I have trained Zum that when I make the kissing sound, it means ‘move something.’ If he moves, I stop kissing and I reward him. Zum is going through a phase where he wants to stop on the trail. Sometimes he is afraid of a strange object but sometimes he just stops. I kiss to Zum until he moves his front legs forward. If he doesn’t move, I wait. Sometimes waiting is all he needs. Kicking Zum and getting angry and trying to force Zum to move forward only makes him back up. Being rough is not productive. Being calm and repetitious is a simple way of controlling Zum without causing him pain or discomfort. I never violate Zum’s trust in me. We are building trust with every kiss.
