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From: JM
Date: 10/30/00
Time: 11:39:13 PM
Remote Name: 209.112.145.235
Early in the season, young dogs, in their exuberance and enthusiasm, often chew necklines (or the mainline..or the handlers sleeve). Certainly a lifelong bad habit can begin here and must be addressed but have a care how you go about it.
Personally I prefer using light cable and a smallish (1/4" snap that will break on any kind of significant impact) and cable center mainline (when training young dogs). Generally after awhile it becomes obvious to the dog that cable is "unrewarding". By the middle of the training season you can likely go back to regular line. Remember..you can't be beside every puppy all the time, and every time a dog saws off a line it's reinforcement of a potential habit.
I really hesitate to discipline a dog when it's in a high state of enthusiasm. I don't suggest that a hookup should be total chaos..you need to be able to ask for and get the dogs attention. But, a dog may not even know it's being chastised for biting a line..it could just as easily think it's being instructed NOT to be enthusiastic (and remember, discipline effects the dog alongside and the dogs ahead and behind..the entire team in fact..even the guys who are watching from the sidelines). Why not make it mechanically impossible for him to cut the line and eventually he'll give it up..that's easy, and it can be done without suppressing the good with the bad. Try to look at it as the dog see's it. Got to think like a dog..Cheers..Joe