The Spaniel Annals

Brian loves toys, and so we’ve been doing some tugging as part of his puppy training.  I’m not into tugging like some trainers, who often seem to use the activity as a way to amp up the dog before running on an agility course.  I’m not sure running an overly aroused dog on an agility course is good anyway, and I definitely don’t want it for the obedience ring.  But tugging has other benefits.  Here we’re working on two things: stillness for a few seconds before a “strike” at the toy, and then releasing the toy when it goes “dead.”  I need to get better at this, but he does release near the end of this brief session.  Eventually this release will become an “out” for a retrieve, and overall I hope it dispels any tendency towards excessive possessiveness of toys.  Little baby steps are in this video, but they make a good start.