Introduction to the Course | + |
Lesson 1 |
Course Information |
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Lesson 2 |
Changing Your Password |
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Lesson 3 |
Asking Questions/Getting Feedback |
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Lesson 4 |
How to Use This Course |
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Introduction to Tugging | - |
Lesson 1 |
Why do I tug with my dog? |
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Lesson 2 |
The Most Important Thing |
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Lesson 3 |
Tugging Demonstration |
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Lesson 4 |
Choosing a Tug Toy |
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Lesson 5 |
What About Food Toys? |
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Lesson 6 |
At What Age Should You Start Tug Training? |
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Lesson 7 |
Teething and Tugging |
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Lesson 8 |
Tugging and Other Dog Sports |
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The Chase | + |
Lesson 1 |
How to Entice Your Dog to Chase the Toy |
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Lesson 2 |
Demonstration of Good Chasing |
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Lesson 3 |
Restrained Recall to Toy on a Line (Beginner) |
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Lesson 4 |
Restrained Recall to Toy in Hand (Advanced) |
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The Bite | + |
Lesson 1 |
How to Present Toys and Avoid Getting Bitten |
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Lesson 2 |
How to Tug with Toys on a Line |
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Lesson 3 |
How to Tug with Medium Length Fleece Toys |
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Lesson 4 |
How to Tug with Dog on Leash |
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Lesson 5 |
How to Present the Hol-ee Roller |
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Lesson 6 |
How to Avoid Further Injury if Your Dog Accidentally Bites You |
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The Fight | + |
Lesson 1 |
Watch for the Weight Shift |
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Lesson 2 |
Protect Your Back |
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Lesson 3 |
Additional Resource: How to Lift Heavy Weight Safely |
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Lesson 4 |
Protect Your Neck |
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Lesson 5 |
Tugging With a Toy While on a Leash |
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The Release | + |
Lesson 1 |
When to Add the Release |
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Lesson 2 |
How to Get the Toy Back Before You Add a Release Cue |
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Lesson 3 |
Teaching the Release |
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Lesson 4 |
Building Duration into the Release |
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The Retrieve | + |
Lesson 1 |
Demonstration of the Retrieve |
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Lesson 2 |
Try This Quick Fix First |
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Lesson 3 |
How to Mark When Teaching the Retrieve |
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Lesson 4 |
Example of Traditional Retrieve Training |
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Lesson 5 |
Case Study: Problem Golden Retriever |
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Lesson 6 |
Case Study: Using Opposition Reflex |
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Lesson 7 |
Case Study: Success with the Dog |
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Lesson 8 |
Case Study: Transitioning to Thrown Toy |
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Lesson 9 |
Case Study: Adding an Obstacle to the Retrieve |
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Lesson 10 |
Retrieve to Hand or Drop at Feet |
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Lesson 11 |
Transitioning to a "Dead" Toy |
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Lesson 12 |
Ellie's First Retrieve |
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Lesson 13 |
Retrieving with the Holee Roller |
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Tugging and Retrieve Games | + |
Lesson 1 |
Games Introduction |
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Lesson 2 |
Enticement |
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Lesson 3 |
Front Wheel Drive |
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Lesson 4 |
Muzzle Grab (Improving Grip) |
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Lesson 5 |
Mommy (or Daddy) Jungle Gym |
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Lesson 6 |
You're So Strong |
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Lesson 7 |
Push-Pull |
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Lesson 8 |
Multi Toy Game |
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Using Food to Teach Tugging | + |
Lesson 1 |
Dinner Bowl Protocol for Food-Only Dogs |
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Lesson 2 |
Tugging as a Trick |
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Lesson 3 |
Tugging as Part of a Behavior Chain |
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Special Topics | + |
Lesson 1 |
Tugging with sensitive dogs |
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Lesson 2 |
Transitioning from Fun Toys to Functional Toys (or Leash Tugging) |
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Lesson 3 |
Leash Tugging Demo with a Small Dog |
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Lesson 4 |
Establishing a default behavior (eye contact) |
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Lesson 5 |
Tugging for Competition |
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Lesson 6 |
Tugging for Training |
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Lesson 7 |
Should I Hide the Toy? |
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Lesson 8 |
How to Transport Your Dog Between Sequences |
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Lesson 9 |
Adding distractions |
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Lesson 10 |
If Your Dog Tugs at Home But Not at Trials |
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Lesson 11 |
Tugging on Both Sides of the Ring Gate |
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Lesson 12 |
How to Tug in Small Spaces at Trials |
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Lesson 13 |
Use Your Voice: Praise vs Mark on Long Line |
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Lesson 14 |
Distractions and Toy Selection in New Locations |
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Lesson 15 |
Helping Your Novice Dog with Your Veteran Dog |
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Q & A Sessions | + |
Lesson 1 |
May 2020 Q & A |
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Lesson 2 |
July 2020 Q&A |
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Lesson 3 |
October 2020 Q&A |
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Lesson 4 |
February 2021 Q&A |
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Lesson 5 |
April 2021 Q&A |
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Resources and Feedback | + |
Lesson 1 |
Make a Suggestion |
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Lesson 2 |
Testimonial |
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Do you have any guidance for age and dog tug toys? My golden is at 8 months and does really well with a fleece tug but when I try to advance him to the bite suit style tugs, he seems to struggle with grip. I don’t want to fall into the trap of needing the special toy, but is there a jaw strength thing that develops over time?
