I am hesitant to develop my dog's tugging skills because her mouth bleeds when we tug. Is this common? Is it something I should go to the vet about?

A little bleeding sometimes is not unusual but your dog may have unhealthy or irritated gums (gingivitis).

This can be due to a few different things, diet, genetics, age, condition of the teeth, etc…

Sometimes the dog just needs to work through it and with time the gums will toughen up, kind of like if you are not used to flossing your teeth the gums may bleed until you are acclimated to it. If it’s not excessive and it’s not bothering her, I’d continue working with her and see if it doesn’t resolve itself.

If you don’t have the video The Power of Playing Tug with your Dog, I’d recommend it. I’m traveling right now so I can’t access our database to see if you have already purchased this video.

I hope this helps,
Cindy Rhodes