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tug-of-war = bad?

Discussion in 'Sports & Activities' started by pitbull_24, Nov 17, 2009.

  1. SilentDobe

    SilentDobe Big Dog

    Um, for one, stop using the "dominant" word. I hate that word used for humans. It should be control, remain in control of your dog.

    For my Schutzhund/Ring obedience, I use a tug as a reward. He gets to play when he is good. Don't pull the bulldog crap on me, I have trained several bulldogs and am. bulldogs, in this manner. As far as releasing, you are asking to get bit by accident by prying the mouth open...it is going to suck for several sessions/tries, but you must wait your dog out...meaning, lock up, sit down with tug still in both hands (to immobilize it) and don't give him the satisfaction of playing with it. Even a springpole has resistance and give to be similar to a human playing. It's hard to explain, perhaps I will put a video up? Think Ivan Balavonov method.
     
  2. Dream Pits

    Dream Pits CH Dog

    lmao, thats funny!

    Yeah thats the challenge with this breed and thats what makes them. However, you will not always have a treat handy and if you train dogs with treats then thats the only way they are gonna perform for you. Aside from their drive and gameness, they also have a very high will to please. I I think i will post a video of me telling one of mine to drop it when she is really into her tug rope. She doesnt drop it right away and she nips at it as she releases, SHE doesnt want to let go but SHE would rather please ME then disobey and disappoint me. I use treats when i first am teaching them the trick. Once they have a understanding they rarely get treats for it again. Im not saying your methods are wrong, im just saying what has worked very well for me with this breed for a long time... when i say a long time remember im only 23 lol
     
  3. Dream Pits

    Dream Pits CH Dog

    i have, no many apbts but i have met alot of stupid @$$ dogs. mostly those miniature ones. those little lap dogs that bite everyone and dont listen to their owners.
     
  4. Inter-tel

    Inter-tel Big Dog

    i dont do any hand held tug of war. Dont want to associate jerky hand movements and a bite reflex. nor do i do any kind of springpole work,dont wanna jerk a tooth, break a bone, and other reasons.
     
  5. apbtk9

    apbtk9 Pup

    For those that say playing tug and springpole is bad, and is teaching the dog to be mean, i think of it this way.

    A properly trained dog is similiar to a child learning a self defense like karate. Teaching the dog the "out" command keeps it disciplined.

    They are both learning to be physical, yet with the proper discipline they dont go out and beat everything up.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 5, 2010
  6. BringBackup

    BringBackup Top Dog

    I doubt anyone here knows Ivan Balavonov lol

    My pup is still on food rewards but as we progress in his obedience and bite training, we are going to move onto the tug as his reward. His new discovery is tennis balls, and they are wonderful for exercising. This might help the OP when it comes to tug-o-war a bit, but I have taught my pup how to play "two ball" and this can be done with a tug as well. I have two tennis balls out, and throw one for him. He naturally retrieves and brings it back to me, but he doesn't want to let go of it. So I show him the other ball. I make it look interesting and fun, encouraging him want to chase it. He gets so worked up about wanting the new ball, that inevitably he will drop the one in his mouth. The moment he opens his mouth and spits it out I say "OUT", mark the command "YES" and throw the ball. It only took him probably ten minutes to figure out the command "OUT" just meant the game was starting over again, the reward being me throwing the ball. You can make teaching your dog a release command fairly simple with games such as ball or tug, and this is by far the simplest and most clear to the dog method I've ever used.
     
  7. mntman2003

    mntman2003 CH Dog

    I know of Ivan and Ed Farley says it great to play tug with dogs as lots of the best trainers in the world do.
     
  8. mntman2003

    mntman2003 CH Dog

    http://leerburg.com/221.htm check this out. I have all my dogs trained so that they let go when I say off when playing tug. I use the tug rope as a bribe to get them to do stuff like training sit or down etc.
     
  9. mydawgs

    mydawgs CH Dog


    You beat me to it...I know of Ivan as well and Ed Frawley knows his stuff!!! I like tug, I used tug to train the "out"...my gurl will hang on like her life depended on it....LUVs the game....I hold her up off her feet and she just dangles...then I "out" and she drops like a rock and starts waggin her tail like...."ok lets do it again!!!!"
     