Yes, I generally stay with fleece until they are older than a year, and I start with the bite suit materials that are softer rather than harder or slick. If the dog is a great tugger with good grip, it’s okay to advance to bite suit material.
I think it has less to do with bite strength and more to do with understanding the game and their own capability.
That guidance is helpful, and I’m honestly already seeing improvements in the last month! Thanks so much for this great course!
I’m glad you find the course helpful!
tried to order some tugs from clean run and the promo code baddog was not valid
It looks like they have discontinued that code. I’ll see if they’re interested in creating a new one.
I confirmed that it has expired (they don’t do “forever” codes) and they were not interested in renewing it as it didn’t get too many sales.
Where do you buy the leashes that are good for tugging?
We get rope leashes (so they are round), like this: https://amzn.to/3b7J06p
I have not gotten very far in this course yet, but am blown away by the content. I should have guessed there was a lot to learn about tug play & training and I am so glad that you have created to really important foundational course. My first agility dog was reactive and highly food motivated. She really was not interested in toys and it was really easy for me to both motivate her with food for agility as well as to manage her emotions. So toys/tugging was never on my mind. Then came my puppy, who LOVES toys. I knew nothing about toy mechanics, and I thought we were having fun. I had no idea I was frustrating him because he never won. Now I understand and our play is getting so much better. We have a way to go but wow, I am glad to have this time to work with him and be a better playmate. Leo loves toys that squeak. He’ll tug many types of toys, but put a squeaker in it and he’ll play for hours. Are there any more advanced tug toys with squeakers in it or should I be fading the squeaker as we prepare for trialing in the future?
If your dog loves the squeaker, keep using it, but transition to a variable schedule so the dog gets it sometimes but not all the time. Think of it as a “half fade”. This way you get the benefit of the drive it creates but in certain trial situations where you can’t use it (before the run) your dog can live without it, knowing it will be there after the run.
First of all, I must tell you that this tugging course is fantastic!!! Thank you so much!!! I have a dog who wouldn’t tug; she’s a Rough Collie, a breed bred for generations to be very gentle. She has started to tug!!!! Yes, she’s a sensitive tugger, but to me, the progress is amazing!! Last night I introduced the Holee Roller to her, and she really tugged – none of the continual re-gripping that she does with other toys. After she pulled me across the floor (I’m still sitting down for her at this stage), I let her have the toy. How long should I let her have it? Shouldn’t I be putting it away, and bringing it out only for tugging sessions?
I’m excited to hear about your progress! Many people used to think that giving your dog access to toys would hurt their drive or desire for it, and I think this is mostly not true (there are probably exceptions). We don’t let our dogs keep the furry toys and tennis balls and things that they will destroy. We have a dog that will even destroy a holee roller, so it depends. With your dog, I’d start with a 50/50 mix and see how she responds. Half the time, let her have the toy and do whatever with it for a few minutes (or longer, as long as she isn’t destroying it), and the other half, work on some re-bites and after a few of those, keep the toy and put it away.
Thank you so very much, Esteban! 50/50 sounds like a good plan!
My dog loves her kong on a rope for tugging, but interestingly she tugs the rope. I hold onto the kong and the other end and she tugs between my hands. The kong (its floatable so heavy) can be tossed far and she loves the retrieve. Her tug is great when I begin with the toss (the chase) but she doesn’t get all that jazzed up to just bite without the toss. I had been doing this before I started this class. She doesn’t seem interested in other toys. Should I just keep using this for now and get the bite without the chase and then also try introducing new tog toys? My goal is to get her to tug in and entering the ring.
Since your goal is leash tugging into the ring, you should try introducing new toys as well as starting the game without a throw first, because you won’t be able to do that at a trial. HOWEVER the majority (80% plus) of your tugging in these first several sessions should be with the kong toy. I would review
https://baddogagilityacademy.com/course/complete-guide-to-tugging/module-4/how-to-tug-with-toys-on-a-line/
to learn how to get both hands on the sides of the kong rope toy (essentially ignoring the presence of the kong), and doing re-bites and such with that toy. The re-bites will be the key to unlocking her tugging without throwing the toy first. Then you can start to transfer this value to different tug toys that you present in the same way as your kong-tug, not by dragging on the ground, but more advanced like the two-handed presentation.
The overall plan is to change how you interact with the toy she likes, and then sneakily swap in replacement toys from time to time, and then ultimately, for the majority of the time.