My male Dobermann has trouble with his targeting and has been training for a while. I understand that a dog will bite more towards the ends when he lack confidence and more towards the middle when they are more confident. Is there a point in which you teach the dog to bite a specific spot rather than allowing the dog to bite where it feels most comfortable? Basically, teaching the dog that he will bite the middle or not get the bite at all. Or do you always let the dog bite where it feels most comfortable?

I think genetics are the biggest factor in how much committment a dog shows in a bite. To these dogs, targeting the center comes so naturally because this is where they get the biggest mouthful, as if they were trying to catch live prey. These dogs show that they really want to catch their prey. But the bite surface could also be a factor. If the bite bar area is too hard, dogs tend to go for an end where it's softer or gives more. Is the helper keeping everything in prey?

Michael... a good decoy/trainer will be able to tell you rather quickley if your dog is ready to target the inside of the body.

If your dog is ready to work the inside your trainer will put the dog on a posted long line and will provide the specific target for the dog to bite, be it chest bite, back bite, or whatever. When you get into making a transition to inside bites, the skill and ability of your decoy/trainer become realy important. The inside bites are going to be more stressfull for your dog so it will take a good decoy to not over pressure your dog and set back your training.

I understand that genetics plays a big part, but I was just wondering if certain genetic problems can be overcome with teaching/training (basically teaching the dog what to do if the dog does not do it naturally).

I wasn't referring to targeting the inside of the body. I was referring more to the sleeve at the moment. If the dog targets the end of the sleeve near the wrist, do you just let the dog take the bite or could you cause the dog to miss until it targets more of the middle of the forearm?

I have played with the my dog using the puppy tug and when he tries to bite the ends, I would just move the ends out of the way, so he kept missing. After missing a couple times, he eventually became frustrated and took the bite in the middle. Is this OK to do or should I just let me dog bite where it naturally wants to bite?

How the helper sets the target is a huge factor too. Is he setting it so that the dog can get a nice, comfortable grip on the bite bar? Or is the bite bar turned lop-sided in a way where it's not a comfortable place to bite?

How much fight the helper puts into the game can be an issue too. Does the dog know he can win a rough game of tug with the helper? Or is the helper putting too much fight into it, making the dog think he's weaker. I'm no expert helper or anything, but it seems to me that the more a dog knows or "thinks" he's the toughest, the harder he tries. And the ones who try the hardest always go for that deep, full grip. And naturally, they target the center because that's where the fullest grip is. So it's the helper's job to make this dog "think" he's the strongest dog on planet earth. That's just my 2 cents.

Michael
Mike is right but to answer your question, Yes you can teach the dog to bite the center. You can buy or make a sleeve with a hard, non bitable plastic at both ends. The only place the dog can bite and get a grip is the center 8 inches.

Ron

I would work the dog on a bungee back tie for a while just out of range. Frustrate and only present the middle section of the sleeve for a bite. He can either bite low and closer to the helper or in the sweet spot. Not on the end of the sleeve.

Release should be quick anytime the bite is deep in the center and make sure you are running the dog correctly so the grip does not fall and stay's deep. If he regrip or drop you kick out sleeve to decoy and he run away.

Kick out and repeat agitation and end session with helper running away with no bite. Less bite, and more precise bite, and reward for good deep bite in center will help.

Helper must be good to present sleeve correctly. I've seen helpers present the sleeve hand up to make the bad bite more difficult, but I don't like because the dog's head isn't level and comfortable. Should be comfortable in begining and also very calm and no pressure.

Thanks for the info guys. Where can I get a bungee that is appropriate for this type of training?

Michael

I would not try the good doctors tricks just yet – I know what he is referring to we use it as well but only much later – A Dobie is a soft dog and any bad hard incident like being ejected in reverse gear back to the pole or fence via a bungee cord would most certainly totally screw up your dog.

In my humble opinion , you need to do more tug work, to get the dog to bite with confidence and start to lift the dog when on the tug until he is fully extended and standing up right still holding the tug, the only way to teach a dog not to just go for the outer end of the arm is to raise the arm higher and higher with every lesson, so that the dog has to jump up to get it until it is only the elbow that is low. Don’t use a hard arm, soft or intermediate with no bite bars.

Lastly – take Mathew Grubb’s first point to hart. –

I think Geel might misunderstand this exercise.

Artur doesn't use a true bungee line. It is a 25' climbing line with a 10-2 or a 10-1 give. 2' of give for every 10' of length. That means the dog isn't going to be flung anywhere. The only two things that happen are the bite is more restricted so the dog learns to target better and hold his grip, and there is a light back pressure as soon as the dog takes the bite without the added pressure of the helper tugging, pulling, or doing anything else over the dog. (which might be the problem now, added pressure you know)


You work calm and under close handler support at the end of the line, similar to a regular tie out. The helper plays nice prey and always presents the sleeve so only the center can be reached. By angling his body away and then turning away he will be weak for the dog, and only allow him to target correctly.

Never is there enough snap in the line to do anything but give back pressure for your dog. He isn't going to be slingshot backwards. Only pulled back just out of range if he misses and only given nice back pressure on the bite. You are not doing long attacks while on this line, use it like a regular tie out. Just with about 3 feet of gray area at the end.


You could do the same thing with a tug if you wanted to, but the sleeve works as well.