I thought I'd toss in a new feature I'd like to call "training
tidbits." These are little bits of polish training that aren't
necessarily required of service dogs, but add that little extra touch.
I'd like to start with one I call "fix it." How many times have you
had a dog on a loose leash step over the leash, or walk around a tree
and get tangled? The dog can untangle themselves just as well as the
human can if he's taught to figure it out. I teach this very simply.
Once a leg is over the leash I hook the hanging loop under the dog's
pastern and gently tug and release, tug and release, while saying "fix
it." The tugs the dog's attention on the leash stuck on his foot.
Most dogs will naturally lift a foot with this sensation and can then
be reinforced for "fixing it" themselves. Once a dog gets the idea of
leash handling from the dog's point of view it's not to hard to extend
it to apply to going around things as well. Given enough practice,
some dogs will even start doing it on automatic and not need the
reminder to "fix it."