How to play tug safely with a dog

The toy matters more than people think. The AKC's trainer recommends one with some length to it, made of a material that is easy on teeth and gums, so your hands stay well away from the dog's mouth. A fleece or rubber tug the length of your forearm, with a handle at your end, does the job; a short ball on a rope puts fingers in range. Keep the tug toy for tug only, stored out of reach between games, so it stays special and you decide when the game exists.

Then check the dog. Puppies and senior dogs get light resistance only, and a dog with an existing injury should not tug until the vet says so; a canine fitness trainer quoted by the AKC has seen tug injuries in dogs that were already hurt. Some dogs simply do not enjoy tug, and that is fine. Skip it with a dog that guards toys, stiffens when you reach for one or growls with a hard stare, and talk to a trainer first.

The fear about tug comes from old ideas about dominance, the notion that a dog that wins a tug game thinks it outranks you. A 2003 study by Rooney and Bradshaw filmed 50 dogs playing with their owners, then tested each pair for an hour. Tug and fetch went with higher scores for confident interaction with people, and winning or losing made no consistent difference. The AKC's article adds that letting your dog win builds rapport rather than a power grab.

What the same study did flag is who starts the game. Dogs that started most of the games were less amenable and more likely to show aggression in the tests, which fits the rule that you do the inviting. The impulse control comes from the structure: the dog waits for the start word, lets go on drop, stops when teeth slip, and settles afterward. Played that way, tug is the switch-on, switch-off exercise that excitable dogs need most.

Tug is one of the best rewards a trainer has, and it earns its place on Cape Ann. A long nor'easter weekend leaves a young dog with nowhere to run, and five short tug sessions in the kitchen use up energy without a single trip into the sleet. On off-season beach days, from October 1 on Gloucester's beaches at the time of writing, a tug toy on the long line makes a recall reward worth sprinting back for. Our leash-biting how-to puts the same toy to work on walks.

Call us if the dog will not let go, guards the toy, or nips hands often despite the oops rule. Polished Pup, the ten-week program, covers resource guarding and unpredictable high-arousal behavior, and Bright Beginnings builds impulse control from 4 months. Private sessions from $94 can set up tug as a reward for recall and loose-leash work. Gabriella Pope, our Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist, leads the team, and the training form gets a reply within the hour on business days.