{"id":7305,"date":"2022-07-17T06:36:03","date_gmt":"2022-07-17T06:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/"},"modified":"2022-07-18T09:44:12","modified_gmt":"2022-07-18T09:44:12","slug":"is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/","title":{"rendered":"Is it bad to play tug of war with your dog?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy counter-decimal ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#Is_it_bad_to_play_tug_of_war_with_your_dog\" title=\"Is it bad to play tug of war with your dog?\">Is it bad to play tug of war with your dog?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#How_long_should_you_play_tug_of_war_with_dog\" title=\"How long should you play tug of war with dog?\">How long should you play tug of war with dog?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#Does_tug_of_war_cause_aggression\" title=\"Does tug of war cause aggression?\">Does tug of war cause aggression?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#Is_tug_of_war_bad_for_dogs_neck\" title=\"Is tug of war bad for dogs neck?\">Is tug of war bad for dogs neck?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#Why_you_shouldnt_play_tug_of_war_with_your_dog\" title=\"Why you shouldn&#8217;t play tug of war with your dog?\">Why you shouldn&#8217;t play tug of war with your dog?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#Does_playing_tug_of_war_with_your_dog_make_them_aggressive\" title=\"Does playing tug of war with your dog make them aggressive?\">Does playing tug of war with your dog make them aggressive?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#Is_playing_tug_of_war_with_puppy_bad\" title=\"Is playing tug of war with puppy bad?\">Is playing tug of war with puppy bad?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#When_should_I_stop_playing_tug_of_war_with_my_dog\" title=\"When should I stop playing tug of war with my dog?\">When should I stop playing tug of war with my dog?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#How_long_can_a_dog_play_tug_of_war\" title=\"How long can a dog play tug of war?\">How long can a dog play tug of war?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#Is_it_bad_to_play_tug_of_war_with_dog\" title=\"Is it bad to play tug of war with dog?\">Is it bad to play tug of war with dog?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#Is_it_OK_if_my_dog_growls_while_playing\" title=\"Is it OK if my dog growls while playing?\">Is it OK if my dog growls while playing?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#Does_playing_tug_make_a_puppy_aggressive\" title=\"Does playing tug make a puppy aggressive?\">Does playing tug make a puppy aggressive?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#Why_does_my_dog_growl_when_he_plays_tug_of_war\" title=\"Why does my dog growl when he plays tug of war?\">Why does my dog growl when he plays tug of war?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#Does_tug_of_war_encourage_biting\" title=\"Does tug of war encourage biting?\">Does tug of war encourage biting?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/#Can_dogs_get_whiplash_from_tug_of_war\" title=\"Can dogs get whiplash from tug of war?\">Can dogs get whiplash from tug of war?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_it_bad_to_play_tug_of_war_with_your_dog\"><\/span>Is it bad to play tug of war with your dog?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Many dogs love to play tug of war; <b>it&#8217;s a healthy display of their predatory nature. Tug of war provides great mental and physical exercise for your dog. It is also a wonderful way to reinforce the human-canine bond.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_should_you_play_tug_of_war_with_dog\"><\/span>How long should you play tug of war with dog?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to how long your games of tug should last that&#8217;s up to you and your dog. As long as you and your dog are having fun and it&#8217;s not too much for them you can make them last as long as you like. Generally my games with Laika are pretty intense, so they only last for <b>about 5 minutes<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-183437\" src=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/How-long-should-you-play-tug-of-war-with-dog-1.jpg\" alt=\"How long should you play tug of war with dog?\" width=\"850\" height=\"566\" srcset=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/How-long-should-you-play-tug-of-war-with-dog-1.jpg 850w, https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/How-long-should-you-play-tug-of-war-with-dog-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/How-long-should-you-play-tug-of-war-with-dog-1-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_tug_of_war_cause_aggression\"><\/span>Does tug of war cause aggression?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Tug of war won&#8217;t make your dog aggressive, but it might intensify unwanted behaviors or patterns that are already present. Before you play tug of war, you need to set a few ground rules.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_tug_of_war_bad_for_dogs_neck\"><\/span>Is tug of war bad for dogs neck?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>DO NOT make the mistake of playing tug by moving the toy up and down as this is not a natural movement for a dog and <b>can cause neck injury and add stress to the spine. Remember, let your dog do most of the work and you will see he will naturally move his body and\/or shake his head side to side.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_you_shouldnt_play_tug_of_war_with_your_dog\"><\/span>Why you shouldn&#8217;t play tug of war with your dog?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Tug of war played correctly will not encourage aggression in your dog or puppy. However, do not play tug of war with dogs that guard objects or display aggression as this <b>may intensify aggressive tendencies the dog already has<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_playing_tug_of_war_with_your_dog_make_them_aggressive\"><\/span>Does playing tug of war with your dog make them aggressive?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Tug of war won&#8217;t make your dog aggressive, but it might intensify unwanted behaviors or patterns that are already present. Before you play tug of war, you need to set a few ground rules.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HJhvsshygfc\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_playing_tug_of_war_with_puppy_bad\"><\/span>Is playing tug of war with puppy bad?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Don&#8217;t play tug with a puppy.