Before you can add rules, you need a dog who wants to play. This stage is about making tug the best thing that’s ever happened to Melon. No rules yet — just pure drive building.
Assessment First
Your first session is diagnostic. Grab a tug toy and find out where she is:
Already a tug monster? She grabs immediately, pulls hard, won’t let go, gets excited when the toy appears. Skip ahead to the “Building Intensity” section and you might clear this stage in 2-3 sessions.
Interested but tentative? She’ll grab it but lets go quickly, or only engages for a few seconds. Start at “Getting Her Interested” and build from there.
No interest in tug? Won’t engage with the toy at all. Not a dealbreaker — some dogs need to learn that tug is an option. Start at “For the Reluctant Tugger.”
For the Reluctant Tugger
Some Staffies are natural tuggers. Some aren’t. If Melon doesn’t engage with tug, don’t force it — build it.
Prey drive activation (2-3 sessions):
- Drag the tug toy along the ground away from her (never toward her)
- Make it move like prey — erratic, darting, unpredictable
- Any interest (sniff, paw, chase) → YES + treat
- Any mouth contact at all → YES + jackpot (3-4 treats rapid fire)
- Don’t hold the toy up in her face. Prey moves away, not toward.
The sock trick: Stuff treats inside a knotted sock or fleece tug. She investigates, mouths it, discovers it smells like food. Builds positive association with gripping fabric.
Toy-food pairing (1-2 sessions):
- Present the tug toy → immediately give a treat. Repeat 10 times.
- She starts to perk up when the toy appears (it predicts treats)
- Now: present toy, wait for any mouth contact → YES + treat
- Gradually require more engagement before the marker
If she’s still not interested after a week: Try different toy materials. Fleece, leather, fur, firehose. Some dogs have strong texture preferences. Also try different movement styles — faster, slower, along the ground vs. in the air.
Getting Her Interested
She’ll engage but doesn’t commit. Let’s build that commitment.
The keep-away game:
- Show the tug, let her see it, then pull it away. Make it scarce.
- Present it low to the ground, moving away from her
- When she grabs → let her win sometimes. Tug lightly and let her “beat” you
- Winning builds confidence. A dog who always loses stops playing.
Building grip strength:
- When she grabs, provide light resistance. Not enough to make her let go — just enough that she has to pull
- Match her intensity. If she’s pulling at a 3, you’re at a 2. Always slightly less than her.
- Gradually increase your resistance as her grip strengthens
- Celebrate the grip. “Good girl!” with genuine excitement
Movement is key:
- A dead tug is boring. Keep the toy alive.
- Side to side works better than pulling straight back (straight back can feel confrontational)
- Low to the ground mimics prey. Most dogs engage harder with ground-level movement.
- Short bursts of play (10-15 seconds) followed by a brief pause, then restart
Building Intensity
She’s grabbing and pulling. Now make it a game she can’t get enough of.
Match and amplify:
- Play at her level + 10%. If she’s at medium intensity, you go to medium-high
- Your excitement drives hers. Be animated. Use your voice. Move your body.
- When she commits hard → you commit hard back. Tug genuinely. Make it a fight.
Let her win (sometimes):
- Release the toy and let her parade around with it. This builds confidence and possession.
- Act like she beat you. “Oh no, you got it!” (genuine enthusiasm, not sarcasm)
- When she’s won 2-3 times, she’ll want to come back for more
The toy appears and disappears:
- After a good bout of tug, put the toy behind your back. Game over.
- Wait 5-10 seconds. She’ll look at you, wonder where it went.
- Bring it back out. Game on! This builds anticipation and value.
Multiple toys:
- Have two tug toys. When she has one, make the other one come alive
- The game of “which one” builds drive and keeps things unpredictable
- This also preps for the two-toy method you’ll use in fetch later
Session Structure for This Stage
Warm-up: 3-5 marker reps (YES + treat) to connect Main work: 3-5 rounds of tug play, each 10-20 seconds, with brief pauses between Cool-down: Calm praise, treat scatter on the ground, let her decompress
Total: 5-8 minutes
What to Watch For
Good signs:
- She engages faster each session
- Her grip is getting stronger
- She’s bringing the toy back to you after winning
- She gets excited when she sees the tug toy come out
- She’s making play-growly noises (this is good — it’s drive, not aggression)
Warning signs:
- Mouthing your hands instead of the toy → redirect to toy every time, end session if persistent
- Getting frantic and unfocused → she’s over threshold, slow down or pause
- Not engaging at all → try different toy, different energy level, different time of day
Ready to Advance
Move to Stage 2: Rules & Structure when:
- Melon engages with the tug within 5 seconds of presentation
- She grips and holds for at least 5 seconds of active tug
- She shows visible excitement when the tug toy appears
- She re-engages after pauses (comes back for more)
- You’ve done at least 3 sessions at this level
All criteria met across 2-3 consecutive sessions? Move on.