ramsey and suvi tug-a-thon

At least once a day, we aren't quick enough to grab the cameras (video or DSLR), and we miss recording something cute or funny. Sometimes it's when Pablo is "zooming" and Suvi is encouraging him, or when Suvi is snoring louder than Chad, but recently it's been the tug-a-thons between Suvi and Ramsey...

The video on Suvi's YouTube page shows Suvi and Ramsey laying on the floor tugging on a tennis ball. A lot of times they're upright, and moving through the living room. We often catch ourselves saying "I could sit and watch them all day long!" because they play together so perfectly. Sometimes we choose not to film their antics, because we want to have a little of the time with them just to ourselves. Sometimes, we're just not quick enough to catch those moments.

Last night, however, when one wanted to play
, the other was lazy, and vice versa. At one point, Suvi was wound up and kept sticking a sock in Ramsey's face, pulling it away just as Ramsey tried half-heartedly to grab it. She was actually TEASING her! And she kept doing it until Ramsey made a more concerted effort to play along.

She grabbed onto the sock, and Suvi tugged. Ramsey still wasn't interested enough to get up and play, but she wasn't going to let go. Suvi dragged her across the living room floor, a little further with each tug - and Ramsey just held on for the ride! She eventually stood up and tugged properly, and minutes later, they were both passed out on the couch next to Pablo. They LOVE having one another to play with, and we LOVE the energy it burns. Sleepy puppies are happy puppies!

My take on "tug":

We probably watch five separate games of tug happen at our house on a nightly basis. Some people say that you shouldn't play tug or other rough-housing games with "aggressive" dogs, as it encourages aggressive behavior. I suppose you'd have to first believe that some dogs are naturally aggressive...but since we don't, we allow supervised tug in our house.

That said, Suvi wasn't allowed to tug when she was younger. She first needed to learn some obedience, and specifically "drop it," so that tug games could end on command. Once she got good at that, she was allowed some tugging time - to be ended when I decided we were done, and only with the appropriate toys. Well...that "appropriate toys" thing has gotten a little lax (see the story about Pablo's babies), but tug games still end when we say so - if they're getting too rough, or going on too long (or if we can't hear the TV over the whining and grunting....American Idol is a guilty pleasure in this family)!

It's a good outlet for our girls, and we supervise all of their playing interactions that could possibly lead to something too rough. I can't prescribe what will work for your dogs, but I'm happy to say this is something we enjoy at our house, and love sharing with others! I mean, really....how can you not laugh at a doberman and a pit bull trying to play tug with a tennis ball? It always leads to some silly positions, situations, and two tired girls.