<\/b><b>It can cause damage to a young dog&#8217;s developing jaw and baby teeth. However, puppyhood is a good time to teach the release command. Don&#8217;t play tug with a senior dog who has not played the game for a while.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_should_I_stop_playing_tug_of_war_with_my_dog\"><\/span>When should I stop playing tug of war with my dog?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When people started the game and set the rules, it helped promote positive behaviors in the dog. However, and this is important, you should NOT play tug of war with a dog that is already aggressive, a resource guarder (aggressively protects their food, toys, etc.), or is showing early signs of either.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_can_a_dog_play_tug_of_war\"><\/span>How long can a dog play tug of war?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to how long your games of tug should last that&#8217;s up to you and your dog. As long as you and your dog are having fun and it&#8217;s not too much for them you can make them last <b>as long as you like. Generally my games with Laika are pretty intense, so they only last for about 5 minutes.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_it_bad_to_play_tug_of_war_with_dog\"><\/span>Is it bad to play tug of war with dog?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Many dogs love to play tug of war; <b>it&#8217;s a healthy display of their predatory nature. Tug of war provides great mental and physical exercise for your dog. It is also a wonderful way to reinforce the human-canine bond.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-183438\" src=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-dog.png\" alt=\"Is it bad to play tug of war with dog?\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-dog.png 800w, https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-dog-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-dog-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_it_OK_if_my_dog_growls_while_playing\"><\/span>Is it OK if my dog growls while playing?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>DO NOT make the mistake of playing tug by moving the toy up and down as this is not a natural movement for a dog and <b>can cause neck injury and add stress to the spine. Remember, let your dog do most of the work and you will see he will naturally move his body and\/or shake his head side to side.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_playing_tug_make_a_puppy_aggressive\"><\/span>Does playing tug make a puppy aggressive?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Tug of war played correctly will not encourage aggression in your dog or puppy. However, do not play tug of war with dogs that guard objects or display aggression as this <b>may intensify aggressive tendencies the dog already has<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_does_my_dog_growl_when_he_plays_tug_of_war\"><\/span>Why does my dog growl when he plays tug of war?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While <b>teaching your dog to play tug of war will not make him aggressive, do not play tug of war with dogs that guard objects and\/or display aggression. We do not recommend that children play tug of war with dogs because the excitement level may be more difficult to control.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_tug_of_war_encourage_biting\"><\/span>Does tug of war encourage biting?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While playing tug of war, your dog might get excited and begin growling. This is normal, as <b>the game itself is predatory behavior. However, it is important to keep your dog from becoming overly excited or aggressive, and take breaks to keep the game from getting out of control.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S9n7JY1KlSk\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_dogs_get_whiplash_from_tug_of_war\"><\/span>Can dogs get whiplash from tug of war?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Many dogs love to play tug of war; <b>it&#8217;s a healthy display of their predatory nature. Tug of war provides great mental and physical exercise for your dog. It is also a wonderful way to reinforce the human-canine bond.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>Related posts :<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/why-does-my-dog-not-play-tug-of-war\/\">Why does my dog not play tug of war?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-a-dog\/\">Is it bad to play tug of war with a dog?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-long-should-you-play-tug-of-war-with-dog\/\">How long should you play tug of war with dog?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-okay-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/\">Is it okay to play tug of war with your dog?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/why-do-dogs-like-to-play-tug-of-war-so-much\/\">Why do dogs like to play tug of war so much?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-dog\/\">Is it bad to play tug of war with dog?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-ok-to-let-dogs-play-tug-of-war\/\">Is it OK to let dogs play tug of war?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-good-to-play-tug-of-war-with-a-dog\/\">Is it good to play tug of war with a dog?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/should-i-let-my-dogs-play-tug-of-war\/\">Should I let my dogs play tug of war?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/why-do-dogs-play-tug-of-war-with-other-dogs\/\">Why do dogs play tug of war with other dogs?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog\/\">Is it bad to play tug of war with your dog?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Table of Contents Is it bad to play tug of war with your dog?How long should you play tug of war with dog?Does tug of war cause aggression?Is tug of war bad for dogs neck?Why you shouldn&#8217;t play tug of war with your dog?Does playing tug of war with your dog make them aggressive?Is playing&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":183436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[619],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Is-it-bad-to-play-tug-of-war-with-your-dog.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7305"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7305"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":183439,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7305\/revisions\/183439"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}