tug of war for bird dogs?

[Kallista]

Is it ok for a pup to play tug of war, and let him go nuts on a stuff toy once he gets it? Does this hurt him in anyway for releasing a bird? Hes a puppy first, but i don't want to give him bad habits this early on, that i might be able to break later on.. When i say drop it, he does right away.. but i noticed he does bite into it kind of hard..

[Bryce]

Depends on age of pup. I have a period where I let my pups tear apart real birds if they want. Whatever gets there little bird motors churning. Age limit? Depends on the pup. Any chance your avatar comes in a chocolate version? If so, would appreciate it if you would send to spankylabs aol.

[Kallista]

yes it does as well as black, give me a few days to find it on the many disks i have my stuff on..

Thanks for the info..I've been just letting him be a pup.. with basic commands down... just want to make sure i am doing ok with his training

[311Hemi]

IMO....I would not recommend playing tug-of-war with a gun dog. This "game" will put you and the pup on an equal playing field (in his mind) and could lead to potential mouth/delivery issues in the future.

[caseymcq]

I have played tug-o-war with both of my labs. I still do. I have no problems with either of the dogs giving up a bird or having hard mouth.

I have heard people chime in on either side of this issue though. Probably depends on the dog and/or the training.

Good luck with the pup, maybe we'll see the two of you in the woods in the Ely area some time.

[gonefishin11]

I play tug-of-war with my 20 month old lab all the time but when I say "Let Go" she stops. I also only play with ropes and/or stuffed animals.

She does have a soft mouth and has never tried to play with a bird.

[Kallista]

Thank you for all the answers.. It just depend on the dog then?

When we play Hunter tugs but as soon as i say drop it he does and sits right away. When i say easy , he also takes treats very gently as well.. But if i forget to say easy its my fingers too.

I think for now i will not play tug of war with him till he gets a bit older, theres more things he needs to learn first. we can still have a great time with other toys..

We Master.. sit.. come.. drop it..easy..and no..

still working on heel while walking, he seems to like the right size so making him walk on my left becomes a challenge at times..

But i am very happy with his training.

[JDM]

Isn't your pup really young (10 weeks)? Let the little guy have some fun. He has a couple of more months to go before you start to get serious.

[Kallista]

Yes i agree like i said in all my posts, being a puppy comes first..I think hes smart enough to know when its play time and when its bird time... when we play all i have to say is.. drop it and he does right away and sits..

So far he retrieves to my hand and then sits on my left side. He waits for the command before going to retrieve anything, he sits when told. Hes very soft mouth.. but we do that in fun, just the basics for now. Like i said in the above post... heeling for him he doesn't like but he has time for that.. We only do short training with him a few times a day then its all play

The retrieving he just does all my himself, he loves it.

[1runhotshot]

Here is the way I look at it. What is the best thing that can come out of playing "tug of war"?. If it's is just plain ol' fun then why do it? Going for a walk is alot more fun for the little guy. I personnaly don't/won't let it happen for my hunting dogs. Once again, Just my 2 cents.