This is not about "claiming" the toy from the dog. 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. It's also good manners and teaches good impulse control to have the dog wait while you pick the toy up. 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. I tell him again to Wait, and reposition him if needed. 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. 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. 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. Often the dog picks it up right away but sometimes not. 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. The dog must not lunge for the toy when it is on the ground. 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.ģ. The point is, the game stops if teeth touch hands. Try dropping the toy as you say Oops/Ouch and turning away. ![]() 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. The dog is not being "dominant" or "alpha" when its teeth touch your hands during tug. 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. Set the dog up to succeed by keeping your fingers out of the way. The dog should be hanging on to the other end, not much above the knot. You should also hold the rope by one end, and not in the middle. Use a long tug rope over a foot and a half long, and ideally about 2-3 feet long. Swinging the toy wildly or shaking it in theĭog's face invites the dog to make an inappropriate grab at it andĬould very likely hit your fingers. Don't yank! Yanking and jerking the toy can damage your dog's mouth. Is ok, as is dragging the toy on the ground. Instead of waving the toy around, offer it. 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. In order to accomplish this you must set the dog up to succeed. The dog's teeth must never touch my hands. Relax the toy, and move in toward the dog a little if you need to so you can relieve the tension on the toy.Ģ. One thing I've learned is that if you're pulling on the toy it's tougher for the dog to let go. This video gives a great demo on how to teach a reliable and fast "Drop" including using Drop when playing tug. Start with easier exercises and toys to teach Drop It before using the tug toy. ![]() ![]() Keep the game calm and don't let it escalate while you practice Drop It. The drop cue needs to be practiced before expecting a dog to drop a toy in the middle of an exciting game. ![]() The dog must drop the toy when I say "Drop It". Again, it's not a good game for all dogs.ġ. Work on easier games and maybe some day the dog can play tug, but maybe not. 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. 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. It's a functional technique to break apart large pieces of meat. It's play! Or maybe it's wild canids tugging a huge piece of meat, but even then it's not about dominance. When two dogs tug with each other you can tell it's not a power struggle. It's not a good game for every dog, but tug can be a great game when everyone plays by the rules. 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.
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