Most of us probably think of “playing tug” as a one-person, one-dog game. Or a two-dog game. Or a two-team game: Those tug-o-war contests in management courses that intend to build teamwork feature two teams — two teams that are pitted against one another. It’s a reasonable understanding. The players are tugging at opposite ends of a rope, after all. There are only two ends.
But what happens when there are three dogs?
Option 1, one dog gets left out, is unacceptable.
Option 1a, the left-out dog has to play with Mom, is even worse.
Option 2, the third dog hassles the other two and badgers them into giving up their game, ends up making everyone miserable.
Enterprising dogs come up with Option 3, a solution that is better in so many ways.
Option 3 is three-way tug. All three dogs get to engage, play, tug on the rope. No one wins. No one loses. No one is left out. Instead of tug being a zero-sum game, tug becomes an enjoyable, collaborative activity. The goal is having fun. And the more fun each dog has, the more fun they all have. Everyone wins. But Mom/auntie gets left out.
Actually, that is not true either. Mom gets to sit on the sidelines and take photos and enjoy the dogs enjoying themselves.
Truly, everyone wins.
So, what did I learn from watching Cali and her cousins invent and play three-way tug?
- There are many ways to solve a problem.
- It’s possible to find a solution that benefits everyone.
- Collaboration is rewarding and, in some cases, a lot of fun.
- Rather than sulking over being left out or bullying your friends, it’s possible to change the dynamic to something more positive.
- Having fun until you’re too tired to stand, then taking a nice nap, is a better way to spend the afternoon than arguing or feeling resentful.
- Dogs are smarter than people.
OK, I already knew that last one.
Dogs are great problem-solvers. They live in the moment and want to be part of whatever fun thing is happening. Maybe the solution was obvious; it didn’t take long for these three doggy friends to come up with it.
But if it’s so obvious, how come none of us ever thought of three-way tug?
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Three-way Tug-Of-War (3WTOW) has apparently been around for quite some time. I came across a sketch of it in a 1930’s Boy Scout Patrol Leaders Handbook. No instructions or explanation – not even a name for it. Just a sketch of 3 boys obviously playing a variation on the usual TOW arrangement. One has to assume the sketch referenced a game people already knew about and didn’t require an explanation, so 3WTOW pre-dates the 1930’s at latest.
So, I created a rope arrangement that could accommodate up to six participants with rules and variations on how to play. Basically it was a one-inch diameter cotton rope triangle with 8 foot sides. At each corner of the triangle were two 6-foot rope loops. If you were just playing three people, they wore both loops around their waist. If you were playing six people, each person got a loop.
At the Bay City (Michigan) River of Time Living History event, our Scout Troop demonstrated 3WTOW for many years (2003 to 2017) and invited the public and school kids to play.
Of course there were the testosterone fueled football jocks going against each other.
Personal favorite was to get two high school physics class girls going against two teams of two boys. Before starting, I’d quietly mention to the girl team that it was a vector problem – that strength was secondary. It was glorious if they understood the hint and the two girls beat the four boys.
We are headed over to Coloma California for Gold Rush Live next week (2024 Oct 10 to 13) and taking the 3WTOW rope along. Fun for all.
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