I posted this on the clickersolution list... for some reason people seemed to enjoy it, so I guess I could share it here too.
The post was made in response to a question on how to deliver treats smoothly while training LLW/Heeling
You could go with the method I used:
Treat bag on your right side, dog on your left. Clicker and line in
left hand. Get a handful of treats - start walking and hurry to c/t
while big puppy is still in position. While trying to reach around
yourself to treat the puppy with the hand furthest away from her, you
*must* make sure to have an appropiately strong "Dooh" moment where
you realise that you should have put the treat bag and treat-hand
closest to the dog. Make sure that the Dooh moment is very shot, for
while you are having it your pup will jump in front of you to
facilitate the treatdispensing, bouncing your hand in the process,
which greatly helps in scattering the treats , most of them falling
into your dog's face. This will make her stop on the spot to receive
the unexpected bounty from above, which enables you to a) fall over
her b) tangle yourself in her line (focus on your legs here) c) make
an athletic effort to avoid landing on top of your dog or d) all of
the above. I personally chose method d). This has the added benefit
of giving your dog plenty of time to eat the handful of treats while
you lie moaning on the ground and attempt to untangle your legs from
the line. If done correctly the athletic avoidance maneuver in c)
will make most of the treats fall out of the treatbag (remember to
leave the bag open, if you close it you loose this quite spectacular
effect) - this extra scattering of treats will send not only your
own, but also any nearby dogs (perhaps the entire puppyclass! Or, in
my case, 4 fully grown chessies (of 30-40 kg's each)) into a feeding
frenzy, thereby liberally decorating your clothes with paw prints and
drool marks as they jump around on you to get at the treats.
Furthermore you will experience the benefit of distraction from the
pain of the bruises you got while falling over (re a)) as you
scramble to save as many treats as possible before they are consumed.
The last positive effect of this method is the mood changing effect.
Any spouses, children, passersby or class attendants will greatly
appreciate your efforts to ligthen the mood. And you puppy will love
that you are crawling around on the ground to play with her. She will
show her appreciation by engaging you in play behaviour. If properly
planned you will have grown your hair long and be wearing it in a
ponytail. This helps your pup get a good grip as she initiate a play-
tug-session. Note: it can be quite difficult to distangle hair from
the teeth of a halfgrown puppy, particularly if you were trying to
stand up at the time of grabbing, and are now - as the result of
having 18 kg's of dog hanging from your head - face down on the
ground.
Good luck - enjoy the journey ;o)
