Tug o' war?
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Well Im going to just say what I think.I have a 3yr old collie,very sweet,laid back,loves all living things,BUT he loves a GOOD game of tug O war.I think it is fine to play tug O war w/ your fur buddy,as long as you have an actual toy.My sheepie and my collie play the game w/ each other all the time.As long as your pup isnt grabbing onto you,clothes,etc....I think it is fine,I know my boys love it.I usually let Jagger win it makes him feel all big I think..LOL!!  When i do win tho i usually grab it and throw it as far as i can.So IMHO it is an awesome game. |
I have always been worried about the same thing! I do prefer to play "fetch" with a toy than "tug"! My husband on the other hand loves to play "tug" probably more than the sheepies! 
I think that as long as you can teach them to "drop it" when you want, it is a great game! Murph doesn't like playing tug as much as fetch...but The Gooch has never grasped the concept of drop it!  I know that all my work with Gooch on getting him to drop toys has gone out the window considering my husbands love of tug!  MEN!
I also let The Gooch win...mostly because he is so strong, he could drag me around!  He never lets me win!  He also very rarely even initiates this game with ME...always with my husband! Greets him at the door with a toy in his mouth every evening in fact!  |
| Actually, I always learned that tug of war was fine as long as YOU ALWAYS WON. By allowing the dog to win you are establishing him as alpha. I have played tug of war with Tasker for years but when it's is time to stop I say drop it and he releases the object. If he does not release it I reach up under his jaw and gently pinch the corner of his mouth and his jaw releases.
I learned this in the obedience class where the instructor said tig of war was fine but that when the game was over you should always come out the victor or it could foster agression. We have alsways done it that way and never had a problem. My kids did that as well. I am sure there are those who have done it other wise and never had a problem. |
| Although my trainer insisted that one should never play tug, that it fostered aggression, I have to go along with everybody else on this. I have had nine dogs in my adulthood, (4 presently) played tug with all of them and have never had a problem.
Making them drop it is probably a good idea, but I don't even do that. Whoever gets tired of the game first quits and it is usually me. My two sheepies are so friendly and docile, it's ridiculous. |
I guess one big advantage to my way is that Tasker learned early and well the "drop it" command and now if he has something in his mouth from across the room it's easy to get him to drop it  |
| I think it depends on the dog.
We play tug of war with Mulligan all the time (never letting him win, EVER), but I would have NEVER played it with Jake, who was an agressive dominant dog. I wouldn't have wanted to put it in his mind that it was ever ok to challenge for dominance. |
| Up until recently, I was never able to play tug with Max due to the fact that it would drive him over the edge and make him way too crazy/aggressive. He is now starting to really calm down, and the trainer in his puppy classes believes this can be a great game to play with your dog as long as you win it. So I make sure I always win the tug o war with Max, and he really seems to love playing. He's also getting better at dropping or giving the ball when I play fetch with him. A lot of times I do have to "force" the ball out of his mouth, but it's never a big ordeal and I always get my way!! If Max does get over stimulated with these games I end it immediately, and most of the time I stop the game when it is ending on a positive note! Have fun with Gandalf :lol:
Sharon |
| Bailey will play fetch with the squeaky toys and drop them (I don't let anyone play tug with him). But the tennis balls - NO WAY! He's not giving up those tennis balls for anything. We throw it once, he goes to get it, and happily runs around the yard with ball in mouth like it's the best game ever. He's not allowed to bring it in the house though (he'll eat them if we give him enough time) so at the door he's faced with a choice - sit and drop the ball for a treat, or you don't come in. The treat always wins |
| I used to play tug o' war with Spike all the time before he went to training. I think honestly that it riles him up way too much for his own good. The trainer said not to play tug with him, and I agree. He just can't play a good game of it and act like a well-behaved dog when it's going on, also it might help to add that he's VERY dominant and at the high-end of the activity levels for an OES. If your dog is more subdued and subordinate, I have a feeling it isn't that bad to play a game of it once in a while. |
| Rainn and I play tug all the time. I have had vets and trainers with different opinions on tug, some say it creates aggression, others not. I don't have a problem with playing tug with Rainn. When I say "give" she will let go, step back, and sit until I give her the "play" command, no matter how excited she is. She seems to know its a game and will play by the rules. However, any game of fetch just turns into chase.
