This question has been on my mind for some time, partly because I’m really enjoying playing “soccer” with Callie. You may have seen this photo in an earlier blog, but it gives you the idea.
When I asked Callie’s breeder about playing “tug of war,” she said it’s a bad idea because it can cause aggression in the dog. I guess there’s a point there. Although I did play “tug” sometimes with Jamie (My Doggie Says…) and I don’t think it was a problem. I was careful not to let the game get out of hand, and I tried to “play at Jamie’s level.” My idea was to let her have some give-and-take with me. Not to win outright and not to let her win outright. Just some playful back and forth.
The same thing seems to be working pretty well with my soccer games with Callie. She traps the ball under her tummy, and it’s my job to work it loose and give it a kick. Then she runs and traps it again. The amazing thing, to me, is that she really invented the game. Believe it or not, she started it. The first few days after she arrived at our house, she would hunch down behind the ball and invite me to play.
She doesn’t get real aggressive. She runs fast to trap the ball, but she’s not aggressive toward me in any way.
Jan Fennell, the author I mentioned in yestereday’s blog (The Dog Listener) would say, I think, that contests undermine the “alpha” dominance you need to establish with your dog.
Frankly, I’m a little torn on this issue. I like people and dogs with strong personalities. I spend part of my professional life nurturing people and helping them be strong. So I’m not sure it’s so bad for a dog to have some “alpha” traits while, at the same time, you are trying to be the alpha animal in the household. In the case of both Jamie and Callie, the contests, kept in balance, have been part of our bonding.
I really like the comment Amy made yesterday. “Sometimes I’m alpha, sometimes they (her dogs) are. But, when the game is over, I’m boss again, no questions asked. Seems to work for me. Benevolent but alpha are my watchwords, and this floating of roles during play sessions just feels right in our little world.”
“Benevolent but alpha.”
Why not?
