pulling on rope

tugidq64

Experienced Member
I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on teaching a dog to pull a rope? I c/t for looking at the rope, taking in her mouth but when I go to naming the behavior (pull)
she won't do it. I am getting frustrated. She does this on learning other things too.
Like skateboarding and pushing a ball. She will go only to a certain point and then stop.
thanks for any suggestions
Debby:msniwonder:
 

jackienmutts

Honored Member
Could you be naming the behavior too soon? Only name the behavior after she's already doing it. If she has the rope in her mouth, and will gently pull, c/t that. Keep that up, till she's pulling at the strenght you'd like. Only then, when she's doing exactly what you want, each and every time, then name it - and c/t. And repeat, repeat, repeat. She'll then associate the name and the c/t with what she's doing.

If you're getting frustrated with the pulling, and other things, she's feeling your frustration and stopping (shutting down). You want to encourage her, not discourage her. So just go slow - it sounds like you might be rushing her just a little bit too fast. It's not a race, all dogs learn at different speeds, and they learn some things faster than others. Only take each thing as fast as she can learn it. So - step back, start over, go slow, and enjoy your girl. :-)
 

tugidq64

Experienced Member
Thank you for your suggestions. My dog seems to be o.k. with taking the rope in her mouth but when I wait to have her pull harder she just keeps taking the rope in her mouth and won't pull harder. Oh!!
I need some suggestions on how to motivate her to pull.
Thanks.Debby and Belle
 

jackienmutts

Honored Member
Let me ask you a few questions ....
How old is your girl? Does she play with lots of toys? Does she play tug with other dogs? If she has anything you don't want her to have (socks, etc) and try to get them from her, does she resist or give them to you right away? Has she ever been punished for not giving something to you immediately? Are her teeth ok? All things that may influence her not wanting to tug. And then ... some dogs just don't do it. And the bottom line is, we all have to accept our dogs for who they are. So first, let's look at answers to the questions above, then go from there....
 

fickla

Experienced Member
do you ever play tug of war with your dog? When I am teaching dogs to tug it is always much easier if they are familiar with the game! Once I get the dog using some strength with a rope in my hand, I put it on a really light basket. Sometimes I hold the end of the rope still to get the dog to tug.

Another idea I have used is to teach the dog to put the rope in y hand. Then I put it on a light basket a few inches away and reward for the rope being put in y hand.
 

tugidq64

Experienced Member
thank you for your suggestions. My girl is five years old. she is a reactive dog
so does not play with any toys with other dogs. She plays fetch and can bring me almost anything. She chews on sticks and bones. She will take the rope in her mouth but will not pull hard on it. I try to teach her tricks so she won't be bored.
Thank you. Debby and Belle
 

swords

New Member
tugidq64;22572 said:
thank you for your suggestions. My girl is five years old. she is a reactive dog
so does not play with any toys with other dogs. She plays fetch and can bring me almost anything. She chews on sticks and bones. She will take the rope in her mouth but will not pull hard on it. I try to teach her tricks so she won't be bored.
Thank you. Debby and Belle
You got a good dog on your hands. Mine just sits there and stares :(
 
Top