�Tug-O-War"

A lot have people have been telling me I should not be playing�Tug-O-War" with Spot.
Even when he was only a few weeks old he loved this game .
The vet said it makes him more aggressive ,so I quit playing this game with him for two or three months, until last week when my brother came over .
Andy has six beagles and has been playing this game with them for several years, and his dogs aren�t aggressive at all ,so I�ve been playing tug o war all weekend with spot ,he also likes to play fetch ,but Tug O War is still is favorite .
The vet and dog trainer at Pet Smart say that bully breeds should not be played with in such an aggressive manner, and that it makes his bully attitude worse.
This pisses me off, everyone has labeled my dog as aggressive , just because of his breed.
In my opinion its not the breed that�s aggressive , it�s the demented owners that train their dogs to fight.


Do you play Tug=O=War with your dog ?

LOL.

Your unrelenting, persistent dog would never let go of the rope.

It depends on whether a dog knows the difference between play and kill, some are bred to maybe not give a damn about that?

Currently listening to: Jet (McCartney & Wings)

Ooopsy, technical malfunction.

[Edited on 5/6/04 by magestica]

If so, is he an American Pitbull Terrier or American Bulldog? I do have some advice for hand/mouth contact with these breeds in specific. Also, I have advice for you for the "everyone" who tells you something negative about the breed.

This will be a double post, by accident probably.

[Edited on 5/7/04 by magestica]

Hi honey.

We can't have an APBT or bully in general. * Speaking of serial killers I am going to see "Monster" with the friends mentioned to you, which means I have to be out by 6.30pm.

Catch you before then. Woof.


* Only because they are going to be banned soon.

[Edited on 7-5-2004 by MaskedAvatar]

Originally posted by magestica
If so, is he an American Pitbull Terrier or American Bulldog? I do have some advice for hand/mouth contact with these breeds in specific. Also, I have advice for you for the "everyone" who tells you something negative about the breed.

This will be a double post, by accident probably.

[Edited on 5/7/04 by magestica]

Yes that is Spot Steele
He is an American pit bull mixed with Dalmatian ,and he is six months old now ,furthermore I would be very happy with any advice you can give me .
He has grown up with a cat in the house �Mr. Spanky� ,and does not care about biting the cat ,but anything else that falls in my yard gets the full treatment.�RIP BIRD�
He sleeps in the house ,first thing in the morning I let him out ,and leave for work.
At lunch I come home and let him back in ,I wish I could spend more time with him, I�m gone nine hours a day .
Maybe I should get another dog to keep him company.

Cute doggie!

There's this dog that barks and barks and barks. Too much. Too often.

A family just moved into the neighborhood. They have two dogs. One is a beautiful big black color with brown spot on chest and feet, elsewhere...forgot the purebreeds name. Male. The other dog is also a purebreed. A tall dog with a boxer like face, brownish coat with dull grey/beige speckles all over it.

The first is male the second is female.
The big black one hardly ever barks and appears friendly.
The other dog is so full of energy it barks all the time.

I told it to shut up a few times. Hoping it would listen.
I heard one day a little kid yelling at the dog to shup.
The other day I heard an elderly lady tell the dog to be quiet.

Before those people with their 2 dogs moved into the neighborhood, a couple would take turns walking their dog. It was the same breed. It appeared to be vicious and wild as though it would tear you up if it got free from the leash. I was deathly afraid to be outside when they walked that dog. Until one day I couldn't escape the scenario. The lady said that her female dog was only happy and wanted to jump up on people for their attention. I couldn't believe it. I was shocked. So I risked sticking my hand out to get to know the creature. She was right. It was a puppy and quite a happy breed.

The other dog appears to be older. At the same time...a very similar personality. I was wondering how to help that dog to feel more at home around here and give us all a break from the everpresent barking!

Well? Is it the breed? Is there a way to reach it even so?
How to fix that problem and cure the dog.




The black one looks like this. And doesn't bark alot.


And the other one looks similar to this one, except it has greyish speckles all over its coat. And it barks like it's insane. Could it be this dog was abused as a puppy? Or just wasn't trained well?




[Edited on 5/10/2004 by SamaraMorgueAnn]

Originally posted by spot73
A lot have people have been telling me I should not be playing�Tug-O-War" with Spot.

To be blunt:

This is a bunch of PC bull#. I think our higher domestic animals are smarter then that. I think they know full well the difference between play and REAL fighting/bullying whatever.

Remember, this is from the same new breed of preprogrammed un-thinkers that are being preprogrammed to teach all our children that zero tolerance crap in the schools.

The dog is doing what comes natural to him. Just as a cat will bathe itself and a hamster will chew, so will a dog play tug of war with it's beloved master.

Have fun and don't give it another thought.

It all depends on how it�s done and how aggressive the owner is.

Question: Is it bad for a dog's teeth when you play tug-of-war?

Answer: Yes and no. I think most dogs enjoy this game because it resembles the process of catching prey in the wild. Although dogs are very domesticated, they still have an innate sense of hunting as a means of survival. Tugging on a rope feels to them very much like catching a squirrel or a rat. This is especially true for terriers, who are sometimes referred to as ratters; I have a patient who gets paid to visit a barn on weekends and eliminate any rats that may be in residence.

As far as the safety of your pet's teeth and gums, I must caution that your end of the rope should never be strong enough to yank out a tooth. I've seen pet owners displaying their dogs' jaw strength by hoisting them in the air while they hold tenaciously to a rope by their teeth. This is an accident waiting to happen. Important teeth can loosen, joints can separate, jaw bones can fracture and other body parts can be injured if he or she decides to let go in midair.

Trina Grubuagh, a professional obedience instructor and behaviorist in Kansas City, Kansas, says: "Tug-of-war is by nature a game of challenge in which the dog/puppy is put in the position of competing against his owner, who the dog/puppy knows as the 'pack leader.' This could result in your dog displaying dominant behavior, as well as conditioning the bad habit of challenging the owner, which could become an issue in other situations.

familyfun.go.com...


[Edited on 9-5-2004 by kinglizard]

My thoughts are this:
If the dog enjoys it, he'll play.
If not, he won't.
If he's pissed, he'll bite you.
Its up to the dog

A mixed breed is a crap shoot to get pinpoint outcomes specific of a breed.
The reasons to be mindful on tug games are simple. It's an instinctive dominance game. All dogs are wolves, which are pack animals, which jocky for pecking order. You are the ALPHA. You don't ever give up that role. Playing & losing in a tug match determines pecking order in the pack.....you "lose" to your dog....he'll get froggy with you!

Getting the "HEEL" command down pat with your dog is real important too. It justs boils down to being active in the socialization of your dog with other animals & people.

I've got a 125lb Cane Corso bitch & used the training methods developed by The Monks of New Skete. My breeder told me about it when I got my dog. I always get comments on how great my dog behaves when I board her....& that's coming from people in the business. I was sold on the breed & training method after seeing my breeders dogs....this breed is very large & all muscle. THey look extremely imposing & males can hit 175 lbs or better. He had one that was HUGE, yet was completely cool & allowed me to exit my vehicle AFTER the breeder came to the window & said hello!!