Dogs play tug of war with each other because it’s one of the most effective ways they build social bonds, practice physical coordination, and communicate trust. It looks competitive, but tugging between dogs is fundamentally cooperative. Both dogs have to agree to grab the same object, match each other’s intensity, and keep signaling that the interaction is friendly. It’s less about winning and more about the relationship.
Tugging Strengthens Social Bonds
Play between dogs triggers the release of oxytocin, the same bonding hormone that strengthens attachment between parents and offspring. In a controlled study of 16 adult dogs, researchers found that when oxytocin levels were elevated, dogs initiated play sessions more often, played for longer periods, and directed more play signals toward their partners. The hormone didn’t just make them more active. It specifically increased their motivation to interact with another dog in a playful, affiliative way.
Tug of war is an especially potent form of this social play because it requires sustained, coordinated contact. Unlike a brief chase across a yard, tugging keeps two dogs physically connected and mutually engaged for extended stretches. That prolonged interaction gives both dogs repeated opportunities to read each other’s body language, adjust their grip and force, and reinforce the idea that the other dog is a safe, enjoyable companion.
How Dogs Signal That Tugging Is Play
If you watch two dogs tugging, you’ll notice moments that look surprisingly intense: locked eye contact, stiff bodies, low growls. These are the exact same signals that would indicate aggression in another context. The reason tugging doesn’t escalate into a fight is something researchers call meta-communication, which is essentially communication about communication. Dogs use specific signals to tell each other, “Everything that follows is just a game.”
The play bow is the most recognizable of these signals. A dog drops its front end low while keeping its rear end high, and this posture reframes everything that comes after it. Stiff bodies and direct stares that would normally spell trouble become just pauses between bouts of fun. Dogs also use exaggerated movements, bounce-back retreats, and brief licks to their partner’s muzzle to keep confirming the playful intent. During tug of war specifically, you’ll often see dogs release the toy momentarily, offer a quick play bow, then dive back in, resetting the “this is play” signal before things get too heated.
It’s One of the Most Common Forms of Social Play
Among the different types of social play dogs engage in, tug of war is significantly more common than chasing. A developmental study tracking puppies from three different breeds between three and seven weeks of age recorded 496 instances of tug of war compared to just 136 instances of chase play. Total time spent tugging was nearly ten times higher than time spent chasing. This held across breeds, though the exact balance varied. Poodles and Vizslas showed peak social play behaviors, including tugging, around six weeks of age, with breed-specific preferences emerging shortly after.
The reason tugging dominates is likely practical. It doesn’t require much space, it can happen with almost any object, and it gives both dogs constant physical feedback about their partner’s intentions and energy level. A chase requires open ground and can easily separate dogs from each other. Tugging keeps them face to face.
Puppies Learn Critical Skills Through Tugging
For puppies, tug of war is more than entertainment. It’s a training ground for skills they’ll use throughout their lives. Tugging builds muscle tone, improves grip strength, and develops balance and coordination. These physical benefits matter, but the behavioral lessons are even more important.
When two puppies tug, they’re constantly calibrating how hard to bite, how much force to use, and when to ease off. If one puppy gets too rough, the other will yelp, disengage, or stop playing entirely. This is how dogs develop bite inhibition, the ability to control the pressure of their jaws. A puppy that never learns this through play with other dogs is more likely to bite too hard in social situations later. Tugging also teaches puppies how to read arousal levels in a partner and how to de-escalate when things get too intense, foundational social skills that shape how they interact with other dogs as adults.
Winning and Losing Don’t Affect Status
One of the most persistent myths about tug of war is that it’s a dominance contest, and that letting a dog “win” will make it think it’s in charge. Research has thoroughly debunked this. A study using 30 Labrador Retrievers found that whether dogs won or lost tug of war had no effect on their social relationship. Confidence levels, the measure most closely corresponding to what people think of as dominance, were completely unaffected by who ended up with the toy.
The researchers concluded that play behavior doesn’t establish or change dominance. Instead, it reflects relationships that already exist. Dogs that are confident stay confident whether they win or lose. Dogs that are deferential stay deferential. The outcome of a tug game simply doesn’t carry the social weight that popular training advice once suggested. The one caveat: when play signals are absent or misread, the outcome of physical games can take on more serious meaning. But between dogs that are communicating normally, tugging is just tugging.
When Tugging Stops Being Play
The most reliable way to tell whether a tug session is still playful is body language. Healthy play features loose, relaxed bodies, exaggerated movements, and frequent pauses or role reversals. The shift to watch for is what some behaviorists describe as the “loose to stiff” transition. When a dog’s body goes rigid, its lips pull back tightly, or its nose wrinkles in a way that looks tense rather than playful, the interaction is moving out of the play zone.
A dog that’s no longer enjoying the game will also stop offering play signals. No more bows, no bouncy re-engagements, no voluntary release and re-grab of the toy. If one dog is pulling away and the other won’t let go, or if growling shifts from the theatrical, breathy rumble of play to a lower, more sustained tone, it’s time to interrupt. Most dogs manage this transition themselves. One will simply drop the toy and walk off, or offer a submissive lick to defuse the tension. But when two dogs are poorly matched in size, energy, or social experience, they sometimes need help reading each other’s signals.
Physical Considerations
Tugging is generally safe for dogs’ teeth and jaws, especially when they’re pulling against another dog rather than an immovable object. The give and take between two animals creates a natural shock absorption that reduces the risk of dental injury. The real dental risks come from hard chew toys like antlers, bones, and cow hooves, which can fracture teeth and damage gum tissue. A rope toy or stuffed tug toy shared between two dogs doesn’t carry the same mechanical risk.
For puppies still losing baby teeth, very vigorous tugging can occasionally loosen a tooth prematurely, but this rarely causes problems since those teeth were coming out anyway. The bigger concern is size mismatch. A large dog tugging with a much smaller dog can inadvertently jerk the smaller dog’s neck or jaw. Dogs that are well matched in size and play style naturally regulate the force they use, which is part of why dogs tend to choose play partners close to their own size when given the option.