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Tug of War
Dear Dr. Berg,
A friend of mine told me that it was bad to play tug of war
with my dog because that it could make him mean. Is this true?
R. B., Milford
Dear R. B.,
Many humans view tug of war as a fun interaction with their
dogs. This seemingly harmless game,
however, can send entirely the wrong message to a dog who has tendencies for
dominance with a family, and can greatly aggravate interactions with other
members.
When playing tug of war with their dogs, most peole will
wiggle their end of the rope back and forth as their dog growls with his mouth
firmly clamped on the rope and stares intensely back. The game usually ends when the human lets go
and the dog gleefully marches off with his “prize”. Though this simple act of letting go may seem
unimportant, the victorious dog often sees it as further proof that he may be
higher up on the pecking order within that family.
Most dogs think of their own family as one big pack,
overlooking the fact that some members have two legs and others have 4 legs and
a tail. That dog’s perceived position
within his pack will greatly influence how he interacts with the other members
of his pack.
A small tussle may occur over who gets a prized toy (top dog
gets it first), a slightly larger fight may happen over who gets to taste a
snack first (top dog gets first crack at it), and a really serious fight may
take place over who will become the companion with a dog that is in heat (top
dog always has first chance).
An illustration of just how important this can all be to the
humans around a dominant dog follows.
Imagine that a small child dropped their lollipop on the floor with a
dominant dog watching nearby. The
lollipop lands on neutral territory midway between the child and the dog and
instantly becomes a desireable object of contention that “top dog” has first
rights towards. When the small child
innocently reaches to pick up their lollipop, the dominant dog snaps at the
child (or worse) to claim what he sees as his rightful prize since he is the
dominant member.
The decision to share ones life with a dominant dog is a
serious one that should not be taken lightly.
Obedience training and establishment of clear rules of the household can
go a long way to help, but you should have serious discussions with your
veterinarian about this if you suspect your dog may have these tendencies. Playing tug of war may be a fun game, but it
may send the wrong message to a dominant dog regarding “who’s the boss.”
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