American Staffie aggresive play

Question
My husband and I are about to adopt 16 month old Staffie/Great Dane mix. He's been in and out of shelters and homes, and seems to be the sweetest dog. The pet rescue organization confirms that he is. I am aiming for quite a bit of exercise for him during the day, morning, midday and evening walks/play time in the dog run. And he is neutered and will be the only animal in the house.
Here's the thing: I was told that one should never, ever engage these breeds in tug-of-war games or wrestling. I'm a bit crestfallen, that's one of the fun things about owning a dog - you get to play! When I met with the dog, I was playing around with a ball he had in his mouth, and he seemed to enjoy the game, didn't get aggresive or upset at all. Mind you, it didn't escalate and I didn't keep it up for very long.
My question is: if we establish who's boss and get to know him and establish the trust and all that good stuff, take it easy, why could we not do some mild (and I do mean mild) tug of war and wrestle play? I do think that dogs enjoy it enormously, even pits, when they know it's a game and at the first sign of it turning into something else, it get's stopped. And I am talking about mild play, nothing terribly rough or over the top.
Or am I just asking for trouble?
Thanks

Answer
Hi, Lauren,

Thanks for the question.

Playing tug-of-war is one of the best things you can do, both WITH and FOR your dog. It doesn't cause aggression at all. In fact, if anything it's an acceptable outlet for all the pent-up aggression the dog already feels because of the fact that dogs are hunters who for the most part have nothing to hunt; they get their food in a bowl.

There are some simple rules about how to play:

Use a bandana or an old sock, not a rope or rubber tug toy: they have enough "play" built in, while the sock goes limp in the dog's mouth, which will motivate him to bring it back for another round.

Always let the dog win. Why would he want to play if he doesn't win at least some of the time? Besides, winning builds a dog's confidence and creates more of a feeling of wanting to listen to and obey you.

Always praise the dog enthusiastically for winning. Praise creates a feeling of connectedness between the two of you, and it motivates him to bring the toy back. And praise's overall effect in other areas is always much stronger if the dog is praised while he's already feeling the intense satisfaction of using his teeth to "kill" a toy.

Always quit before he gets tired or bored. It's like the show biz maxim: always leave them wanting more...

I hope this helps. And check out my blog and website for more ideas. You might especially want to read my article on "The Myth of the Pack Leader." It turns out that there IS no pack leader in wild wolf packs. Interesting, huh?

LCK
http://www.leecharleskelley.com
http://LeeCharlesKelleysBlog.blogspot.com