Why Dogs Should Not Tug: The Truth Revealed #89
Shaped by Dog with Susan Garrett
DogsThat
4.8 • 679 Ratings
🗓️ 28 May 2021
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Visit us at shapedbydog.com
Tug of War, which is tugging with a dog using a toy, is one of the most basic and fun games we can play. Yet, some authorities will give a list of reasons why dogs should not tug. We're looking at those reasons, what dogs should not tug, and the five most common mistakes people make with tugging. For most dogs, not only is it okay to play tug, but it's also critically important.
In the episode you'll hear:
• Why some dogs should not be tugging.
• How tugging can help you avoid behavior problems with a puppy.
• The reasons given about why dogs should not play tug.
• How sporting dogs with a soft mouth can enjoy tugging and still retrieve.
• The connection made between growling and a dog being dominant.
• How to help dogs who are resource guarding.
• What you need to know about arousal, redirection, and boundaries.
• How tugging improves your relationship with your dog.
• Why dogs need to let go of the toy when you ask.
• About my number one rule when playing tug.
• The emergency stop to use if a dog makes contact with skin or clothing.
• How tugging creates clear communication between you and your dog.
• Why the arousal state of a dog when tugging helps with distractions.
• The reasons to make safety a priority.
• How to play tug so that you and your dog can have fun.
Resources:
• Learn how to play ItsYerChoice - https://recallers.com/iycsummit-join/
• Podcast Episode 46: Is Your Dog Trying to Dominate You and What You Can Do About It - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/46/
• Podcast Episode 88: Barrier Frustration: Help for Fence Fighting, Leash Reactivity and Window Guarding - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/88/
• Podcast Episode 18: 4 Puppy and Dog Training Games for Acquired Bite Inhibition - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/18/
• Podcast Episode 66: Resource Guarding: Dog vs Dog Aggression - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/66/
• Podcast Episode 82: Aggressive Puppy Biting Solved - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/82/
• Podcast Episode 55: Pro Dog Trainer's Guide to Toy Selection - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/55/
• Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/zBH2lKVxj58
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Tug of war, or a game of tug-of-war, or a game of tugging with a dog, |
| 0:14.1 | is one of the most basic games any person can play with a dog. |
| 0:18.8 | Yet some authorities will give you a list of reasons why they believe |
| 0:24.6 | dogs should not tug. Hi, I'm Susan Garrett. Welcome to Shape by Dog. Today, we're going to |
| 0:31.0 | examine that list of reasons. I'm going to share with you what dogs I believe should not tug. |
| 0:39.4 | And also, I'm going to give you the five most common mistakes people make when they're tugging. Plus, I'm going to tell you |
| 0:45.9 | why I think with most dogs, it's not only okay that you tug, but it's critically important |
| 0:53.2 | that you do tug. So let's jump right in and start with |
| 0:57.0 | those dogs that I don't think you should be tugging with. The most obvious are dogs that are |
| 1:01.7 | injured because tugging is a very physical game. It's very back and forth. And so if your dog's got a |
| 1:06.9 | pulled muscle or they're just not right or they're not feeling well, don't try or don't |
| 1:12.4 | ask them to tug because chances are they might just do it and they might make themselves feel a |
| 1:17.7 | little worse. Also, dogs that have had dental surgery recently, your veterinarian will probably tell |
| 1:23.9 | you, do not tug with this dog. Dogs that are teething like a puppy that's teething. |
| 1:29.1 | Some veterinarian, depending on how those teeth are coming in, will tell you not to tug. |
| 1:33.6 | If you do tug with a puppy that's teething, I would recommend you choose your toy very carefully, |
| 1:38.7 | something soft and squishy and only very, very quick and short sessions of tug. |
| 1:43.4 | Now, the final dog that I don't think you should |
| 1:45.4 | be tugging with is a dog with an unknown history with people. Maybe it's a brand new rescue dog. |
| 1:52.8 | You might not want to start off your very first encounter with, let's get into a game of tug, |
| 1:58.2 | or a dog that has a known history of unprovoked aggression towards |
| 2:03.4 | people. Those dogs, you absolutely should not be tugging. As a matter of fact, those dogs, |
... |
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