Overview
- Participants rehearse standard dog-handling drills with empty leashes, navigating cones and small jumps and rewarding with imagined treats under trainer Barbara Gerlinger.
- Gerlinger frames the sessions as mental training that builds concentration, posture and voice control, arguing that handling issues begin at the human end of the leash.
- Clips posted by Gerlinger and her son have amassed large audiences online, with one video nearing five million views and reported interest reaching the United States and Japan.
- Social media reactions range from jokes to derision, with commenters alternating between playful disbelief and blunt criticism.
- Supporters highlight no tax, vet bills or cleanup and describe the practice as a dry run before working with real dogs, as seen with participant Anette Hilkert.