Last week, Leerburg hosted a police K9 tracking seminar with Kevin Sheldahl. The seminar is currently being converted into an online training course that will be available soon through the Leerburg Online University.

My dog has started to shut down when I bring out the tug. What do you suggest I do?

I would not allow her access to anything other than the tugs you want her to play with; no balls of any kind right now. This is another form of equipment bias and it is counterproductive to good training. Your dog should happily play with anything you offer, anytime, in any environment. If you give in and go back to playing ball with her when she refuses the tug, you’ve actually reinforced NOT playing with the tug.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL QUESTION AND ANSWER