The video doesn't really do it justice - there was a better one by the same woman (who is a top agility trainer) but it seems to have been take down. Still, as fun as it is, the real point is for training other behaviours, such as a sit to flush, a recall, any behaviour you want. If your dog can stop playing this massively exciting game (once you've built it up) to perform behaviours, you're on a winner
Ah, you have a spaniel. Well....I think you need some spaniel people on the thread, really. Maybe they'll come along. Charlie is quite spaniel like. Some spaniel owners will laugh their heads off at the thought a show line chocolate labrador could be even remotely spaniel like, but those who know him would not. The key to a dog like Charlie (I'll leave the spaniel owners to give you specifics about spaniels) is to keep him occupied and engaged with me. When he was younger, he could not be left to his own devices - at all (he can be these days in certain environments - very thankfully but after a LOT of training). And I think spaniels are pretty much like this. Leave them to entertain themselves, and you are in trouble. And the key to keep him occupied and engaged with me is retrieving (and other games) but nothing comes close to retrieving for him. You absolutely need something within your control that your dog is passionate about - if you are in two minds about tug, it's not going to be that. But games that harness what a dog is MOST passionate about - usually hunting and retrieving in Gundogs - are the things that crack in in terms of rewards. How you 'walk' your spaniel is very, very relevant.
