We're debating right now the ability to have a small, reasonable toy attached to the leash.
If the dog is going to play with the leash when the run is over, the toy really isn't that much different.
Same reward, same behavior.
I would start pushing clubs to have a bucket at the finish line, so when a handler asks for their leash on the ground it goes in the bucket, and not just sitting on the ground so we don't run into issues with targeting at the finish line.
I suppose my confusion is this.
The run is over. All we care about is the performance of the dog between the first and last obstacles. Why not let people reward their dogs? The main argument is that it's distracting to other dogs. Which I disagree. Many things are distracting to other dogs, that doens't mean we don't allow them. Lots of people have mentioned it's an aggressive behavior, yet I haven't seen a certified behaviorist say anything. And the few certified people that I do know, have zero issue with tugging from a behavior standpoint.
What is the difference in a dog grabbing a leash to tug after they have been leashed up, or grabbing a tug toy attached directly to that same leash?
I wouldn't want the toy to be removable from the leash, cause that would be an issue. But if it's just an extension of the leash, why are we so against it?