Jon.




We've got 2 different kinds of toys for Chloe. There's the tug ropes
and then there's the fetch balls. If she tries to play tug with a
fetch ball (even one with a handle) then she's told "no tug" and we
won't play. I'll tell her that if she wants to play tug, go get a
rope. Which she will gladly go do if that's what she wants. But if
she wants to play fetch, then she'll drop the ball and we'll play
fetch.

Although the latest game for her is "catch" with high bouncy balls.
But that's the same as fetch when it comes to the tugging rule.

I don't see any problem and she can associate tug and fetch with the
appropriate toys for each.
jayjay
http://home.comcast.net/~jennifer.is...b/c_index.html

"Jonathan" wrote in message
...

Just wondering, oh wise ones....

Tug-a-lug toys- or anything where you basically play tug of war with your
dog- are these a good idea?
My dog ADORES playing wrestle with a tug-a-lug or a knotted rope toy
(second
only to kill the tennis ball), but are we not teaching the pet to
'inverse'
retrieve- I.e. go get something then fight you for it?

Isn't this a 'negative association' trainng method?

Cheers, Jon.


To be honest, I enjoyed games of tug and even all in wrestling with Stone ~
she was a powerful dog that enjoyed contact sport, and I hadn't read that it
was bad... but what I saw as being of vital importance and still see today
is that its all ok so long as both of you know the off switch. Stone didn't
to start with and I got some big bruising and a little bit of a scare - we
then practiced the word 'gentle' via means of a chest rub which made her go
'stupefied floppy' anyway until I was totally confident that the word
triggered the response, and all contact sport was back on...

Now Stone's gone and I'm that much older, I might lay off the wrestling with
our new pup mind ;-)

Diana

Sionnach said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

It all depends on *how* you play the game. Tug is a
wonderful motivator for many dogs, *especially* terriers.
It's also how I taught my Jack Russell to drop things on
command, and to be careful with her teeth.

A motivator and a reward. Friday gets (and expects) to play
leash tug as a reward after practice or a round of agility.

I have to be careful about the latter, though. AAC judges are
starting to crack down on leash tug in the ring. Nothing like
a clean run, only to receive 5 faults for having a toy in the
ring.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

Teaching "drop it:"

* Play tug.
* Stop moving the toy and hold your hand still, say "drop it," and hold a
tempting morsel in front of your dog's nose.
* As soon as your dog drops the toy to take the food, whip the toy behind
your
back and praise.
* As soon as he finishes the food, whip the toy back and entice him to
play
again.
* Fade the treat until the reward for "drop it" is the initiation of the
game
again.


Blooming brilliant. Thanks for that.
As usual, a PJR is as stubborn as heck- I have spent ALL DAY on & off
throwing a tennis ball, saying 'Give', him saying no, me trying three times
then wondering off. When I get around 5 foot away, he drops.
He's slowly getting there- he knows, hes just more stubborn than a stubborn
thing.

Teaching no nipping: If the dog's teeth hit your flesh or clothing, say
"OW,"
drop the toy, and turn away from the dog.


I've got the nipping thing sorted- that was about the first thing I managed-
one bite == no play.

It's also a great substitute for treats in training for dogs who are
motivated
that way, like your dog.


Hehe, he's motivated alright. One of those that you can whizz round at head
hight horizontally on a tug a lug- he loves it- I hate it (and almost never
do it!) it just looks auwful!!!

Thank you so much for the tips- its very much appreciated!

Cheers, Jon.