|
Post by Aussienot on Sept 15, 2007 19:43:04 GMT -5
Tug is a favorite with agility people. It focuses the dog on you so it is a great distraction technique. A lot of people encourage and teach the dog to tug on the leash, because you always have it with you at trials and events. It's mandatory, in fact, and if your dog won't tug, it is generally considered that there is something wrong with your training. The agility mafia blacklist you. Tug with toys is a great game, and Tarot has learned to tug on cue and learned to wait for the command. We play training games using tug as the reward for sitting or dropping. There are rules of the game, and she is learning to 'out' as well as learning impulse control waiting for the release to tug. I have always considered leash tugging by the dog to be a sign of bad manners, and I've wondered why people tolerate it. It's definitely not a good thing in obedience. Well, I have a natural leash tugger in Tarot. She loves to tug on the leash. So far I have distracted her into a more appropriate activity and not encouraged or enable her to do this. I've considered three approaches: My first instinct is to stop it, but I am working hard on training the puppy in front of me and not the dog in my head. She is freely offering this behavior and I can see how it could be useful if it was under control. Ideas, thoughts, perspectives?
|
|