Tug Toys

Tug of war in nature signifies a fight over a female, or ranking in a pack. When you play with tug toys – you may think he’s boosting his confidence but realistically its teaching him to challenge you for the role of caretaker and leader. When you lose tug of war it obviously gives the dog the sense that he is the winner and above you. However, just the fact that you’re fighting over something shows the dog that you’re not the clear leader, because you’re accepting the challenge to fight for “food” (i.e. the toy). Some misguided trainers will actually tell families to play tug of war as an activity – that would be the same as if a teacher at your child’s school told the child to go home and steal things and destroy things in his parents bedroom.

Tug of war and tugging in general allows the dog to feel empowered to perhaps steal other things and run off with them, assuming it then becomes a game and that he can initiate this at other times. When the dog believes it is allowed to make the rules of the house, it may steal the remote control, food, or paper towel off the floor and run away waiting for you to chase him. This is very common for behaviorists to have a client whose dog steals things and then runs all over the house. Tug of war teaches dogs just this behavior. Tug of war teaches the dog that it is ok to use his teeth near a human’s hand. Tug toys are just an extension of your hand. The concept should be clear to the dog that you own the house and everything in it, and that he / she may use anything and everything with your permission. Teach your dog to respect you, all humans and other animals. Clarity is key – dogs will not distinguish between a tug toy and a remote control. If its all about the game – they will not know the difference.