Tug dog toys causing aggression????

[ShinyAndNew]

You know those tug of war toys you can get for dogs? Well I think my dog would love one. He likes to play tug with his ball, but obv, his ball being well round and ball like, his teeth are very close.

DH has forbade from buying me a tug rope or similar for him, because he believes that they cause aggression.

Now I am certain this is bollocks and probably a tip that came from the same person who told him you feed Staffies biscuits to fatten them up and that you shouldn't feed dogs red meat because it will give them a taste for blood and 'turn them'

I very nearly pee'd myself laughing when he told me that last little gem.

He won't believe me. But he will believe you knowledgeable people.

It's bollocks - you can quote me on that. Terrier types love ragging these toys.

Thank you Bella. Well Im off to town tomorrow anyway so will pick one up (as I would have done anyway and show him this.

LOAD OF CRAP.

If anything I would have thought it would help with aggression as your teaching them where to direct it.

Hmm - I've always avoided the tugging games with my dogs because I read somewhere (the Dog Whisperer?) that it isn't good for dogs to beat you at tugging games.

As we have two large labradors, I would certainly lose any tug of war, and end up with an overconfident labrador strutting around the garden looking smug.

What I do have is the football with rope pigtails attached, so the two dogs can play together. Not that this helps you, sorry, as I think you only have the one dog?

You're not meant to let the dog win.......our Irish Terrier loves them though

Sorry, should have mentioned. We don't have a SBT. I had one, but she was in an accident while I was on holiday over the summer

I have just got a Fox Terrier X. Not a pup. About two years old.

Already plays ball, but likes to try and 'tug' the ball off you instead of dropping it. He will place it in your hand, but not let go iyswim. As if trying to innitiate a tug game with the ball.

Funnily enough, we had a ball on a rope that DH used to play tug with with the SBT.

What Bella and LS said! (Though not disputing that SOME dogs can act as WRDM describes).

Maybe work on teaching the little fella to drop/give and THEN play tug with him when he knows the difference? That way you'll be sure he would let go of your visitors gloves on demand and he doesn't view them as a tug!

I must own up here though - I have 2 big dogs who love to play tug both with us and each other and aren't in the least aggressive about it. My 2 yo GSD hands any toy to me on command - I didn't teach him it, the cleverness is all his own and he's done this since he was very small. My Lab x however, whom I've owned for 6 years and is 10, will not give up a toy no matter what. He knows what I'm saying, I'm sure of that, he's just stubborn. He will however leave anything else upon command.

My boys pull us and each other across the house with a tug, making blood-curdling noises, but always in the most friendly of ways. Given that my Lab x CAN be stroppy with certain people owing to abuse in his former home I think that is a fair example of how tug can be a game which does not automatically create an aggressive dog.

So, your DH is mistaken imho (but that doesn't mean he's not just as lovely as you for rescuing Scruffs in the first place!).

The "old" school used to think that tugging would breed agression and certainly gun dogs types where encouraged to have a soft mouth and so no tugging. However I disagree.

Tuggy games are a great way to show the dog that you are fun and it is a game that you can control. As Valhala says it is excellent for teaching the leave it or give command. if the dog when excited can release and be calm an excellent lesson learnt.

I do loads of agility and the dogs that play tuggy are so easy to motivate so one of the first things I teach my puppies is how to play tuggy

We were advised against tugging toys with our mad jack russell, as she had superiority issues!
We were told that first we had to teach her to leave it on command, so we didn't have to prise it out of her mouth, as winning was making her more aggressive with us.
We're still working on the leave command - 10 years later
We have a labrador too, who was fine with tugging toys from the start, and she loved playing with them.

We got him one. He loves it. He seems to be able to distinguish between that and his ball and will drop his ball to be thrown again without having to be asked.

We are working on the leave it command. We stop tugging, but don't let go, and refuse to start p0laying again, untill he has left the tug rope. After which he gets loads of attention and the game resumes.

He hasn't shown any agression (except to the washing machine )

OP, good on ya. Tuggy games won't create a characteristic which wasn't there. As Bella and LS said, they provide an outlet for breeds which may otherwsie redirect the drive elsewhere or become frustrated.