-Nicole |
| I guess the bottem line is it depends on the dog. Just like kids no one answer is right for all dogs. I had an interesting experience with Ty, my maltese this morning. I have never played tug of war with him, primarily because at less than 5 lbs there didn't seem to be much point in it. This morning I was getting ready for work and he started to tug on the corner of my bathrobe in his own "tug of war". I pretty much ignored him while I was doing the "fix the hair and face" routine. He went to town, tugging and growling and working himself in a frenzy. Of course he got nowhere pulling agianst my weight in the bathrobe. When I was ready to get dressed I reached down to pick him up to leave the room and he lashed out and actually bit my hand, breaking the skin.
Ty has NEVER bitten, growled or shown the slightest bit of aggression toward me or anyone else. Somehow in playing his own tug ofw war game he worked himself up into such a frenzy and state of aggression that when I reached down to pick him up he bit me. Tug of war is definately not a game that I'll be playing with him again!!!! So I suspect the answer definately depends on the dogs personality and not even on their training. |
| Some of these replies had me laughing. I could see this big sheepie chasing a little tennis ball and NEVER giving it up!!hehe!!I agree w/ the "drop it" it command,I have always used that w/ anything i do w/ my boys.When i said I let Jagger when,I didnt mean all the time.With his bum front leg digging into the ground trying too get a grip on the rope tugging w/ all his might I give in sometimes,I want him too feel like a big man still .Both my big boys Mickey and Jagger are both really gentle mannered,maybe if they were agressive a bit maybe Id be the winner all the time.Sounds like a good idea tho,if your buddy is agressive i can see where youd want him to keep inline even w/ play. |
| Do you get any sound coming from your sheepies when you play tug-o-war? |
Quote: Do you get any sound coming from your sheepies when you play tug-o-war?
Yes! Murphy is very vocal, The Gooch is usually very quiet...but sometimes he will do a little "grunt, grunt" my husband is the loudest of all the boys! Maybe I need to teach Grant to drop it! |
| Tasker sounds a bit like a dying cow uttering his last.......... he's always been a very vocal pup |
Sir Gucci's Mom wrote: Quote: Do you get any sound coming from your sheepies when you play tug-o-war? Yes! Murphy is very vocal, The Gooch is usually very quiet...but sometimes he will do a little "grunt, grunt" my husband is the loudest of all the boys! Maybe I need to teach Grant to drop it! LOLOLOLOLOL |
| LMAO!!! Mickey is more of the fetch kind of guy,BUT Jagger is the tug O war kid.He makes growling noises.Like he wants too rip whoever is playing w/ their arms right off!!LOL!! When I win I throw it,it almost sounds like he is pouting!!LOL!Gotta love our fur friends!!hehe! |
| Panda loves tug of war....growls and shakes her head with the rope in her mouth...and has a hard time dropping the rope or ball...I just refuse to play when she wont drop the rope..her favorite thing is to hold the rope in her mouth first and then pick up the tennis ball and hold that too, then kcik the soccer ball around...its like she wants to play with every toy at once...
As for the robe thing, Panda has just figured that out too...On Sunday, while I was carrying a cup of coffee to the sofa, she latched on to my belt and thought it would be fun to play "PULL MOMMY", well needless to say, coffee went all over....sigh... |
| It's good to hear that my sheepies are not the only ones that growl when they play tug-o-war. When I play with them or they play together, I hear a soft growl that sounds like they want to destroy whatever they are pulling, but it's very different than the warning or agressive growl. Whenever the growling starts getting higher in volume or changes the tone when they play together (They never do it at me), I stop them right there and send them to their beds for time out, and of course, I never let them win... but it's not easy when both work as a team against me! |
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