Tug a War? Who should win? - Page 1

When I play Tug a war with my puppy I let him win to build self confidence, but then I'm started thinking if later on he may look at me as a inferior?? Am I overthinking the dog now?

Puppy should always win, but only after he has really tried. 

ok so until he really fights for it I shouldnt let him win?

Pretty much...but this doesn't mean that tug shouldn't have rules.

#1 When I say "aus" my dog must let go, I will not tell him again.  He also must sit or lie down before I offer to play again
#2 If it's in my hand, it's mine.  There will be absolutely no bullying to get the tug
#3 When I say we're done...we're done.

It's a gradual thing...if he tries even one fiftieth harder the second time, he wins. Every time you make the tiniest step in improvement, he wins. 

i understand from a human standpoint why would you ask that question, inferior etc... dogs don't look at it that way.

In short... puppy ALWAYS wins. But, he must be all over it like flies on shit and really give it a go to win. No bullying, just clean, hard playing fun.

If you let the puppy win depends what you wanna achieve at the time. Building confidence requires the win of the "trophy", but if you overdo this you might have problems with the "out" later. So better you just play by puppies rules, sometimes you show weakness and let the pup win and sometimes you show strenght by locking up until the pup lets go by itself, add "out" and carry on with the game. How often you let the pup win and how often you do an"out" depends on the puppy and you need to be able to read the pup. Another thing, I always stop playing tug`o`war at about12-14 weeks old as they start teething  because the exercise can become counter productive.Once you have planted the seed, its not a problem to refresh it after the teething with about 8 months,
when all the teeth have settled into the jaws.
All the best
Ulf

Playing tug with a puppy is more about imprinting for bite development than it is about building confidence.  The pup always wins but only when he has a full, calm grip.  If you give the pup a little slack in the tug, it will encourage him to counter, or reposition his grip for a deeper bite.  Only after he has done so and has calmed down does he win the fight.  Avoid letting go of the tug as soon as the pup counters as it teaches him that he wins by readjusting his grip and encourages him to mouth the tug or sleeve.

I do not teach the out playing tug but instead start positively reinforcing it completely out of the context of protection using two balls.  I throw the first ball and wait for the pup to retrieve it, bring it back and drop it before throwing the second.  By using the 'aus' command when I anticipate the dog is about to drop the ball, it reinforces the association between the command and letting go of something.  This exercise also helps build drive because the faster the dog brings back the ball, the faster he gets to chase the next one.

Hope this helps...

I posted at hread today -BUT either never made it or got deleted. This question is a perfect example : the Non  Schutzhund  way of looking at GSDs was my thread ,,,, the essence : Sch folk get so tunneled vision  . it is like a dog locked into prey that you can no longer proceed to working it in defense mode !  Did one ever think : it is not a question of the dog winning !! yes .. the dog should 1. physically learn basic skills , bite grip , learn not an  issue about going into the body / having body contact, entering for the Fast to body and to  intially  bite hard and then hard grip . from an emotion point of view / mind set , to have confidence , self assurance , indepenently work  and concentrate so that there is no such thing as a distraction or environmental influence  !! BUT .. the BIG TIME BUT here.. is it should be FUN to the dog .. NOT A CONTEST , not a pitting of the wills , not a personal challenge [ as a pup] !!  Please .. this is not an  issue about who WINS or doesn't. .. another take : you should have DOMINION  over your dog but overly physically or verbally dominating your dog will take away from it's potential and ability to execute ! OK .. for the serious who want to better themselves . i won't post a link  as this reply may get geleted . so instead : You engine search " French ring training articles "  . then find " Dr P's training philosophy " / link and check out the very nicely written ring sport article . It will compare Sch outlook to how the Europeans train regarding Ring [ Mondio , Belgium , French Rings] philosophy . I guarantee if you continue a dog sport whether Sch , Campagna , KNVP , Ring , mondio .. you will never see the GSD in the same trining light again and will better your dog. Good luck .. just listen and learn.. AP

 I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but DUH it has to be fun. You think we're looming over the puppy, scowling?