I have 2 dogs Kaiser and Helga with whom I try to play tug. I just started a few weeks back because they were teething. Kaiser was done teething a month or two agao and Helga probably a month ago (Dob kaiser 5-march-2010 and helga 22-April-2010).

Helga seems to be a natural. She hits both the tug and the food with a lot of enthusiasm. I am no expert, but she seems to have a very firm grip and once she latches on she seldom lets go.


With kaiser, it is a different story. he does not hit the food or the tug with enthusiasm. But he loves his tennis ball. I live in a city where there are no public parks/dog parks or open spaces to train. I have my terrace (2100 sqft), my garden (it has veggies and I cant quite play rough there ) and the streets.
I throw the ball in the terrace and he loves it. But I need some thing for him while in the streets. He will play tug with me on the terrace but only half heartedly. If helga is playing tug with me , he will come and mouth helga and get her off the tug (weird behaviour???!!)

When I play tug or ball on a string with him, he will chase it and jump up but will do some weird stuff with his legs. As if he is trying to bring down the tug with his legs. If I Put the ball on a string, he will not ccatch the ball but he will get the string. Even then he is not as enthusiastic about playing tug. If I have the tug or the ball on a string real low to the ground and run away from him like a moving ball, he will chase it and grab it but once it stops moving away from him, he will loose interest.

I know it depends on genetics etc, but I would be extremely grateful if you can give me some tips on how to teach a dog to play tug. I already have the Ellis DVD on power of playing tug. I did not see anything there that shows how to make my dog tug enthusiastically.

Kindly help. What mistakes am I making during presentation of the tug?

Here is a video of kaiser doing his thing with his legs and helga doing her thing with her teeth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOy2utfIjIQ

Hey Ram, some dogs just prefer the ball to tugging. There may be a lot of different reasons why, but sometimes thats just the way it is. One thing I think with Kaiser is that it looks like you work on control quite a bit and he doesnt have the drive to go from control to play like your looking for.

How about forgetting the tight ob for a while and just playing, see if you can increase his desire to play with you. Try throwing the tug for him and see if chasing it makes him want it more, and then a lot of encouragement to come to you with it for just a little tug. See if that gives you something to build on.

steve strom> Thanks for the tip. I will try to do obedience and play seperately for a few weeks and see if that works. If I throw the tug he will look at it till it is moving but stop and look else where once it stops. He loves his tennis ball . I was wondering if I can make a tug out of tennis balls


Anyway, do you find it weird that he uses his legs so much , like boxers are supposed to do. It almost reminds me of how deer attack other animals.


Also do you find helga OK with the way she plays. I am a novice and any input will be much appreciated.
Ram

No, some dogs use their feet. I don't remember any exact reason why. It can effect their grip though. If he had more drive for it, you may want to work on not letting him get it when he comes feet first, but for right now you may be better off just trying to build what drive he has without giving him something to be worried about. You can poke a hole through a tennis ball for a rope, it won't last a real long time because the ball will usually split.

I just recently started using the tug IN the training. I used only food and praise at first and the tug was a toy for play time. At first she looked a lot like that, only half heartedly grabbing the tug and she was very unsure. I would separate the two, tug play/ OB, until he gets the hang of it. When did he first get introduced to the tug?
Sometimes I wish my dog was that calm... What a blessing that would be

You say that he loses interest in the tug once it stops moving. You could probably use his prey drive to continue interest in the tug, by keeping it moving instead of letting it just lay there. I would try to tie a rope or string to the handle of the tug and keep it moving. Some people tie the other end of the rope to a pole, either way movement is what keeps him engaged in the activity. If it just laying still on the ground, you can jerk the line to cause sudden movement (like prey) of the tug and regain his attention. This "game" may help him to become more interested in the tug. Also, some dogs just like the mouth feel of a tennis ball. So, if you can find a tug with a similar texture to a tennis ball it might help. I had one long ago, but the name eludes me. In any case(in my experience), he must begin to like the tug in order to use it as effective teaching tool.

What about getting a ball on a string? Make sure it's a straight rope and not one with a handle or knot in it because it's easy for paws and toes to get caught. I've seen a lot of work using balls on rope as another type of tug. Keep it moving like Mary says, throw it when you want, and you hold the rope and he the ball and you tug.

eta. They sell rubber balls on rope at certain working dog shops and online. But do make sure you get the right size, since they can be a choking hazard if too small.

Guys! Thanks so much for your inputs.

Well , I tried all the things suggested to me and finally some thing worked.
1) I tried playing tug with helga while I had Kaiser tied up. Kaiser just went to sleep
2) I tried playing tug with helga while I teased him with a tennis ball. he was curious but not motivated
3) I tried playing ball with helga while he was tied up and he was very eager
4) I tried playing an other rubber hand tug with helga while he was tied. Again not much of a reaction.
5) Finally I tied them up both and played just with kaiser with a tiger fluff toy on a string. That got him going.

I am extremely grateful for your inputs. Please look at the video I have attached and comment on the things I am doing wrong. You can quote the minute and second in the video and tell me what I am doing wrong. It is pretty boring except for the last part . Am I fighting him too long? Not letting him get it enough? Toy too high? etc



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOXn1Qpyvj8

Don't hide the toy behind your back? It's like stealing it.

what should i be doing if i want to keep it away?