woodbyne Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Hi, My dog will tug on almost anything at home in the house paddock inher run but at training she acts like shes never seen one before and totally ignores it. Is this something that i can work around i'm thinking shes intimidated witht he other dogs not that shes acting scared and happy to take a food reward having said that i'm thinking shes still probably not as keen on food when out. We live out of town so its been a hard slog to get her socialised. When we lived in town you had to take the dogs out down the shops , park etc for exercise but now they have 100 acresto run on they don't have to go out for exercise and its 35 min drive each way to the neareest town so i'm thinking i might not have given her enought of this we went to dog shows about once a month and training once a week as well. Is this something i can fix or train her to tug away from home Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Exact same issue here - happy to tug at home and anxious/disinterested in public. I ordered a spectacularly attractive tug toy from Clean Run - the sheepy tail. It's now in tatters (especially since the dog and the foster failure kitten played tug-o-war with it) but it was great - I played lots of "come catch me" games with the toy, he only got it when we were out and just made it a game with no training whatsoever. It took a while but he is much better - I'm working on tug again at the moment as I let it slide somewhat when we were trialling to avoid stressing him out. You can try a chicken wing in a sock or even a fluffy cat toy if that rocks your dog's boat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodbyne Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 Thanks spooted devil i was just looking at the sheepie tugs online. We have not long ago banded the lambs tails at home and she come back from her walk this morning with a lambs tail then rolled all over it.... I think i will go ahead and order one. I think by the time we get to trial she will have owned every dog toy around... Might also try the chicken wing in a sock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I have the same problem. Will tug in the back yard and in the house, am starting to get some tug in the front yard, but he won't even look at it at the park or training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodbyne Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 Good to know i'm not alone on this problem wish there was an easy answer.... I was watching a susan garrett DVD on the weekend of to have a dog with such high drive but then i wondered if it was hard to live with a dog like that. My girl is a sook and sleeps on my daughters bed and loves a cuddle maybe thats my answer too spoilt... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 My dog did begin to tug at training.... but only with other dogs toys I can have the exact same toy as them but he is like a child, if someone else has it, he wants it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodbyne Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 Exact same issue here - happy to tug at home and anxious/disinterested in public. I ordered a spectacularly attractive tug toy from Clean Run - the sheepy tail. It's now in tatters (especially since the dog and the foster failure kitten played tug-o-war with it) but it was great - I played lots of "come catch me" games with the toy, he only got it when we were out and just made it a game with no training whatsoever. It took a while but he is much better - I'm working on tug again at the moment as I let it slide somewhat when we were trialling to avoid stressing him out.You can try a chicken wing in a sock or even a fluffy cat toy if that rocks your dog's boat! Spotted Devil a quick question what did you use for motivation when trialling. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Some people become a little bit self-conscious outside the privacy of their own home. This can affect their enthusiasm in getting their dog to play tug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 (edited) Exact same issue here - happy to tug at home and anxious/disinterested in public. I ordered a spectacularly attractive tug toy from Clean Run - the sheepy tail. It's now in tatters (especially since the dog and the foster failure kitten played tug-o-war with it) but it was great - I played lots of "come catch me" games with the toy, he only got it when we were out and just made it a game with no training whatsoever. It took a while but he is much better - I'm working on tug again at the moment as I let it slide somewhat when we were trialling to avoid stressing him out.You can try a chicken wing in a sock or even a fluffy cat toy if that rocks your dog's boat! Spotted Devil a quick question what did you use for motivation when trialling. Thanks Roast chicken ETA: Don't make the mistake of shoving the tug toy in your dog's face either as that may well up the anxiety levels! Wriggle it like a prey item AWAY from the dog - I also use a bit of a hissing noise to rev Ziggy up. I've also tried click/treat when he is pulling really strongly so he gets the idea. Edited November 30, 2009 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodbyne Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 Just ordered a sheepie tug and another one thats a bag that they can tug and you can shove food in. This morning also while walking she found a dead rosella dumb bird looked like it had flown into a tree She picked it up i told her to drop it so she did then on the way back she remembered where it was took off to it picked it up and walked off i didn't say anything then she looked at me as if to say are you going to tell me to drop it then droped it looked at me and walked away if only they could talk... