And no…. That’s not the weirdest complaint about a stripper ever. It’s a thing I hear about frequently enough that rather than respond for the 650th time, I thought I’d write an article on the subject!

There are two types of games…. Competitive, and Supportive. Tug with you is “Competitive”, and Spring Pole is “Supportive”.

Most of the time…. In toy based play… dogs are so into trying to get the toy that they happily try to overcome ANY resistance in order to get it. If that’s you holding it, a dog holding it, It tied to a bungee, it stuck under the couch…. They don’t care, they just want to get it!!! They will play EITHER version of toy play. They just want to play.

Sometimes…. We get the dog that will play tug with other dogs, and with a spring pole. But, won’t play with you. This can indicate either not thinking they have permission to play a mock possession game with you. Or….. Several other issues. But….. That’s for another time.

But…. The point of THIS article is to address the OPPOSITE issue. A dog that loses interest in the toy when you AREN’T holding it.