Continental Kennel Club
Playing tug of war with your dog
A dog's list of new years resolutions

Playing tug of war with your dog

Tug of war is a popular game that many breeders and puppy owners have often discouraged for many years. Several unfounded excuses have been given as reasons for not playing this game. The main one being that playing
tug-of-war has a direct cause to aggressiveness in dogs. Nothing could be further from the truth. Tug-of-war, if played properly, is a great way to burn off energy while at the same time, teach important rules, such as when and how the puppy should use his mouth.

The first rule is that you, and never the puppy, give the signal to start the game. And the game stops when you say the game is over. Start by holding the tug in a way that gives the puppy plenty of room between your hands in which to bite the tug. Give a cue, it can be “take it”, “vas.” Some trainers use their release word to mean to take the tug. Whatever you choose, stick with it. The second rule is that, at no time is the dog allowed to touch you or your clothes. If this happens, even by accident, you must let the dog know (or believe) that he has hurt you by his careless actions.

I say “OUCH, THAT HURTS!” And with that, the game stops. The signal we want to send to the dog is that “we can play this game, but at no time can you let your mouth touch me. If you fail to obey this rule, you will loose the game.” As the game progresses, move your hands closer giving the dog a smaller target to bite. And now, we are pleased to announce the next step in our commitment to providing only the best services for our clubs and our members. The Continental Kennel Club Pro Shop is now open for business! The Pro Shop carries a wide variety of top-of-the-line training equipment.

We carry leads, collars, training toys and many different items geared to solve behavioral problems. All of the equipment, toys and treats have all been approved and recommended by our experienced training staff. We offer
products from Premier, Kong, Genuine, Horton’s, AmeriPet just to name a few respected manufacturers. The Pro Shop is physically located at the Training Center in Walker, Louisiana. However, an e-Pro Shop is currently under construction.

Watch for announcement for the opening of the online Pro Shop very soon! After a brief game of tug of war, give the dog a position command (sit, down, stand). Upon giving the command, freeze all movement on your part. If the dog is strong, you may need to brace your hands against your legs and don’t move until the dog releases the tug and obeys the command. As soon as the dog obeys, give the dog the command to play again.

As the dog’s response time gets quicker, increase the time in position. If you also have established a release command, use it also with the position commands. If not, this is a great time to establish a release command. Occasionally let the dog win the tug. In time, you will find the dog brings the tug back to you and puts it in your hands to play the game again. This is a really good sign the dog understands the game. Remember to always give a position command before you resume the game. (If you don’t, the dog is controlling the game!)

The game should always end on a positive note. I will give a release command, a position command and then reward with a bone or large cookie that will occupy the dog while I do away with the tug. Taking the tug away from the dog and immediately putting it away may cause trust issues with the dog. Trust issues may lead to other problems such as possessiveness or resource guarding. Train hard!

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