Could never understand why some would smack their dog with a flashlight or fist to break them off.........They teach their dog to catch and then in a split second punish it for doing what it was taught.....I dont believe any good catch dog should have the "lightswitch" speed to turn on and off with a verbal command......and at the same time shouldn't be struck to let go of what he is suppose to be caught on......
just my 2 cents.....
My thoughts as well. It shows a person's ignorance to do something like that. It is quite simple and harmless to "choke off" or us a break stick.
You shouldn't be smacking them to not catch,,, should be smacking them for not listening when you say to stop catching. There is a big difference.
When done right you can have a dog with a good handle, when done wrong you can ruin a good catch dog.
Wether you use your hand, boot, lead, shock collar, ect... it should be done to
re-inforce to some thing the dog already knows to do or not do. That applies to children also. You can't just beat them if they do some thing wrong but have never been taught its wrong. That is true ignorance.