I have an 18-month-old GSD who I'd like to do Schutzhund with. He won't bite a sleeve and has tail-chasing problems. Is there away I can work with him?

HI,

My name is Andy and I have an 18 month old German Shepherd male with 1/4 DDR. He is not a German import but he does have the bloodline due to his mother and father being imports. When I first purchased him I took him home and only started on obedience work. But after learning more about the breed and acquiring a few more shepherds I have decided to train him for Schutzhund. He has all his obedience work needed for Schutzhund but I have not trialed him yet for his bh. He also does great on the agility course. But when I try and get him to do bite work he will not bite the sleeve. Also when I try to get him to track he will only focus on me not the ground. The reason I want him to get trained for Schutzhund is because he has a problem. He chases his tail all the time. I have tried using an electric collar, putting a head collar on him and even giving him a ball or two for him to switch his attention from the tail to a toy. The only time he does not chase his tail is when I am working with him on obedience work or on the agility course. It seems he has no prey drive at all but I know he has got to because of his pedigree and the way he constantly chases his tail all day long. Is there a way I can get him to bite the sleeve to get his attention off of the tail???