Hey guys welcome back to my channel and today I'm gonna show you guys complete steps on how I taught my dogs to play tug of war.
Now before I start, I have to mention the most important thing about playing Tug, because for some dogs, this game can lead to aggression if not taught properly. Usually for dogs with bite and aggression issues, we shouldn't play tug with them, 'cause it can be dangerous. But if you have a young puppy, go teach em. So remember this, the most important thing to consider is you have to take control of the game. You decide when to start, and you decide when to stop.
Therefore you shouldn't let your dog have the tug and play with it anytime they like. You gotta keep the tug toy out of their reach, and only you can bring it out when you're about to play.
Also your dog must also understand the "out" or "drop it" command. It is very important to teach your dog dog the out command, because they must know that they are not in control of the game. When you say stop, they have to stop.
So now when you are sure that your dog doesn't have any issues and has understand the out or drop it command, you can start to excite them!
When I bought a new tug toy, I'm never going to use it right away. The first thing I'm going to do is to show my dogs the new tug toy to get them excited. Now when your dog is curious and excited with the new tug toy, the next time you bring it out, he's gonna be in drive, that's when you start teasing him, before finally letting him bite the tug. But you always wanna make sure your dog bites the middle area of the tug, cause the toy is designed to be biten at the middle area, with your hands covering both end. Remember this can be dangerous, so maybe try using one hand first, then later grab the other handle. Also do keep in mind if your dog bites your hand, whether it was intentional or not, you should immediately stop the gameplay. Cause you don't want to encourage him to bite your hand. Alright, now when they got the toy, you can then start tugging with them. And just to make sure they know that you are in control, ask them to drop it or out command, and when they drop it, give them many praises, and quickly start the game again. When they drop the toy, you can also drop some basic commands, such as sit, down, stand, stay and reward them using the bite tug again. Now make sure you don't give the out or drop it command too often so that you won't kill their excitement. Speaking of excitement, you also want to make your dog win the tug. Don't worry, 'cause winning the tug doesn't necessarily means that your dog becomes the alpha, or dominates you.
Letting your dog win the tug builds their confidence, which is a very good thing. Now when your dog wins the tug it's also a perfect opportunity to show your dog that, without you, the tug toy is no fun. You are the source of the game, therefore if your dog doesn't return it to you, the game won't start again. Don't worry 'cause at first your dog might not return the toy to you and go somewhere else, this video here was taken few months ago, when Kai was still trying to figure out what to do when he got it. If you're wondering then how can we make our dog come back, my tip would be run away from them.
If you chase them, the chance is they are going to run away from you. But if you run away from them, or maybe hide from them, your dog is definitely going to chase you. When they come back to you, quickly praise them, and the game starts again. When your dog realize that you're the source of the game, even if you drop the toy like what I'm doing here, I don't have to say leave it, and Kai won't even touch the toy. He knows it is mine, and without my permission, he's not going to take it. Also if I'm throwing the toy away, he's gonna bring the toy back to me, cause he knows where the fun comes from.
Do each sessions shortly, around 10-15 minutes is more than enough, and put it away in a safe place. And I think that's it, those would by my tips on how to play tug. We play this game everyday and it's very fun. So remember, playing tug is only dangerous when you are not in control, or if your dog doesn't have the solid basic commands. But if taught properly, this game is such an amazing game with many many benefits. It drains their energy, builds relationship and many more. So I think that's all for today guys, thankyou so much for watching, do consider to subscribe for more videos about my dogs, and if you wanna get in touch with us, follow us on our instagram, I'll put the link in the description. If you wanna ask or share stuffs, just send me a message. That's all for today, I'll see you in the next video!
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17 фев 2021
