Play “Tug of war” with your dog is a good way to give a vent to his natural propensity to grasping and pull objects with their mouths. It’s also a useful game to teach basic education and to attract his attention when he’s excited.
The “Leave It” command is part of basic education of the dog and is very useful in everyday life. It’s a game that would be good to start from the 2 months of age (avoiding the teething period), because it teaches the dog the respect and collaboration while having fun.
Some trainers claim that this game can stimulate aggression and possessiveness, but these are part of the genetic makeup of the dog and it is better to know and control their levels, rather than trying to suppress them and see them explode when least expected.
To play “Tug of war” you must have a knot rope toy with two handles so you can firmly grasp the game when the dog will pull, preventing it from being stolen from your hand (something very wrong for education); in fact, the dog will have to leave the game on command and not steal it from your hand.
The knot rope toy must be moved on the ground, as if it were a prey so that the dog triggers the predatory instinct to grab it.
When the dog has grabbed it, we can play by pulling and leaving the outlet, and then give the command “leave it”. When the command is given, we stop moving the game and remain motionless. When the dog has left the object, praise him and say “Leave it”, giving him the game and starting to pull back again.