Tug-Of-War

Do you play tug-of-war with your dog? I do. If you’ve read some of my earlier posts, you’ll remember that our first trainer recommended against playing tug-of-war. Since then, I’ve read and seen that a lot of other trainers don’t recommend it either. The thought is that as the dog grows and becomes stronger, you will lose the game and in turn, lose your leader position. Suddenly, your dog is looking down on you. OK, I can see how this can happen, considering how big and strong some dogs grow. However, what if I want to play tug-of-war? What then?

I like options. I would prefer to be told, “If you want to (fill this in with whatever you want to do), then you’re going to have to (fill this in with a description of the hard work), and if you’re not prepared to do that, then forget it.” Take this seriously. If you really aren’t prepared to do the work, then don’t fail the dog by giving half effort. In the end, it’s the dog that pays. I do acknowledge that there are things that don’t have an option. Where there is only one route. I can live with that, as long as I’m told why.

Remember, I have a VERY strong Boxweiler (Rottweiler/Boxer cross) who has no problem taking over and being pushy. She certainly has the power behind her to do it at any time, but she doesn’t, anymore. Well, most times. It’s a never ending process. I’ve invested a lot of time, hard work, and tears to get this dog to respect me. I don’t want to do anything to lose what I’ve gained, at least not intentionally. A large part of our success came from marrying the obedience training and play. Of course, it’s all tied together. Isn’t it? You can’t have one without the other.

I was very lucky to be taught how to play with Chili in the right way, before I even realized there was a wrong way. If you don’t understand what I mean, then you must have a naturally submissive dog. I was taught to not give up my leader position. Besides, like I said, I’ve worked my ass off to get it and I’m not letting some punk Boxweiler take it away, even if she throws her cutest at me. When we play tug-of-war, I do let her win sometimes. What fun would it be for her if she didn’t? Then, I win. Then to add some obedience in the mix, I stop the game in mid play. As she tugs, I tell her to ‘stop’ and then ‘out’ or ‘drop it’. Once she lets go of the item, I tell her to ‘sit’, then I usually walk backwards from her and say ‘ready’, then I throw the item to her and we start playing again. I like that she is able to give up the tug item in mid play and acknowledge that I have control. I love watching her when she’s really into the game, it’s like a wave goes down her back as she puts her whole body into it. I can’t help but laugh. Although when she’s really into it, if she wasn’t trained to let go, I wouldn’t win.

None of the successes we’ve had have come easy. It’s probably the hardest and most mentally challenging work I’ve ever done. You can’t ask the dog why it’s doing something or why it won’t do something. You just have to figure it out and try, try, try. Sometimes the answer comes in the very first technique you try and other times it comes in the tenth technique. Have patience, it will come, but never give up.