February 24, 2015

New Tug Toys for Ruby Mean New Training Tools

tug toys as training tools
 Tug toy haul from the dog show.

Ruby lives to tug. She knows the word tug and she knows how to spell it, too. I've started chanting "OMG it's time for T-U-G" after supper. She knows where all her tug toys are kept, in the downstairs coat closet. Although it took some time to ensure that our tugging games did not result in finger loss due to over-enthusiasm, I have never subscribed to the myth that playing tug creates aggression. We use games of tug for indoor exercise, trick training, impulse control training and bonding. Tugging is a valuable reinforcer for Ruby since it is one of her most favorite things.

Last year at the big cluster dog show, I got her a tug toy at a vendor booth that was located next to the flyball demonstration area. That tug lasted almost a full year with use several times a week (rotated with other toys) and so my annual dog show visit this year included a mission to stock up on more. 

I ended up buying three tugs from that same vendor: a tennis ball on a stretchy pull, a colorful braided fleece and a squeaky blue fur. I debated getting her one of the tugs made with real rabbit fur but settled on the synthetic instead. As I was standing in line to pay, I heard a din of barking and thought at first that some dogs were in a fight - then I realized it was just the flyball dogs' pure, unadulterated joy. Satisfied with my purchase, I went over to watch flyball for as long as my ears could stand.

I couldn't resist one more toy at a booth in the agility arena: the one that looks most like something out of Fifty Shades of Grey, which is actually made of recycled rubber liners from milking machines! There was a time when my shopping sprees meant new shoes or trendy fashion accessories - now it's a bag full of dog toys that makes me happiest, knowing how much fun Ruby gets out of them.

So far we've tested out all four - Ruby took a while to show interest in the rubber one, but Boca likes it a lot. I think the fleece one is Ruby's favorite by far, and it would be so easy to make my own using a tutorial like this. Ruby is getting better at her release ("drop it") and I am incorporating more complex asks into our games, such as a string of cues or longer wait times. As we reserve tug toys for supervised play, I am fairly certain these new ones will keep us tugging and training through 2015. 

Do you play tug with your dog?

13 comments:

  1. Blueberry cedes very quickly when I try to play tug with her Nylabone. I have had dogs I've played tug with in the past though - it's so much fun! But Blueberry is such a sweetheart and so docile, she just gives in really quickly. I bet Ruby is a blast to play tug with!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're so right - Ruby plays hard-to-get but I love that when I toss the tug or let go she always brings it back to me for more. She loves playing tug with dog friends, too, but those games need to be monitored closely.

      Delete
  2. Oh that's awesome! My girls love tug, too and it's so fun buying them new toys! We do have one real fur bunny tug but it's not the biggest hit here.. I'm not sure why.. I think Zoe prefers looking for the live ones.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I wasn't sure if Ruby would like it or not so I went for the one most similar to what we had before plus some others to try. Do your girls play tug together or is that off limits? Boca can get too bossy and often just wants to take the toy away from Ruby to chew on so I have to monitor them closely.

      Delete
  3. Wilhelm LOVES tug and playing it is absolutely one of his best training opportunities as well as a training reward. The other two are hit and miss with their passion for tug but the right toy can make a huge difference in their interest.

    ReplyDelete
  4. If my dog could read, she'd be so jealous. As it is, I have to be jealous on her behalf! It took a while for her to realize that play could be a reward, but now she is very, very into it. It's helped her learn to take training less seriously than she used to, which makes me very happy.

    Dog's texture preferences for biting down on stuff is really fascinating to me, as Nala's seem to be fairly specific and took me a while to learn to predict. She really loves something that she can sink her teeth into and really grip. So she loves her udder tug (similar to the rubbery one you bought, but oh, so smelly when it arrived), and her real sheepskin tugs are her absolute favorites. One toy has a bunny teaser, and, well. She finds it enticing, but she just wants to gently nibble and fleabite it--it's just not thick enough to bite down on, in her opinion, and really needs to be a gut-clogging snack. As for ball + tug, she thinks they're stupid. Fetch the ball, bite the bungee handle, but bite down on a ball?! Why?! So I'm fascinated by Ruby's and Boca's preferences, too. And if Ruby's preferences re: teeth sinking are anything like Nala's, faux fur instead of bunny fur was probably a good call.

    I must know: what does Ruby's "favorite by far" behavior look like with a tug toy?

    My back, neck, shoulders, and myself all prefer tugs with bungee or shock cord in the handle.

    *If I commented twice, delete the first! My computer did something weird.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cool tugs! Everyone but Nola will tug anything and everything. Olivia has the highest tug drive. Nola is intense with hers, but picky with what she'll use! That's entirely my fault as I didn't do any work with her in that regard as a puppy.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What fun tugs! I have used tugging as a reward lots of times over the years. When I had a SAR dog, her reward for finding a lost person was a game of tug. Then, with my next dog, Angel K, I reserved tugging for a great recall. Sadly, I can't tug anymore. My spine is too fragile. So, Shyla has to settle for me throwing a toy or for treats ;) Enjoy the tugging - it is such a great motivator!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh yes, Nike loves a good game of tug and just like Ruby, she even knows the word! So far she hasn't learned the spelling, thank goodness! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mauja and Atka really aren't tug dog. Every few weeks I can get them to pull on a toy, but after a few seconds they release it. Once in a blue moon they tug with each other, which is always a fun sight! Typically, one dog will be relaxing on their side with the toy in their mouth and the other dog will be dragging the relaxing dog across the floor ;) Our first dog loved to tug so we were able to use that as a reinforcer. Especially since treats were so hit or miss with him.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Tug is an awesome game. Almost all of my friends use it for agility training. It's a great game to teach drive and enthusiasm. Wynston is more food motivated for agility so we use treats, but most of my friends use tug as their agility reward. Wynston does enjoy tug everyday - that tiny mouth is strong!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love playing tug of war with the pups. It's a great way to burn off some energy, plus it also lets me work on the "leave it" command, which is always helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Luna loves to play tug of war! I don't think she knows the word, but she will challenge you to a game with just about anything.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for visiting The Ginger Sisters at Rubicon Days! We enjoy each and every comment and love getting to know our readers.