May 17, 2011

What is the deal with the food tug, does the dog open the tug during the game to access the food?

Full Question:
Cindy,

What is the deal with the tug with food inside? Does the smell of the food make the tug more appealing? Is the dog supposed to open the tug during the game to get the food?

I assume the food can not pass through the leather like a permeable membrane/osmosis.

Thank you for the help,
Mark
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
These tugs are used to entice dogs who have high food drive, but little to no drive to tug. You stuff it with something the dog especially loves and then if the dog puts his mouth on it at all, you mark and reward the dog by opening the Velcro and giving him some of the food from inside. Basically, you teach the dog to tug to get a food reward.

I would probably not ever do this with a dog I wanted to do biting sports or real protection work with but I’ve seen it used with pet dogs and agility dogs with success.

No ratings yet
Was this Q&A helpful? Let us know!
Did you find this Q&A helpful?
Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
No ratings yet
Was this Q&A helpful? Let us know!

Did you find this Q&A helpful?

Recommended Products
Scroll to Top