Tug-of-war is good game for teaching the dog to switch between Crazy Dog mode and Thinking Dog mode (Limbic and Cerebral). Contrary to popular myths, tug does not cause aggression in dogs. If you are afraid your dog will bite you, do not play tug - see a trainer, instead! But almost all dogs will growl during tug and don’t mean it as a threat. I do suggest rules for tug with dogs, though.Spend some time tugging with your dog, following the rules below, then do some sit/down/stay exercises, then back to tug. Tug is also a great game for teaching dogs to control their teeth. Tug should be played with the dog controlling how much tugging is going on. Don’t break those little puppy teeth by lifting him up, and never tug up and down (only side to side). Don’t give your dog whiplash by moving the tug toy around too much!  Let the dog do most of the tugging.Rules for Playing Tug-of-War with Dogs:
- The toy is yours. Not all toys, and certainly not socks, are tug toys. Have one or two special tug toys. They stay on a shelf or in a cupboard, not on the floor.
- Tug starts on cue. The dog should not dive at the toy whenever she sees it. The tug game doesn’t start until you say it starts. I use “Kill the Rope!”
- Dog gives on cue. When you say “Give,” the dog should drop the toy. Teach Give using positive reinforcement methods.
- Dog Teeth on human skin end the game. If there are any dog teeth on human skin, accident or no, end the game. Just drop the toy and walk away. This doesn’t work if your dog then spends 5 minutes tossing the toy about and gloating about his prize. But most dogs find the tug toy rather boring if you’re not attached to it.Â
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December 21st, 2007 at 11:11 am
How is it you get them to drop it on command?
December 21st, 2007 at 3:06 pm
You can use whatever cue you want to for this, but some suggestions are “give,” “drop it,” or “out.” One way to get them to drop is to hold the toy close to your body, say “drop it” and just wait. When the dog lets go, click and treat or say “yes” and treat. The treat part can be a food item or it can be that you give the toy back for tugging. In that case, it would look like, “drop it,” (wait), “yes,” “tug!”
You can also use food to teach the drop. I do both this and the above method, at different times. If it’s a stolen object, this is usually the method I use. If it’s tug, I’m more likely to use the method above, unless the dog is very strong.
At first, you are basically bribing your dog. But you gradually transition to him expecting a treat when you ask him to give, so that the toy or human item falls out of his mouth. At that point, you can start rewarding only some of the time, more like a
slot machine than a coke machine. Let’s say he has a Kong in his mouth.
First put the food right next to his mouth and ask him to Give. When he drops the Kong, click and toss the treat, so you have time to pick up the Kong. After he knows the Leave It cue, you can use it to keep him from going after the Kong once he drops
it. If his teeth touch you at any time, the Kong should disappear and he should find himself alone in the room.
Next, hide the treat behind your back or on a shelf, ask him to Give, then present it within a second, clicking and tossing the treat when he drops the Kong. Do this a LOT, Work up to two or three seconds between the cue and the food appearing. Repeat several times, stay at this level for several sessions, consistently giving him food for dropping the Kong, until he starts dropping it after you say Give, but before you present the food. The first few times he does that, give him a Jackpot and make a big fuss.
After that, treat him for the times when he drops the toy on cue (without the “bribe”). On the other times, use the treat to open his mouth but do not give him the treat; tossing the Kong is enough.
See also: “Teaching Your Dog to Fetch“, which teaches yet another way to get dogs to drop toys, etc.