September 15, 2022
I plan to do Schutzhund with my 13-week-old Malinois. I have been playing with a flirt pole and soft tugs. He will chase but doesn’t have a full grip and then let’s go. Do you have any suggestions?
Full Question:
My Belgian Malinois puppy is 13 weeks old. I am planning to do Schutzhund with him. I have been playing with him with the flirt pole and soft tug toys to engage him. He will chase the rag but mostly grabs it with front teeth, not a full grip and then lets the toy go. He won't tug on it. And if he does catch it with a full bite he lets it slip out or he wants to lay on the ground and play with it instead of carrying the toy. What would be your suggestion to encourage him to bite with a full mouth and hold on to the toy and tug on it? Thank you 
Cindy's Answer:
How long have you had him? Have you spoken with his breeder about his development?
Have you reviewed all the material in the Foundation of Puppy Bitework video you have? Some puppies are slow starters, a lot depends on genetics which is why I asked about the breeder.
The way a puppy chases and bites is largely genetic and he may just not be ready to play with the kind of intensity you are looking for at this point. If I have a puppy that isn't playing or doing food games or showing intensity I remind myself that they are babies and I take a break from whatever that activity is. If he's not holding on or showing possession for the item I'd take a break and work on food games with him for a while. He's likely to start teething very soon (most pups start losing baby teeth between 14 and 16 weeks) This can be an uncomfortable time for them and the last thing you want to do is to make biting games unpleasant.
If this was my puppy, I'd take a break from biting games and work on tracking and food games that can be used for obedience later. Restrained recalls, luring, etc.
Have you reviewed all the material in the Foundation of Puppy Bitework video you have? Some puppies are slow starters, a lot depends on genetics which is why I asked about the breeder.
The way a puppy chases and bites is largely genetic and he may just not be ready to play with the kind of intensity you are looking for at this point. If I have a puppy that isn't playing or doing food games or showing intensity I remind myself that they are babies and I take a break from whatever that activity is. If he's not holding on or showing possession for the item I'd take a break and work on food games with him for a while. He's likely to start teething very soon (most pups start losing baby teeth between 14 and 16 weeks) This can be an uncomfortable time for them and the last thing you want to do is to make biting games unpleasant.
If this was my puppy, I'd take a break from biting games and work on tracking and food games that can be used for obedience later. Restrained recalls, luring, etc.
User Response:
Thank you so much I will try that and ask the breeder as well. I watched the puppy foundation video. He does good with food I play food chasing games and he loves that.
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