Why Dogs Should Not Tug: The Truth Revealed #89

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I can back up your view on the hard mouthed gundog myth. My Labrador plays tug with me all the time but she can still carry a raw egg without splitting it. ❤️

Great information as usual! A tip for handlers with strong Tuggers - lock your elbows to your body or even your knee, to prevent stress on your own neck and shoulders. And with puppies, get down to their level to prevent that neck being bent up or back (the puppy's neck, that is!)

Phew! I was so worried when I saw the podcast title.....My pup loves her games of tuggies

Thank you Suzan! I've always been leery about playing tug with my girl because she's very high strung & I dint want it to turn into something more aggressive! Thank you for the tips! We will now play tug! She will be very pleased with the change! 😊

Thanks for that I had stopped tugging with my dog because he was always trying to catch my hands or close to my hands and a few time I fell his teeth 🦷 on a finger of my wrist, so I had simply just stopped. The thing I was doing without knowing, is the few times that incident happened I had stopped the game and put the toy away. Thank you for that. Another well explain podcast

We do have a dog who will bring us a toy and want to start a play. A tug or a ball to toss. What I’ve noticed is that he does this because he needs stimulation, attention, exercise. Because he does this on days when he got a short walk or we are tired after work. Now that I’m consistent with his walks and adding training breaks through the day he’s like nah, I’m tired, go watch tv and let me rest. lol.

Our hunting GSPs refused to tug. As soon as there was pressure they'd release the toy so we played fetch with them instead. I saw no reason to bother training them to tug when it was in such opposition to their natural instincts. My miniature poodle however loved to tug and still had a very soft mouth. 🙂 He learned tug first so perhaps that's why.🤔

Hello there, in this episode you talk about stopping the game of tug when the dogs mouth touches you or your clothing and I was wondering in what way do you stop? i.e. Do you take the toy away? Do you give the dog their "out" cue? Do you just let the toy go and go quiet? Also, how long do you cease play for? Thank you for all your wonderful information and knowledge!

I had a collie springer cross and she loved to tug. One day I found her carrying a baby rabbit really gently in her mouth. She let me take the little rabbit and I let it go. It hopped away happily back to where it came from. That dog could tug really hard.

One of the dogs I walk with is a big tugger. He loves tugging his rope leash. He's got a release cue, Enough. He's the best at tug.

Very well explained. Thank you so much!

Tug of war is a great game it helps build they neck back up plus it help them bound with you

Love this, I have used tug for training for a long time now, and learned something new from this. Thank you for all your training tips and videos.

Awesome video as usual. Was tugging with my younger Dobe (2.5 yrs old now) to try to build up his confidence but for whatever reason he flat out refuses now. I do have to admit I believe I instilled rules too quickly because was unsure what to do when the growling escalates - really kind of scary on a 100lb dog. So what, other than the release the object cue, could I have done or used to make him still want to still play tug with Mom? One of our students has a 62lb 4 month old Great Dane that does it with his leash too. Have done the redirect, suggested having 2 leashes - one that's his and the one you're walking him on, big stuffed fluffy toy to occupy his mouth, maybe a chain leash, and/or using the tug on the leash as a reward, but that can be a bit tricky at times.

haha we have a hard biting GSDxDutchie cross that we play tug with daily. He has only ever bit me harder by accident or because he missed the tug.... But when he intentionally bites it is always a super soft mouth bite... Also helps owners teach an out and drop it

I just love your videos they so helpful and you are such a crack up! Xxx

That was great! There is a part of the game that you do not mention: if we are playing to simulate a predatory sequence, I think that for the complete sequence, there has to be a moment when the dog wins and may run away with the prey. Sure this can't be done anywhere, but in a safe area, the experience is much more complete! That's why we need a second identical toy, in case the dog doesn't come back to ask and play again. Is there any reason why you do not mention this?

Can’t wait to try these when I get my puppy next week! Been doing a whole lotta youtube/podcast binging😊

Liked as soon as I heard what you said at 5:06! Even the man that wrote and came out with the dominance theory stated that he was wrong, and his study was flawed. Love your videos!