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Play — especially tug of war — is an enormous part of my relationship with Scout. The goal is for her to play with anything because it’s about the game with me, not the specific toy… but she definitely has a few favorite choices.
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Why we love playing tug with our heeler
- Focusing on play has been the singlest best thing we’ve done for our bond. It enables us to interact as fellow creatures — to embrace the emotions and tendencies we share as social mammals.
- Competitive games like tug have done wonders for Scout’s confidence. She’s learned to fight through pressure to become more mentally (and physically) tough!
- Structured play has also built our cattle dog’s focus. Practicing staying committed to the game around distractions and temptations translates into other areas of our life.
- Play is a way to hone many valuable skills (like that aforementioned focus) without the interaction feeling like a high pressure training situation. There’s less leverage involved. More fun!
- Play relieves stress. So do other biologically fulfilling activities like sniffing, foraging for food, and so on. As a generally fearful dog, Scout’s baseline level of stress seems higher than many pets I’ve known — focusing on these things sets her up for more success in our bustling human world.
Related reading and play resources to check out
- Things I Wish I Knew About Playing Tug With My Dog
- Getting My Head Around Cooperative vs Competitive Play
- Reasons We Play With Our Dog “Just to Play”
- Resources We’ve Used to Build Our Dog’s Play With Us
- Our whole Play category
Our dog’s favorite classic tug toys
- Puller Rings
These have been our go-to for years. Pullers are easy for both of us to grip — a win-win for Scout’s confidence (she can get discouraged if the toy is too slippery) and for my own hand strength. You can use code PawScout5 on Amazon or use code pawsandreflect25 for 25% off at this link if you’re interested in getting your own! - DLDR softer ring toy
This is similar to our Pullers but has more give, making it a greater challenge for Scout to hang onto — but a lot of fun. - K9 Tactical Gear Sheepskin Tug and Flirt Pole (sadly this doesn’t seem to be sold anymore, so I’m unable to include a link)
Our dog’s favorite hybrid toys for tug
- Starmark Durafoam Disc
This is what’s featured in our logo! It’s technically marketed as a fetch toy, but the sturdy foam works well for tug too. - Kong Flyer
Same story as above, although this one’s a little harder for us both to grip. Scout still insists on tugging with it whenever she can though.
Our dog’s favorite tiny tug toys
- XDream Dogs Keychain Tug
- Small stuffed squeaky animals
Not exactly my top recommendation for tug across the board… but consistently one of Scout’s very favorite options. Because everything is a tug toy in her world. 😂
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