31/10/2020
It's fine to play tug of war with your dog
Another commonly repeated bit of conventional wisdom is that you shouldn't play tug of war with your dog, because it will cause behavior problems, especially if you let him win the game. This is also largely a myth. A study tested dogs on a set of behavioral measures before and after playing tug of war and found that they increased on a quality called "obedient attentiveness," regardless of whether they won or not. There was no effect on a measure of confidence, so no evidence that the dogs became bossier or more "dominant." The most playful dogs did seek more play and attention after being allowed to win, so just don't let them win every time.