The idea of being dragged across the room as your dog growls and tries to rip a rope from your hand may not sound like everyone's idea of fun (or safety!), but does that mean that tug games are always bad? I don't think so! I think tug games, as with most things, can be good or bad, depending on how you do it.
The risk
Vigorous games of tug can be risky to you, your dog, and your furniture! Risks include you being bitten or scratched, as well as your dog potentially damaging their teeth, and other physical injuries.
Another commonly feared risk is your dog becoming dominant over you, or starting to guard resources. However, this has not been found to be the case in research, in fact, dogs were found to be more obedient and attentive after tug play sessions, and winning or losing the tug session didn't affect the human-dog relationship or interactions (Rooney and Bradshaw, 2002).
If the toy does become extremely fun for your dog, and they have not been taught to appropriately drop and leave the toy for you to pick it up, then your dog could start to guard the toy or lunge at you as you try to pick the toy up, because they just don't want the fun to end. This is why rules are important for tug games!
How to teach structured tug play
First, we want to decide on our rules for tug, I would recommend something like this:
Rules of tug
You only take the toy when I invite you to
You release the toy when I ask you to
Keep your teeth off my skin!
Your dog isn't going to magically read your mind on how to follow the rules, so we need to teach them some skills.
If your dog is a reluctant tugger, then your first step is to get them tugging. There are many different strategies and you need to find what works for your dog, but some ideas include specially designed tugs with food compartments in them (or putting food in old socks can work just as well); keeping tug time really short so that they are left wanting more, and making sure you aren't waving the toy in their face, entice them from a distance so that they make the choice to engage; and try sheepskin or rabbit skin toys, e.g. Tug-E-Nuff (shown in the above photo). If this doesn't work, then you may need to train your dog to tug using shaping.
"Take it" cue
This cue will really help if your dog is a reluctant tugger, but is also essential if they are an over-zealous tugger! Your dog should not take the tug until you invite them to, and so a "take" cue is just as much taking as it is about not taking it until you've asked them to.
As with all training, there are lots of ways to teach this and some may work better than others for your dog. One method would be to find a toy that your dog will pick up (not too exciting but not too boring), and give it to them, but just before they take the toy, say "take it". Practice this and your dog should start to learn that when you say "take it", they take the toy. You can then try presenting a less exciting toy and say "take it". You can also implement "take it" into your play with your dog, so that you never give them a toy in their mouth without saying "take it" to strengthen this. You can then start to use "take it" with more fun toys, but do so gradually, as your dog may find it difficult to wait to be invited to take the toy.
"Drop it" cue
One way to teach drop it is to start by scattering a few high value treats (e.g. ham, liver or cheese) on the floor right by your dog when they have a lower value toy in their mouth, and towards the end of a play session so they aren't too hyped up. Repeat this so your dog consistently takes the treats and allows you to take the toy. Then say "drop it" before scattering the treats, until your dog starts to drop the toy and look to the floor. You can then wait until your dog drops the toy before giving a treat. In the end, the reward for the "drop it" cue could be "take it", and then a good play of tug!
Alternatively, you may need to bring the treat to the dogs mouth so that they drop the toy to take the treat. When they start dropping the toy as your hand goes towards the toy, start saying "drop it" before the hand approach. Repeat this and slowly reduce the amount your hand is moving, until you aren't using the hand at all and your dog will drop the toy when you use the cue word.
It is important that the "drop it" cue isn't only used at the end of games, as your dog may stop listening to you because then the cue means "play time over".
The benefits of structured tug play
Include learning self-control and the ability to cope with frustration. There are lots of times when our expectations aren't going to be met, maybe dinner is 15 minutes late, and instead of freaking out, it is important to stay calm and be able to cope with this. Structured tug can help your dog to develop self-control since they are taught that patience pays off, if they drop the toy when you ask, then they will be rewarded with more play.
Include teaching a "drop it" command, which can be transferred to emergency situations, such as if your dog picks up a packet of medications or a bar of chocolate.
Include developing a closer relationship with your dog by doing something fun together
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