Having a dog who's breed is designed to run fast and pull hard in harness, Shadow's pulling was not so much oppositional reflex as it was a rewarding job. That is, from his viewpoint, he is supposed to feel tension. I saw this happen when I would switch to the 15 foot lead instead of the 3 foot lead I normally use. I would let it play out and he would feel the lack of tension and stop and wait for me to catch up and "reel in."
And yet, I can have him walk loose leash or in heel because, I think, that is also a job, too. One that I have made as rewarding as pulling. In either case, there is no opposition, only a job to do. The same with down or stay. They are rewarding jobs to do.
And even though it's not exactly stated that way in the other theory, I think the push exercise could have been meant to use the oppositional reflex to strengthen recall, though that is not how I have done it. I have made that a rewarding job, even in the face of distractions.
I still see reward as the ultimate goal for a dog. Is not the release of tension (mentioned so often in the other theory) some kind of reward for the dog? Why would the dog seek to release the tension unless it was rewarding in some way, or another? And if all actions are towards the gaining of resources, from hunting to resource guarding, to stranger dog knowledge to assess friend or foe status, then aren't we able to short cut that by providing the resources for reward in successfully handling those situations in ways that are beneficial to all of us?
In which case, where can oppositional reflex be successfully used?
The way you treat your dog in this life determines your place in heaven. - chukchi proverb
