Dutch Shepherd Forum

Would like some training tip for training my pup to out from tug toy. Also Ive heard some people on other dog pages that say no tug.. My pup really loves it and it really keeps his mouth busy from tearing at rugs etc..lol Thanks

No tug???? Thats all Thalie was trained with. Hold the object, say out and hold it until they release it. As soon as they release it mark and reward.

Thanks for the help,Yes they were saying the tug causes aggressive tendencies.But he loves it so he getting it..lol

No offense to them, but they may have never had a DS. Depending on the dog's temperament, tugging is a great tool to teach self control and the out with. Michael Ellis has a really great tug DVD out I highly recommend you look into. Tugging does not cause a dog to be aggressive, or dominant, or controlling, or any of the commonly touted beliefs... but I will put a caveat with this statement: depends on the dog's temperament and training. If you teach your dog that biting you hand gets you to release the tug, he will bite your hand; if you teach him that not waiting until you give the okay is acceptable form of play, you will get a dog that will push, bounce, and mouth you to get said toy. If you have a dominant dog, they may get more pleasure out of holding the toy and winning, so will not want to re-engage the game or get possessive over the tug, but you pup is young, yes? So I wouldn't worry about this at this stage, if at all.

I will say, absolutely no tugging during teething until all the adult teeth are in and set.