tug of war , bad or good, 12weeks

**d&chloe.** · 10-13-2011, 09:56 PM

Chloe, also 12 weeks, seems like she has a very short attention span. she will play tug of war and then all the sudden start biting me. i replace my hand with a bone or toy but she isn't satisfied with that for long. i don't want to associate the crate with bad behavior but at this point i don't know what else to do. i always blame it on her being a puppy, i hope i am not ignoring aggressive behavior. any suggestions?

**hbeam** · 10-13-2011, 10:39 PM

use the crate if you need a break, but not as punishment...thats what i did with my puppy and she is 6 months now. all i have to say is go night night and she goes right to it and goes in and lays down. i always made it a positive thing to go into it. even if at times she was a handful, and i just needed a few minutes to myself, i would distract her from her behavior, and excitedly say its night night time...that way she never associated it from a bad thing or a punishment, dont know if it will help you, but worked for me..

**BauersMom** · 10-13-2011, 10:56 PM

Bauer loves a good game of tug, but pathetically I think he feels bad when he wins. He usually wins, but sometimes he looks at me like: I'm going to let you win because you are a pathetic competitor. We have played since he was about 6 months old, and at 3.5 years old he is about as far from aggressive as a dog can get.

**tammyhuffman** · 10-14-2011, 09:05 AM

Puppies at 12 weeks are not going to have a long attention span, lol. Maxx does exactly what you describe and I often feel like a circus clown trying to distract and entertain him. Because I can not yet walk him off of my own property, (only on 2nd set of shots), we spend a lot of time walking in the yard and playing fetch in the yard. I roll the ball and he brings it back. While walking him in the yard I feel like all I do is ask Maxx to give me what he just put in his mouth, he picks up every leaf, every clump of grass, every stick, etc. I seems like I spend more time bending over and swiping his mouth than actually walking but at least he has learned to give me what is in his mouth so I should not be complaining. Worry not, they stay little for so short a period of time. I do not think your puppy is a bully in any way, I think what you are describing is normal puppy behavior but I would do all I could to stop her from biting you. They need a lot of attention and play time when they are awake.
Maxx begins Puppy Kindergarten tomorrow, have you enrolled Chloe in any classes? A good trainer will help you address any behavior issues you might be having and also be able to tell you what is normal. I also use the crate for a time out if needed but always make it a positive experience. I use a special treat and his favorite Nylabone and going in the crate for time out is the only time he gets these 2 things. He is always supervised in the crate with these items, I wouldn't put them in there and just leave the room.
Good luck with Chloe and working on this, I have no doubt you will do fine!

**kaytris** · 10-14-2011, 11:30 PM

nothing wrong with playing tug, but if puppy is teething, keep games short and use a soft tug-toy. If teeth touch skin, end the game immediately.

Tug is actually a great game for teaching self control, and how to calm down quickly after arousal.

**kassabella** · 10-15-2011, 01:33 AM

I do as Nancy suggested. As soon as Erns gets over excited and grabs my hand by mistake I stop the game. Loud voice..ouch... then no play, turn and walk away. When I got him he was very rough and I didn't let anyone play rough games as he couldn't stop. He is great now. I was told to let them win sometimes for their self esteem. (can't think of the right word when talking about a dog)

A trainer told me often they become over stimulated, so put them in the crate for a rest. It worked for Kassa as a pup and Erns. I don't use it as time out. It is his good place and he takes himself off there often. The laundry is the time out place and he knows if I say laundry his ears go up, gets that...oh man am I in trouble look, then walks into the laundry, turns and walks out.lol. Enough to distract him.

**Packer Lakerfan4** · 10-17-2011, 04:53 PM

I would not play tug-of-war with a dog, let me re-phrase that...with a Lab. I play tug with my german shepherds all the time but they are working dogs and thrive on those kinds of game to keep their drive up for Schtzhund. My lab will be a waterfowl dog...Playing tug will just promote BAD habbits later with her, But if your pup is just a pet then Play as much as you want

**Baloo317** · 10-18-2011, 08:07 AM

I have always been a big proponent of the tug game. Still am, but now having a bully/terrier I can see where it can go bad, lol. Monster can get "high" on tug if I let him, basically he can get obsessive about it and just fry his little brain he's soo excited and worked up.

I have to watch him playing tug with other (stranger/aquaintance) dogs because he Will. Not. give in to any dog, regardless of size or matched intensity, he will just get higher and higher. He plays just fine with Baloo and Rude, Peanut doesn't play because she ends up being tossed around like a minpin slingshot and she doesn't like that so much.

I have never had Baloo cross that threshold and he will growl in tug play and its all good. But my point is that you have to know and be able to read your dog. Monster is incredibly high drive, I would say Baloo has moderate drive (basically the intensity they put into activities, etc) so I don't worry about him with that game at all.

**Ninatheyellowlab** · 12-10-2011, 12:24 AM

We do it too, and Nina loves it! Specially when we drag her around hehe she gets a free belly rub on the hardwood floor, and she get super excited and often tires after 5 minutes. She prefers chasing the soccer ball or the ice cubes lol

Just keep an eye if the agressive behavior is towards you and it starts getting out of hand, don't do it.

**3TailsWaggin** · 12-14-2011, 12:07 AM

Tugging is a great tool to use to motivate your dog, but you must control the game. You need to teach your dog to give you the tuggy when you end the game. You can do this by offering a "trade" for food or another toy. Once your puppy understands the game, use tugging as a motivational tool to keep your puppy excited when you are training.

Here is a short video of my border collie puppy (he's 4.5 months old here) and you can see I do a lot of tugging with him. The most important thing is to bond with your puppy, play, have fun, and learn

Ferrari learning obedience - YouTube