May 19, 2011
My 8 month old Malinois used to have a full grip with no problems with the stick. Now when I get it out her grip goes to heck. What can I do?
Full Question:
Hello Mr. Frawley,I have an 8-month-old Malinois and I have followed your advice on the two tapes I bought (bite work for puppies and first steps of bite work) and I have my Malinois biting very calmly and he will bite with a full mouth and just be so calm on the bite. I used to use the stick in the beginning but he was very nervous around it so I was informed by our decoy to stop using it, so I stopped for 3 months. Now I thought it was time to bring it out again since he was biting so calmly and full, but as soon as I brought it out and I was just holding it while I was letting him bite, his grip is all chewy again and he's all screwed up... even when I tried not using the stick he has lost his nice full calm grip. Can you give me some advice please?? Should I try to bring his bite back again with out the stick or should I get him used to the stick because in Schutzhund there will be stick work?? Thanks for all your help all the time!
Sincerely,
John
Cindy's Answer:
There are three possible reasons for this:
1. Nerves and weak drive
2. You screwed up and used the stick wrong, which caused the dog to do this
3. It may also be a stage of maturity
The nerve issue is hard to work with. Some young puppies (8 weeks) will release the grip when touched by your hand or even stroked or petted with a stick. While others will hold their grip and be unaffected. This is the difference between nerves and drive. There are a bunch of nervy Malinois out there (also a bunch of GSD’s).
On the other part, you only need to make one or two mistakes and hit the dog too hard (as a young dog) and you create big, big problems that take months to fix. Get 5 to 10 sticks. Toss them on the ground in the area that you do your tug work. Have the dog play tug over the stick. When the grip is good, after several training sessions, then just up a stick and hold it. When that goes ok – then just pick touch the pup with the stick (lightly) if it counters then let it win and have the tug.
There is no reason to hit a soft puppy with a stick, there is a need to stroke him, pet him and get him comfortable with the stick. If you screw up and hit him too hard, you run the risk of learning how long a dogs memory is.
The final thing is that young dogs go through hormonal changes as they mature. As a young female comes into her first heat cycle she goes through a great deal of emotional change that she does not understand. It’s like a young girl. She becomes much more emotional and loving, she does not have an elevated fight drive (which handlers may think they want). So the solution to this is to have patience and let the dog grow up. I classify it under “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
1. Nerves and weak drive
2. You screwed up and used the stick wrong, which caused the dog to do this
3. It may also be a stage of maturity
The nerve issue is hard to work with. Some young puppies (8 weeks) will release the grip when touched by your hand or even stroked or petted with a stick. While others will hold their grip and be unaffected. This is the difference between nerves and drive. There are a bunch of nervy Malinois out there (also a bunch of GSD’s).
On the other part, you only need to make one or two mistakes and hit the dog too hard (as a young dog) and you create big, big problems that take months to fix. Get 5 to 10 sticks. Toss them on the ground in the area that you do your tug work. Have the dog play tug over the stick. When the grip is good, after several training sessions, then just up a stick and hold it. When that goes ok – then just pick touch the pup with the stick (lightly) if it counters then let it win and have the tug.
There is no reason to hit a soft puppy with a stick, there is a need to stroke him, pet him and get him comfortable with the stick. If you screw up and hit him too hard, you run the risk of learning how long a dogs memory is.
The final thing is that young dogs go through hormonal changes as they mature. As a young female comes into her first heat cycle she goes through a great deal of emotional change that she does not understand. It’s like a young girl. She becomes much more emotional and loving, she does not have an elevated fight drive (which handlers may think they want). So the solution to this is to have patience and let the dog grow up. I classify it under “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
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