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Some people become a little bit self-conscious outside the privacy of their own home. This can affect their enthusiasm in getting their dog to play tug. I am sure this is my problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodbyne Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 Will have to check out my motivation i didn't think i was acting self conscious but will be conscious thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiesha09 Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Can I just recommend you be very careful if using a chicken neck in a sock. I did this with my toy dog and he ate the sock and the chicken neck in one It wasn't very fun trying to pull it out while he was choking on it!!! The tug-it-starter toys that you stuff food into have worked much better IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigsaw Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Aiden is quite right I think. A lot of us are really good at praising our dogs in silly voices and jumping around in the safety of our own home when playing but put us in public and we shut down and so does our dog! Some dogs are socially sensitive especially if there are other dogs around. Try keeping the tug play session really really short. Put the tug on a lead or rope so there is some distance between you and the tug and really encourage dog (use that silly voice, no one's watching!), drag the tug on the ground behind you so the dog has to chase it. If dog shows no interest put it away and do something else and try again later. If the dog shows interest and grabs the tug praise him a lot and let him win it. Put it away and then try again later. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Another tip I picked up is to NOT switch to food if the dog shows no interest in the tug......all you are doing is reinforcing no interest in the tug!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I dunno... failing handler information, I think if they tug at home with gusto but not anywhere else they just aren't as comfortable with their surroundings. Leslie McDevitt wrote an article once about dogs that only play at home. She recommends teaching them to relax outside the yard using things like the Look at That! game and also teaching them a word to tell them they are about to have a freaking awesome game of tug or something. Getting something highly motivational to play with definitely helps, though! I have a sheepy tug for Erik that I have just tied to a long ribbon because as much as he adores it when he's in the mood, he wasn't always leaping all over the place for it like he does for his flirt pole. I figured chasing it along the ground seems to get him going like no one's business, so now the sheepy tug goes for little dances along the ground. Erik alternated between carrying it and chasing it most of the way around the block this morning. And every time I got it off him he was ready to do backflips for it. Nice! Actually, I think he did do a backflip for it unintentionally.... not so nice. Oh, all that reminds me that flirt poles ROCK. I know someone with a high drive dog that had to put the flirt pole away for good because it was way too exciting. Even my low drive Lapphund will chase the flirt pole (although for two months he was too scared of it to go anywhere near it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdude Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 The golden rules of tug as far as I am concerned are never move the tug towards the dog, don't make it easy to catch, don't reward a slack effort to catch it, don't hide the tug after you have finished (teach the dog self control to let it go on command, as an opportunity to restart the game), make the main aim of the game the catching part, a few seconds of actual tugging is plenty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 (edited) Your dog's drive for it is probably not strong enough to overcome the intensity the training environment provides. Go to training, but train at a distance (might be a considerable distance to begin with) and get the 'tug' going at that point. Gradually (not in same session) moving in as your dog is able to concentrate more and as he begins to get 'hooked' on the idea of 'tug' at dog school. Make the sessions (both the obedience training component and the tug component) short and finish before your dog wants to. Also look at your tug : I tend to find that the firmer ones are better for dogs once they are 'into' tug. The softer ones are better as 'starters'. So, your dog might be in to a firmer tug at home, but might benefit from a softer style tug (yep, a sheepskin tug may do it) when at doggy school and not AS into it as normal. Edited November 30, 2009 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelpie-i Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 (edited) I agree with Erny. Stress levels in a dog have a lot to do with the general 'performance' of a dog when outside of their comfort zone. Work at distance and work on getting the dog comfortable in the environment you wish to train in BEFORE expecting the dog to accept a tug/reward etc. Corvus, I was listening to a Leslie McDevitt podcast and what she says is very interesting about behaviours in dogs when in stressful environments. "Over processing" I think she calls it....similar to watching 20 different televisions at the same time...too much to take in thereby causing high levels of anxiety, over-reactivity and/or complete shut down. I haven't read her book but it's certainly on my list. On the podcast which was a few years old, she mentions a DVD, has she brought this out yet? Edited November 30, 2009 by Kelpie-i Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippi Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 ........... I haven't read her book but it's certainly on my list. On the podcast which was a few years old, she mentions a DVD, has she brought this out yet? Yep The DVD is out and available at CleanRun. Here is my take on tugging. Its not actually about tugging or the tug, its all about YOU and your relationship with your dog. The tug is just something you use as a conduit between the dog and handler. You actually want the dog to think you are the best thing since sliced bread and that getting to play with you is his/her idea of doggy heaven. You want the dog to learn that playing with tug, sock [insert whatever toy dog loves] is the way to get to play with YOU.... I would spend time building my relationship with my dog and making that, all important, until the dog couldn't give a rats what else is going on around him - cause he just wants to play with you. BTW I'm not saying you dont have a good relationship with your dog - I think it can always be worked on and improved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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