Hi,

I'm new to the board and I'm here to learn from your experiences and mistakes as trainers and handlers...hoping to be sure that I don't repeat them. It looks like there are a ton of folks here that genuinely care for their dogs and the way they live with their dogs, so I think I've come to the right place.

I have a 15 mo. old GSD that shows a lot of dominance, but since I have been following advice in your articles...to the letter...she has been a world of difference with me. The prong collar is a tremendous tool, but the thing Ed's articles made me see most apparent were my flagrant inconsistencies in my training methods...it was my own fault that my Miah didn't come ALL of the time, or charged through the door. I haven't received any of the 4 videos I purchased yet from Leersburg, but I have already seen great improvement and have taken very consistent steps in asserting myself so the dog recognizes me as the pack leader.

Enough about me <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Why I write is bc I would love to train my dog for protection work (and after reading extensively, I know that it may not be possible due to certain inherent characteristics...and that protection work is VERY extensive and difficult). However, I am extremely committed to getting the very best out of my dog and our relationship. So...here are my questions...

1. If you wish to train a dog in protection work, is it already a lost cause when you begin the obedience training? I read a few testimonials to Ed on this site that mentioned not doing any obedience yet bc the owner planned on training for protection. My dog has what seems to be a very strong prey drive to work from and from I've gathered from Ed's articles, she also has hard nerves. I just am scared to quelch her prey drive by incorporating ball distractions into her obedience training. This is her biggest (level 10) distraction....watching another dog/owner play fetch with any flying object...especially a tennis ball.

2. I have done my best to not "over-correct," but Miah has a very high threshold when it comes to corrections. I want them to be motivational enough to get the point, but I don't want to cross that line where I'm moving our training in the wrong direction. Currently, when we train (I'm still waiting for my Dogtra 1200 NC to arrive...let me know if you have any comments on this by the way)...so we train with prong/long and 6' leash...but when we train, she will hear the "NO" from me and as I approach, she will snarl and show her teeth as I go to correct her...and she has laid her teeth on me at times...but I thought the best thing to do would be to show "no fear" and give her an even more motivational correction here. However, the behavior has not ceased and I fear for my wife (and myself a bit) when we correct her. I am confident, after watching Ed's e collar video, that this can be a very usable solution to this problem. But please let me know if any of you have any suggestions here.

I appreciate your help and thanks for reading this "novel." <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Scott

You can do protection after obedience if your dog has the drive to do it. When I get my next dog I'm gonna lay off the obedience, I see certain things that I need to overcome in my dog that could have been avoided if I raised him a little differently, but the theory is that not doing correctional obedience means you're not diminishing any drive the dog has, but if your dog still has the drive - then build it up with drive building exercises (see building drive & focus DVD that Leerburg sells). I'll let other people answer the rest. Even if not training protection work, I reccomend building drive in your dog to everyone except for the people who want a lazy family dog with no joy in their lives <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Thanks Mike...I am going to have our breeder evaluate her for protection work. He's been working in the dog training field for over 10 years with Hawaii PD's and military, so I figure he should be able to truthfully inform me if my GSD has the fundamentals of being a successful protection dog.

thanks!

Where did you get your dog? What lines is he from? Were you looking to get a protection dog when you picked your dog or did you just decide you wanted a GSD with no real thought into what type of temprement you should be looking for?

My advice would be to get the handler aggression issue dealt with first with the help of a qualified trainer .

Generally speaking it is best to start with limited to no obediance work when starting out on protection training . Because it's usually starts off with building the dog's confidence and drives . But it depends on the dog's drives , mental maturity and level confidence .