Nico loves a good game of tug. Recently, we’ve been working on sharpening up his “out” command. Right now, he varies from an immediate out to taking a few seconds to release. We want him to release the toy immediately when we give him this command. Why? Well, it’s a great exercise in teaching him impulse control and conditioning him to respond immediately to our commands. This has practical and potentially lifesaving applications. If he picks something up that is dangerous, we want him to release it immediately without having to pry open his mouth. Or if he accidentally grabs onto something he thinks is a toy but isn’t, we also want him to release it immediately. The key to this is that when he releases, he gets rewarded, so he doesn’t perceive releasing something that he wants and is having fun playing with as a bad thing. If you are looking for a tug toy for your dog, we highly recommend the Herm Sprenger Jute Toy; it’s super durable and soft on the dog’s mouth.

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Gear Used For This Shot

Sony A7RIV - Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM - Dogtra Tom Davis 280C E-Collar - Lupine Originals Wet Paint Collar - LuckyPet Rive-On Pet ID

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