There are plenty of reasons to play tug games with your dog, not only is it great for bonding there are a myriad of other benefts - from physical exercise and stimulation to more.
Tug can be used to reinforce commands such as “drop it,” “take it,” and “stay,” - and even teach your dog tricks such as finding your keys!
For timid dogs, winning a game of tug can boost their confidence, helping them feel more secure, and regular tugging can help strengthen your dog's teeth and jaw muscles.
Played correctly, tug games can teach your dog about controlled play and how to manage their bite strength and is a good way to redirect a dog's excess energy or excitement into a structured activity - particularly useful for high-energy breeds!
So here's our guide to playing Tug safely with our favourite tug toy brand Tug-E-Nuff.
To ensure tug games remain fun and beneficial, it's important to follow some guidelines:
Establish clear rules, such as starting and stopping the game on command.
Only use toys designed for tugging to avoid injury.
Always supervise the game to prevent excessive roughness and ensure it remains safe for both you and your dog.
Colours dogs see best
By incorporating tug games into your dog's routine, you can enjoy these benefits while ensuring a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted pet.
Devon-based Tug-E-Nuff, in-store at The Dog's Spot, is a great place to start when you're looking for tug toys.
All their toys incorporate blue and yellow - the colours dogs see best - and you can choose from responsibly-sourced sheepskin and rabbit to mimic prey, or if you'd prefer, there's faux fur. Their balls are also made using natural rubber, are in colours to make them easy for dogs to spot, while their ridges provide sensory stimulation.
Great for recall
The secret to a bulletproof recall is making yourself more interesting than your dog’s favourite distractions - whether that includes a squirrel, next door’s cat or another dog.
So won't playing with dogs made from real fur encourage a dog's prey drive?
The short answer is no! They won’t. In fact, rather than encouraging unwanted chasing, real fur toys actually help you combat it.
Although designed to tap into our dogs’ natural prey drive, Tuf-E-Nuff toys help you use this drive to your advantage.
Successful training is all about finding what motivates your dog - and the truth is that, for some dogs, this is chasing wildlife or sniffing out the scent of passing sheep and rabbits.
Bulletproof recall is essential in these cases, and to achieve that you need a reward that is equally as exciting and satisfying to return to as chasing real ‘prey’.
And what could be better than a Tug-E-Nuff play with their best friend?