How to Teach Your Dog to Play Tug-of-War

You can train a reluctant dog to enjoy tug-of-war.

Tug-of-war is a great game to play with most dogs. It helps meet your dog's need to pull and shake things with her mouth that is still ingrained in her from her ancestors' hunting days. It helps keep her mentally and physically stimulated and decreases the incidence of negative behaviors that can occur when dogs are bored.

There are some situations when you should not play tug-of-war with your dog. You can read detailed information about which dogs should and should not play tug as well as the rules that should always be enforced while playing here.

Many dogs innately understand how to play tug-of-war, and just a small amount of encouragement to take a tug toy into their mouth, then some gentle tugging on the other end from you will serve to begin a rousing game. However, there are some dogs that don't immediately understand the game or that are a bit timid about playing it.

Steps to Take before Beginning Training for Tug-of-War

If you've decided that tug-of-war would be a good game to play with your dog, but she doesn't immediately know how to play, you can teach her. Before you start, there some things to consider:

How to Teach Your Dog to Play Tug-of-War

Once you've chosen a toy and established the rules of the game, follow the steps below to teach your dog how to play tug-of-war:

  1. Dab a small amount of peanut butter on the end of the tug-of-war toy and let your dog lick it off.
  2. Repeat the peanut butter step until your dog acts comfortable licking at the peanut butter and starts chewing at the toy a little bit.
  3. When you see your dog nibble at the toy, grab the other end and wiggle it just a tiny bit.
  4. Repeat these steps, gradually working up to being able to tug at the toy a little without your dog immediately dropping it and backing away.
  5. Slowly work up to a game of tug-of-war.
  6. Always use the same verbal cue, such as "Get it" when you want your dog to grab and tug on the toy. That way, she will always know when it is OK to play the game.

You may not need to use the peanut butter to get your dog interested in the tug toy. Simply holding it and encouraging her to grab it may work by itself, but the peanut butter trick helps a very reluctant dog learn to grab the toy. Depending on what it is made from, you may also soak the tug toy in chicken stock to avoid needing to reapply peanut butter constantly.

How to Teach Your Dog to Drop the Tug Toy on Command

Do not yell at, hit, or otherwise intimidate your dog while teaching her to drop the tug toy. Your dog does not deserve this simply because she doesn't understand what you want, and it will lead to stress and negative behaviors.

Whichever method you choose, practice the release cue every few minutes while playing tug-of-war. Making sure that you immediately initiate a new game lets your dog know that dropping the toy will usually lead to her getting to play some more. If she does not have that reward, she may start to worry that dropping the toy will always lead to the end of the game. Also, give a short verbal affirmation that she's done what you want at every step, like "Yes" or "Yay."

Follow these easy steps, and you and your dog will be able to enjoy many fun games of tug-of-war.


References

  1. Miller, P. (2008, September). Tug O' War Is a Fun Game To Play With Your Dog. Retrieved from The Whole Dog Journal: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/11_9/features/Fun-Games-To-Play-With-Your-Dog_16059-1.html
  2. Teaching Your Dog to Play Tug-of-War. (n.d.). Retrieved from ASPCA.org: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/teaching-your-dog-play-tug-war

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