hi All,

Just wanted to give an update on how my 11 week old GSD is doing with building drive... I have Bernhard's DVD and it's well worth the money... I have been using it alot and getting pretty good results.. I was using a small orbee on a rope but was having problems. Miera seems to be a bit young to really focus on the ball and target it. She kept biting the rope and holding that.. So I took Bernhard's advice and now am using a Lunge whip that I got at a local tack shop for 10 bucks.. I attached a little more rope to it and put the ball on the end of that.. What a difference.. She is going crazy.. Almost cat like.. I'm sure if my neighbors see what I'm doing they will think I lost my mind.. Oh well.. Im into results.. Anyway.. She goes after the ball probably 80 percent of the time now and holds it in her mouth.. She will target the rope occassionally if she gets really frustrated..Now I'm working on her grip. I can pull the ball pretty easily from her mouth but she immediately goes back into drive. I'm going to try a piece of tore up jute or felt next.. I'm sure she'll like that.. But I'm not sure how well that will work because she will be able to really get ahold of it.. and I dont want to rip it outta her mouth because it sometimes gets caught on her canine.. Maybe I can start to introduce the "out" Also I need to start the in my arms routine.. Not sure how natural that will be because the whip naturally puts the ball outta my reach.. Not sure how to bring her in yet.. I'll keep ya posted.. Cheers!!

Starbuck likes the Orbee on a whip too. She was 15 weeks on Wednesday. Someone said not to work on the "Out" yet. I usually play tug or let her lead me around for a bit when she gets the ball. Her grip is also light enough that I can usually pop the ball out of her mouth.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa155/Nightmare_pics_999/Whip.jpg

Thats good to see others look just as silly out in thier yard as I do.. J/k.. This is a very good technique.. Seems to be working for Miera... Thanks for the pic.. thats the exact set up I have... Thanks to Bernhard.. What a good idea...Your pup is soooo cute.. Everytime I come across one of your posts I always take a few moments to check it out.. She looks soooo focused at that age.. And the green ear is a nice touch.. So have you figured out a way to incorperate the into my arms with the whip? I didnt get a chance to try it yet but I plan to once I get home.. I'm going to try some other items other than the ball too.. Im thinking maybe a bunch of feathers or felt... So if you dont mind me asking what made you decide on a white shepherd? Pretty bold seeing there seems to be a stigma with the AKC and others.. I'm glad you did.. Maybe it will help lose that idealogy.. Good luck and thanks for sharing. It's always nice to hear and see what others are doing..

When you want to bring the pup closer to you, either raise the shaft of the whip vertically, or just move your hand up the shaft of the whip till you have the puppy closer. Also, you could drop the whip all together and use the lead that should be dragging behind the puppy to reel her in.

You will have to base the decision on the puppy's intensity at that moment in time. If the pup is gripping the ball well, you can probably get away with dropping the whip. If you are afraid that the pup will drop the ball if you drop the whip you will need to work on keeping some tension or movement in the ball while it is in her mouth.

Don't worry what the neighbors think. They are most likely right. :-)

I have not started a full "into my arms yet", I choke up on the whip and run the handle under my armpit. I hold the white string and rub down both sides of her body. She will usually hold unto the ball while I do this. If I drop the whip she seems to turn in a circle and gets tangles up in it. A third arm would make it much easier.

This is my third Shepherd and my second White Shepherd. My last White Shepherd was by far the best dog I have owned. She did have some medical problems (epileptic seizures). I spent a lot of time searching on the new before I chose this pup. I don’t know if she will have the ability to do Schutzhund or not, but I plan to find out.

Here are a couple links that talk about the history of the White Shepherd and why they were outcast.

http://www.wgsdca.org/thebreed/gsdvswgsd.asp

http://www.awsaclub.com/history.htm

Hi David,

Just a comment on the rope biting vs. ball biting. My dobe did the same thing for quite awhile her first few weeks, she would go for the rope and avoid the ball. At first I was worried about it, but decided not to make it a problem. Sure enough, when she got a little bigger, she started going for the ball only. It righted itself :-)
Lynn

Since Leerburg Kenneld doesn't sell them, any ideas how to make this flirt pole / lunge whip? The rope and toy on the end part is straightforward, it's the pole / whip itself that I'm trying to figure out. Seems that it would work a lot better if the pole were flexible to exaggerate the prey-like lovement of the toy.

Someone suggested a thin piece of plastic electrical conduit (pipe). This isn't a bad idea.

Any other ideas? Also, how long? The one Bernard uses appears to be about 5' long, plus the rope.

Ted
I just used an old fishing pole.

Hi Robert,

Did you find it too flexible for good action?

Ted
The one I used was an 8ft pole that came apart in the
middle. I used the lower, thicker half and it worked
great. But your right it would depend on the pole. I
guess I got lucky having it lying around.