How to Play Tug

I watched this video last night and this has been a real eye-opener for me. Most of the time, I wouldn't let Blue win. I would play tug with him, tell him to drop, and then I would have him do another command. He never got that joy that comes from winning the game. I would usually let him win only once or twice during the game which would last up to 5-10 minutes usually.

I tried these tips last night and my dog showed more confidence, a harder grip, and tugged harder. Each time he tugged, I allowed him to win. He seemed more and more motivated by the ball on the rope as the minutes went by. And tonight when I tried it again, I didn't have to do any drive building exercises this session. Zero. I usually do a couple minutes of drive building before each session but I didn't even have to. As soon as Blue saw the ball, he ran toward me and wouldn't take his eyes off it. His responses to commands were even speedier than they are with food rewards. Since I allow my dog to win every time, the toy's value has increased.

I think this is very important because the biggest mistake I was making during tug was making myself win every time. Huge mistake. This is a long video but it's worth the watch. Has improved the tug playing a lot and even increased the value of the toy.