# First agility class game problem



## scooterscout99 (Dec 3, 2015)

Here's a Susan Garrett column on this topic:

Improve Your Dog Training By Playing Like a Dog! | Susan Garrett's Dog Training Blog

It took some time to teach my older dog tug as well. She is not food motivated so tug has been a useful tool in training. I started young on teaching tug to my spoo. I once took a seminar on how to play with your dog, starting with toys and treats and ending up with no props. It was a great challenge to me at the time. Being able to engage a dog in the ring without a treat or toy is invaluable in competition.


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## Rapso (Apr 14, 2015)

Thank you! 
My girl is not really interested in food. Everything she knows was taught using toys but it always always a fetch game and after a year and a half I'm a little worried she won't really get into tug...


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Are there any other games she enjoys? Poppy loves to play a silly game of prancing and jumping round me while I catch at her with my hands and sing "Poppy is a Good dog" to a nursery rhyme tune. Sophy, offered the same game, gives me a thoroughly disgusted look, but loves me just to talk to her sensibly. I can see that Tug is a useful reward, but if the dog does not find it rewarding it ain't going to work! Perhaps tossing the toy a short distance and letting her retrieve it would do instead? I know when I did beginner agility retrieving was used to encourage the dogs to run ahead and over obstacles - didn't work at all with either of mine who have very limited interest in chasing anything that is not live, edible, and near enough for them to have a good chance of catching it!


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## Rapso (Apr 14, 2015)

With toys she only want to retrieve. But she also like to play with me. When I get on the floor and she jumps on me and tries to catch my hands...


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

That's a good start! You can transfer that to toy drive. It will take time. I'm surprised your instructor didn't offer more guidance. If you google/youtube "Building Toy Drive in Dogs" you can find loads of helpful links.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Tug is a very useful game as a motivator and also to teach impulse control by you controlling the end of the game. Any kind of fetch game will not work for the purpose that the agility instructor wants you to have it since it involves a loose toy and with other dogs around you don't want your dog to decide to play keep away.

Here is a thought on how to turn fetch into tug. Get a toy on a string (like a flirt pole) or make one by tying a sturdy string to a toy your dog already likes to fetch. Throw it while holding the string then pull on it lightly once the dog picks it up. You should be able to gradually pull harder and eventually have your dog tugging.

Many people tug with their dogs when they are getting ready to go into the ring. If you are outside the entry chute you can still use a toy. You leave it and food if you have any outside the ring and pick it up when you finish your run.


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

Tug is a very useful skill to have in your Agility arsenal, yes, and it is worth it to build the drive. Others have given you some good tips on how. 

That said, it's possible to be successful in Agility without tug. You do need some sort of reward that interests the dog, of course, but it can be done!

If your dog is interested in retrieve, you can build the interest in tug. Keep at it! You'll be glad you did! But don't despair if you can't make that particular reward work. 

--Q


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## Rapso (Apr 14, 2015)

I get the importance of the game that's why I'm a little concern. But I really like the idea tossing a little bit and bringing the toy to me when she grabs it become so far the other tricks that I saw on the internet aren't working. She just looks at me like "hey human what are you waiting for" 
I'll try it tonigh and see if I can work on that angle.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Lots of people think playing tug is bad. It isn't. It is a great drive builder and it teaches impulse control. It is also great hind end exercise.


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## Rapso (Apr 14, 2015)

Just wanted to let you know,

It's going to work! The fetch one wasn't super after all, every time I pulled the string she lets go of the toy but I found another way. 

She really like to steel my sucks in the laundry bag and she likes to pull just before giving them to me. I decided to let her catch one and I use it to teach her the command of pulling. I bought a new that she's never seen before and drop it at the same place. When she found her I grabbed it and told her the pul commend. She's tugging  !!

I just need to practice with her a little more because it's doesn't last more than a few seconds each time but really seems to like it! Thank you all


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

At first it will be just a few seconds, but watch how quickly her duration for it increases. Javelin wasn't an enthusiastic tugger, but he now will try to steal his tug toy out of my pocket after I stop and put it away. That is actually pretty rude, but as I said it is an impulse control activity once they love it you have to teach them that you will control when it starts and stops.


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## Myleen (Apr 30, 2016)

This is very interesting.

Toby loves tugging...in fact he wants to do it with almost half of the toys he has!
rope ball; rope doll, frisbee cloth, kong frisbee, geeze I can go on...needless to say he loves to tug. 

I read something somewhere....I stopped tugging with him two weeks ago and told my husband we should not tug with him because it gets him all riled up. :dontknow:

Might have to revisit that decision.


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## Rapso (Apr 14, 2015)

My dog has a lot of difficulty with impulse control and it's apparently the best thing the help her with that. I do have exercise to with her while tugging to really help her with that.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Myleen tugging really is a stellar activity for teaching impulse control and getting better engagement for other activities. Since you engage the dog directly they are really connected to them while you are tugging. Then you stop and they stay tuned in and then you play it again. You will find that you will have better and better attention. Then you add doing sits or recalls (or whatever else you are working on) in between tug sessions and that training improves. It all reinforces the other parts of what you are doing.


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## Myleen (Apr 30, 2016)

Awesome!!! Thank you lily cd re!!!!

I'm sure Toby is much happier now that he is allowed to tug again!!! 

(So is my husband!) I think this is a tool that will help with puppy training!!
sit; recall as you said! :cheers2:

Here are a few pictures of Toby enjoying tug with dad (Human dad, lol) !

Toby just got groomed today  Very short... he is handsome no matter what style he is in!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

He does look like he loves it! Once he gets the idea that if he lets go of the toy when told he will get to play again he will start spitting it out of his mouth. Toby's short clip looks great for the summer. It is ridiculously hot here. Even my chickens are acting hot. I am sure if it rained here right now they would stay out in it.


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