May 18, 2011
My young dog will work in prey, but the instant the helper slips the sleeve the dog spits it out. What should we do?
Full Question:
Mr. Frawley,I seem to be having difficulty with my dog not wanting to hold the prey. When I try this with a puppy sleeve or with a tug she still stops playing as soon as there is no movement. I purchased your video on The First Steps of Bite Training; however, I had already created the problem. As puppy, we played retrieve with her constantly. She will hold on the sleeve and pull hard until the sleeve is slipped, as long as the sleeve is moving. She loves it when we challenge her with the prey, not in a defense drive but as play. But as soon as we stop she paws and barks at us to challenge her or to throw the item. Now, whenever she does the counter while on the line and we release the prey, she will immediately drop it and look at the helper to take it. I've tried frustrating her by not allowing her to get a bite, numerous times, but after several days of building frustration when she does get the bite, she will still release it and wait. I even tried running in circles with her after she has the prey, but as soon as we stop running, she spits it out and looks at the helper. I've even asked the vet if she has any problems with her teeth and he says that is not the problem. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Pamela
If any readers see this... please learn from my mistakes and get the video for puppies before purchasing a dog!
Ed's Answer:
The dog now must learn through stress. In other words, your helper needs to stress the dog the instant it slips the sleeve. The dog must learn that as long as it grips the sleeve the helper stands passively and waits. But the instant the sleeve is dropped the helper steps in and cracks the dog (how hard depends on the temperament and drive of the dog) with the stick or whip.
When this is done properly the dog will learn in one or two training sessions that it is much wiser to grip and hold. This is the first step to take the dog into defensive training. It is critical work and must be done with a feel for the dog. If the dog is stressed too much it will shut down and go into avoidance (not good).
The First Steps of Defense is the video that shows how to move a dog from bite development into the more serious work. All dogs that are going into more specialized training (Police Service Work, Schutzhund Work or Personal Protection Work) need to go through this phase of training before moving on.
When this is done properly the dog will learn in one or two training sessions that it is much wiser to grip and hold. This is the first step to take the dog into defensive training. It is critical work and must be done with a feel for the dog. If the dog is stressed too much it will shut down and go into avoidance (not good).
The First Steps of Defense is the video that shows how to move a dog from bite development into the more serious work. All dogs that are going into more specialized training (Police Service Work, Schutzhund Work or Personal Protection Work) need to go through this phase of training before moving on.
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