reply back from the temperment tester for Pets for Life..didn't answer my question as to very young puppies but I thought i would share the answer anyway.
Hi ~
There is always disagreement about whether or not to play tug of war with dogs.
I have gone to many seminars and training sessions and alot of trainers use tug of war to reward dogs in training and/or for tasks requiring high-drive behavior. The game is carefully structured. The dog learns to play only when the handler initiates the game.
The dog must be taught to release the tug object immediately when told. Training for control is a must. In this setting I have not heard of any aggression or negative behavior in these dogs associated with tug of war.
As a family dog - tug of war can present problems because it becomes a wild game and someone can be hurt or hurt the dog.
Children can get too excited with this game and it can get our of control. The dog can miss the tug toy and get a hand or clothing.
It can become a dominance confrontation. Puppies will challenge your authority. Proper training is a must.
I know lots of family dogs that play tug with very few rules, if any, who have no problems. Rules are good and in general,
very important. But not
necessarily. It depends on the personality of the dog, the relationship with the people he's playing with and a lot more. Toker didn't always know the rules and she played with my adult son, her real owner. There were never any accidental bites or dominance displays. It was all happy, silly and fun for her, no matter how wound up she got. Do I recommend playing tug without rules?
Hell no. Structure is infinently better. But I have, in the past with dogs before I knew any better and I never had any problems with those particular dogs.
I do agree that children probably shouldn't play this with dogs, at least, small children or unsupervised children. Yes, accidental nips, claws etc can happen.
As far as dogs associating this game with some kind of social rank? (dominance) Sorry....don't buy that one at all. This is not something in a dog's repertoire of social dominance. It is not a function used between them or between them and us, as a dominance challenge or to establish rank. It is a cooperative game. Didn't you read Jean Donaldson's example of other canids, when they take down game? They all get around the large animal and pull. One pulls from one side or angle, one pulls from another, ripping meat off. They are not fighting over the large animal. They're sharing and manuvering in a way that allows them to rip off a hunk of meat, which is no easy feat. That meat is tough and without resistance, it would difficult to pull off a hunk. It's a cooperative game when they play tug of war.
This is the opinion of virtually all behaviorists who I've read....veterinary behaviorists, behavioral biologists, ethologists etc... people with advanced degrees in animal behavior. I don't know who this group is you mention either. What is their education or credentials in animal behavior?
As you have read here, 99.999999% of dog owners have played tug of war with all their dogs and have had NO problems. It is extremely rare to have the kinds of problems you're talking about. I'd venture to say that it is hundreds of times more likely to have aggression problems caused by something else.