Tell Me About Tug

[korbin13]

That's good advice, Tassie

I have only had one nip, where she let go of the tug and panicked and jumped to grap the tug and got my finger as well Game over, it hurt too much! I have since got some longer and softer tugs. I was using a rope toy which isn't really appropriate.

[Staranais]

By just finishing the game and walking away I always felt that it ended on a negative, like I was stopping because they had done something wrong.

I think they can tell the difference by the tone of your voice & your body language.

If I'm quitting the game because my dog has done something seriously wrong like bitten me, I'll mark the wrong thing by saying "uh", give her a disgusted look, and march off inside and ignore her for a while (just leaving her standing there with the toy - it's no fun if I'm not playing with it too!)

To just end the game the regular way, I tell her she's a good girl, but that we've finished playing ("that's enough"). She knows the difference.

She has an "out" command within the game too, but I don't usually use it at the end of the game. To us, "out" means if you drop this toy immediately, the game will keep going. Hence, I usually get nice fast clean outs with this word.

But different people do things differently.

[corvus]

By just finishing the game and walking away I always felt that it ended on a negative, like I was stopping because they had done something wrong.

I think they can tell the difference by the tone of your voice & your body language.

Depends what your history with them is. I have a video somewhere of ending a tug game and turning away from my dog and you can see his little face fall.

I have a dismissal cue "Go play" that means they can go be a dog for a bit. Sometimes they would rather play another round of tug. I originally brought in "go play" as an establishing operation that was meant to mean "keep your ear out 'cause I'm going to give you an opportunity to earn a reward any moment". That experiment sort of went sideways, though.

[Aidan]

I usually end a game by having a small coronary, or throwing up.

[Erny]

I usually end a game by having a small coronary, or throwing up.

Oh Nuurse !

[W Sibs]

My start is saying 'Ready?' and she is in drive.

Only my out command is "mine"

Game is finished, the command is "Finish"

I just walk away and put the toy away.

Edited December 14, 2010 by CW EW

[Aidan]

I usually end a game by having a small coronary, or throwing up.

Oh Nuurse !

It's a good life

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I end game or training session with "game over". It is good to have some word to say you're stopping. "go play" or "go sniff" would be good if "go" wasn't the word I want to use to start an agility run....um. Might have to come up with another one but currently it's my "release/break" word. She seems to know what "go say hello" means too. Most dogs know/learn the difference between gear being packed up (game over) and reward withheld (try something else).

As far as tug techniques go - for the actual tug action - you want to avoid bouncy bouncy on the front legs and develop a good tug with the dog using its back end for leverage - to build a dog that works with strength from its back end and not on the front/forehand (equestrian methods from SG and Susan Salo). Of course the back end tug is much harder on you - so a bungy (elastic) tug makes things easier.

I've also heard that "up and down" where the handler pulls the dog up in the tug - is bad. And "side side" where the handler pulls left then right then left then right etc is better - but that seems to lead to "bouncy bouncy" on the forehand to me. I try to pull towards me in line with the dog's back and head so she's not being pulled out of alignment - and she tends to sit into her back end and flick her whole body - which I just hold - no pulling required. And then I will do some side side like shake shake to build enthusiasm if she's not working it enough.

I guess this could use some more thought and maybe some more academic input on the general idea of what the healthiest tug looks and feels like. I'm open to ideas.

Also with your tug (and we fail) you want to avoid dog self rewarding and doing victory laps with the tug without you. For agility for some stuff (eg 2x2 weave training) you want to throw the toy/tug to where you want the dog to be (to reward it for being there), and then you want the dog to bring the tug back to you for the game of tug / build enthusiasm and drive. So somehow you need to reward and encourage the fetch with the game of tug, and not the victory lap followed by an occasional fetch. I'm not so good at that.

[korbin13]

I also try to avoid the up and down motion, although sometimes the motion just goes that way but I pull it back into the side to side. Once the game gets going I rarely need to 'tug' back, she does it all. I do worry about her neck though, it looks like she pulls a lot from the neck, if that makes sense? At times she almost goes into a sit.

I think I need an even longer tug for the stafford though, my back alignment is out according to my chiropractor! Should have got a taller dog!

[Staranais]

Nah, staffords are a great size - you can just pick them up off the ground entirely & spin them around in the air! I do miss my old staffy boy sometimes. He played an awesome game of tug.

[Tassie]

Nah, staffords are a great size - you can just pick them up off the ground entirely & spin them around in the air! I do miss my old staffy boy sometimes. He played an awesome game of tug.

;) My BC girl Kirra likes 'dizzy whizzies' as well - another reason for keeping her a nice lean 14.8 kg ;)