# Tug



## Janine16 (Dec 10, 2008)

Hardy is 7 months old now and over the past couple of weeks has settled down loads, no more alligator nipping - hurrah! 

We have 4 children (ages 11 down to 4) so we have avoided tug type games in the past but now I would like to use a tug with him. When we go out for a walk he is not interested in any other toys - balls, flying squirrel, frisby etc, all of which he will play with in the back yard with us - when out on a walk he is a bit more interested in the tug when I throw it, he chases after it and occasionally will pick it up but tends to just leap on it. So how can I make the tug more interesting to him? Waving it around in front of his face will get him to lunge at it, if you let him get it he will not tug but will just let go again.

We have really avoided making him too excited up to now as he used to get very hyped up very easily, and still gets very hyped up when we play chase type games in the yard and then he starts jumping and grabbing at us. So I know he can get really excited about something, I would just rather it was the tug and not our sleeves.

I look forward to hearing how to do this, thanks in advance
Janine


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## Janine16 (Dec 10, 2008)

Hi

I know you are all very busy, especially around this time of year - Happy New Year to those of you already in 2009, we still have 8 and 1/2 hrs to go yet.

Any suggestions on how to make the tug more interesting would be great. As yet there is nothing that Hardy would die for, he isn't that food motivated and could take or leave his toys, he definitely wouldn't work for them. The only real spark of interest I have seen is with the tug, but its nothing to write home about. 

If no one else replies then I will have had a thread all to myself, will this be a record? :0)

Thanks


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## adas (Nov 22, 2008)

Aloha, I will respond so you are not alone on new years eve. Anyway Rasa will treat a tug with reciprocation. If I just throw it to her, she will drop it. If I get into it and tug back, do a "crocadile roll" with the inner tube and get aggressive she will fight back harder and harder.. (you will see it in her eyes, scary almost). she will do a fight to the "death" challenge. If she gets the inner tube when excited, she will swing it back and forth, almost knocking herself out. The more excited I get the more she gets into it. I also put things hanging from ropes that I come by and hit once in a while when she is there and if it bonks her, that is good for a ten minute fight at the swinging thing on her own!
frank


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Here's 2 of my favorite articles that have tips on how to get a motivating tugging dog:

http://www.clickerdogs.com/createamotivatingtoy.htm

http://www.beardieagilitydiehards.org/BADagility/foodsock.html

http://clickertraining.tv/product.html?item=FREE-28

http://www.thedogathlete.com/playing-with-prey-drive/

http://siriusdog.com/articles/prey-drive-schutzhund-promotion-winkler1.htm










Sorry you didn't get any responses, alot of time if you add a







to the next post, it pushes your question up to the top of the que (sp?) so we all see it again.


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## Janine16 (Dec 10, 2008)

Thank you MRL and Frank, I shall check out those links and give it a go. Happy New Year - we still have just under 3 hrs to go, but I may well be tucked up in bed by then :0)


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

*Any more tugging advice or suggestions?*


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

*Re: Any more tugging advice or suggestions?*

If you get your pup ramped up for this, he will be ramped up. (you mention you had been discouraging this) Be aware of that & don't turn it upside down by then discouraging his enthusiasm. (you are apt to get jumped on etc until he gets the hang of "go for the tug.")


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## Janine16 (Dec 10, 2008)

*Re: Any more tugging advice or suggestions?*

Thinking about what middleofknowhere said, thats fine him jumping on me but what if his teeth make contact with my skin? Is it OK to reprimand him then? 

We had some really difficult times up until about 5 weeks ago when we had to get the breeder who is also a trainer to help us out because he wouldn't keep his teeth off us or anyone else. He wasn't aggressive but would come up and nip when he wanted to play or even when just walking by, and whenever he didn't want to do what was asked of him. Turning your back on him and yelping just resulted in him jumping and biting us more, the more we ignored him the worse he got. He used to end up his is crate, then would do it again as soon as let out. 

We are really pleased that we have worked through this, at least people can visit our house now without being nipped and without Hardy spending lots of time in his crate. I really don't want him to get the idea that mouthing us again is OK, so was planning to just keep my hands out of the way. 

Any other suggestions would be great. Do you think maybe we should wait a bit longer before getting him mega excited about the tug? I really want him to have something he just loves to work for, coz at the moment I can see him just switch off because treats and toys just don't make the grade. Now if I spent the day shovelling snow from the back yard he would be mega motivated! LOL


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

*Re: Any more tugging advice or suggestions?*

My opinion -- Redirect, or stop the game - no reprimand for rowdiness that you instigated. 

In younger days, Barker the Younger could get enthusiastic and punch me in the eye with her nose. This wasn't desired behavior but her enthusiasm was so I never reprimanded her for that. There was also the time when we had been enthusiastically heeling & doing very well (late at night). I gleefully released her (still on lead) began running and called her to me. She came, I tripped over her and did a number in my fight with the pavement. Handler screw up, no reprimand to the dog... Nice shiner to the human, 'though.
My sense though is not to wait to long for the tug if he likes it. I just got busy and forgot about the dumbbell for a few months -- never did get Barker the Elder back to motivation on that. But keep the sessions short enough that the dog is not worn out -- you want to retain that enthusiasm. Remember, too, to let the dog win a good deal of the time.


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