  10. venom

    venom Top Dog

    I guess it depends on the dog. my dogs think tug a war is a game... just a game. They will pick up the rope randomly and bring it to me so i can pull it... not so they can just rip it from me. They like to play, and it was no training involved... they are just good natured with people.

    Now, two dogs playing tug a war is another story... especially with pits. I had two dogs that grew up together from pups get in a tug a war with a rag lol soon as that rag ripped they hit eachother and wouldnt let go.
     
  11. BringBackup

    BringBackup Top Dog

    That DVD is Michael Ellis and his methods, not Ivan. I'm going to be buying the DVD pretty soon, as my pup is almost ready to begin learning the game of tug. I just finished Michael Ellis' DVD titled "The Power of Training Dogs With Food".

    Ed Frawley writes some interesting articles, but if you ask me he is simply banking on the genius of Michael Ellis! Now that is a dog trainer. Frawley is just a guy with a camcorder...
     
  12. cutt

    cutt CH Dog

    Why not just do what Cesar Milan does to make the the "dogs " release on command...


    Ok ..here we go..

    Chhhhhhhhhhhttttttttttttttttttttt (followed by a point and stare)
     
  13. BEHAVIN

    BEHAVIN Top Dog

    ARE YOU FARK'N KIDDING ME:eek:lol...
    oh well, nothing suprises me these days:rolleyes:
     
  14. mntman2003

    mntman2003 CH Dog

    Mike Ellis has some good DVDs I got training with the power of food and may be going to his school in Aug.
     
  15. Cinjent

    Cinjent Pup

    nah, the problem isn't the little nippy dogs are dumb; the consideration you gotta make is WHO are the people that get those little dogs and what do they get them for? a friend of mine got a "dumb" little chuaua and i gotta say i never liked them dogs; but, being me, i began trainin her and workin with her a little and she took to what i wanted real quick. now she's only a dumb nippy little thing to Everyone else haha.
     
  16. Leslie H

    Leslie H Big Dog

    I'm jealous. I've seen some of his videos, and a friend brought his staffy bull to a seminar. He said it was excellent. Too steep for my wallet.
     
  17. m&m629

    m&m629 Pup

    i have a pit bull & a min pin they both have looooooved tug o war since they were lil pups and neither one of them have aggression issuse or get teritorial when you try to grab it from them they will actually play together lol i can literally kiss my pit on the nose & pull on the rope at the same time and he just wags his tail lol i think as long as they know youre the leader of the pack its all good
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 24, 2010
  18. RJT1

    RJT1 Pup

    Tug-of-war is me and Tank's favorite game. 10 minutes of this and he's tuckered out. It's good exercise for me too, beats driving to a gym, parking a car, and running on a treadmill. The insanity of modern life.

    To watch it without knowing the dog, one would think he was seriously angry with all of the growling and barking. But one of things that has stuck with me from the reading that I've done is that PB's don't "posture" if it's serious. The "snap" attack was probably bred into them, along with the friendly-ness to humans and the lethal aggressive-ness towards their own species. Sound right?

    I use an old t-shirt with a knot in it. I'm trying to get something soft that will engage many of his teeth so as not to overstress a few teeth and possibly injure him.

    I pull high, low, and sometimes even let him hang. I'm very careful, to make the movements fluid and natural to avoid having him injured.

    Every now and again, I let him have the shirt. He shakes ferociously and them brings it up to me and growls to let me know that he wants more.

    The game ALWAYS ends with him giving the shirt to me. If he doesn't listen to the the command, I grab him by the collar, command a "sit", and then a "lay down". I pat him or give a treat and then return the shirt to his toy bin (with him watching). I'm guessing this reinforces the game aspect of it, and also reinforces that I'm in charge.

    I make him get a drink and cool off, and then we're BOTH happy and tired.

    It's these little things that make living with a pit such a joy. He really makes me appreciate living in the moment and appreciating each day.

    Zen and the Art Pitbull Companionship!!!

    How do others do tug?

    RJ
     
  19. Nikita

    Nikita Big Dog

    It is fine the way you are doing Tug-a-war!
     
  20. GI Joe

    GI Joe Big Dog

    i have two pieces of hide on a rope with a spring in the middle and give it to two dogs while on their chains and watch the fun.try it.
     

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