Drive & Focus Training For Malamutes
#184438 - 03/07/2008 12:18 AM |
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Greetings Group:
At present I’m working on getting my oldest Alaskan Malamute interested in a prey item, but so far no such luck after trying several toys (Malamutes are notoriously independent). He’s very food driven, however, so I’ve begun to stuff a Kong ball with steak bits, yet he’s shown little interest in engaging the ball. I’m even considering starving him a little to increase the enticement factor, as Mals can easily go two to three days without a full meal (and still be very active).
It should be noted that I’m not looking for the same intensity of drive as say a GSD or Belgian might display for Schutzhund, but a basis from which to build. The Malamutes will obviously not participate in Schutzhund, so related intensity of drive is not expected; such would be great ultimately gain, but it’s not expected.
I’d like to use drive training as a means to focus the Mals to enhance their pull routines, if possible. Albeit I am realistic in that Malamutes may not be best suited for drive training, and am prepared to adjust accordingly.
In any case, suggestions on getting a headstrong breed (Malamutes) to show interest in drive training would be greatly appreciated. I am hopeful this breed is intelligent enough to do the work (drive training) to whatever extent, but am uncertain how to get these independent dogs rolling.
Thanks in advance for your comments.
Happy Trails,
Mark
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Re: Drive & Focus Training For Malamutes
[Re: Mark Villasenor ]
#184442 - 03/07/2008 12:51 AM |
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I do believe they are intelligent enough, but if they lack drive they lack drive.
Try as many different prey items as you can think of. Have you used a flirt pole? Have you only used a ball on a string? Look around for appropriate items (that will not harm the dog) to test and see which the dogs like best. I have found that leather works quite well. Fake fur, chamois cloth, rolled rag etc. I have used hair on deer skins before, but they were tanned naturally without chemicals.
BDF works for any dog that has enough drive to be interested in a prey item, the ultimate goal for a lot of people might be for protection sport but in general it is for drive building and a foundation of control.
I had a husky and have worked with northern breeds, even a shiba inu. They are fun dogs. Try anything that comes to mind as a prey item, think back if you have noticed your dogs being overly interested in something and try to replicate that in a safe item for drive building.
If they like squeeker toys at all you can try using the squeeker insert, the little plastic squeeker you can get at pet stores or craft stores, to initiate interest. Squeek and move prey item at the same time squeek squeek squeek and move prey item together, build it up and slowly decrease the squeeks until you are only moving the prey item and not squeeking. It may take longer in the beginning of developing the drive before you begin to introduce control.
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Re: Drive & Focus Training For Malamutes
[Re: Jennifer Marshal ]
#184447 - 03/07/2008 01:06 AM |
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Im a northern breed lover here and am currently raising my second husky.
Its not so much that these dogs lack drive..they have plenty of that, its just that they are a lot like cats in that they do it if they feel like it most of the time.
Both Mals and Huskies tend to be Highly Prey driven, they just dont want to work very hard.
I would lean towards smaller fuzzy toys that squeek, mine has a squeeky squirrel, I believe it is an AKC brand toy and was sort of pricey but its very very durable and it looks real enough that I mistake it for a real one more often then Id like to admit.
(I have a hunter gift giver here)
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Re: Drive & Focus Training For Malamutes
[Re: Jennifer Lee ]
#184450 - 03/07/2008 01:15 AM |
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Jennifer while I agree that they are definitely independent they are still pack oriented and with strong pack structure and finding the right prey item they do well. I was not saying I think that malamutes or northern breeds lack prey drive, I was speaking in general that if a dog lacks drive it lacks drive and will not be interested, elsewise find the right item and the right movement and way of working that interests the dog.
I have trained cats using prey and food drive. My current cat does not really like treats too much and as a fussy feline it take him about minutes to eat a treat or snack that he does actually like which interupts the training, but he is crazy for various toys and I use either 4" rabbit fur strips, a catnip mouse, or an elastic no metal hair tie and I have taught him to purr and rub his face on my hand on command, sit, down, come when called, sit up/beg.
Experiment with prey items. Also try slowing down or speeding up the movement or moving more sidelike (away from the body) than just back around the body etc.
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Re: Drive & Focus Training For Malamutes
[Re: Jennifer Marshal ]
#184452 - 03/07/2008 01:27 AM |
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I knew you werent saying they didnt have drive, although I agree some dogs just dont have much.
A lot of northern breeds have tons of it but a lot of them only have drive when they choose to have it.
Levi was one of those dogs, he full of drive, but he was also willfully independent. So while he would happily have pulled a sled all day Im sure, he was never going to win any obedience competition...or probably even pass basic OB classes.
Fargo is a totally different story, much more reserved dog but incredibly high prey and food drive and wonderfully easy to train because of it. His obedience at 5 months rivals my other dogs already.
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Re: Drive & Focus Training For Malamutes
[Re: Jennifer Lee ]
#184456 - 03/07/2008 01:49 AM |
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Sorry Jennifer, must be tiredness but I forgot to not direc that part at you. Paragraphs, Jenn, paragraphs!(talking to self..)
Bear was also very independent, he was the one that went crazy for the deerhide. I added the bit about cats as I find northern breeds more independent than cats even at times. The shiba I worked with definitely was.
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Re: Drive & Focus Training For Malamutes
[Re: Jennifer Marshal ]
#184473 - 03/07/2008 08:28 AM |
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Where could one obtain deer or rabbit skins? I have a flirt pole with a stuffed animal on the end but my hound-type dog doesn't care for the stuffed animal.
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Re: Drive & Focus Training For Malamutes
[Re: Angela Burrell ]
#184481 - 03/07/2008 09:18 AM |
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Thanks Ladies, encouraging information so far; much appreciated.
Just for the record, I’m very confident my Mal puppy (12 weeks as of this writing) will eventually engage a prey item strong. I’ve already begun acclimating him to the (making drive) game and he engages rags, the Kong ball, feathers on a string, etc. so there are definitely good prospects for the pup. It’s the adult Mal (Merit, pictured at my sig-line) that concerns me, as far as “drive” routines go.
Also, its not that Merit (the subject adult Mal) does not have prey drive. As a matter of fact he’s quite prey active in the field, alerting and lighting on squirrel and birds, etc. But he’s been taught a “leave-it” command to prevent crittering (chasing wildlife) in the wild, so I’m thinking maybe (just maybe) he believes this applies to the making drive game to some extent... More testing is required, though, to prove this out.
I’m also considering making (or purchasing) a ‘toy-on-a-string-n-stick’ as used by Bernhard Flinks in Mr. Frawley’s DVD. Bits of rabbit, fox, and coyote fur can be acquired through Ebay rather inexpensively and tied to the end of the string. Then I’d use some of the side motions as suggested here.
Any other suggestions and/or recommendations would be greatly valued.
Happy Trails,
Mark
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Re: Drive & Focus Training For Malamutes
[Re: Mark Villasenor ]
#184484 - 03/07/2008 09:33 AM |
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A piece of raw steak tied to a string on a pole might work, then graduate to tying a toy up
Just thinking out loud
Beautiful Malamute, he's gorgeous. Got pics of your others? You can post 2 pics in the Members Bio section of the forum. Would love to see them.
Welcome to the board.
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Re: Drive & Focus Training For Malamutes
[Re: Mark Villasenor ]
#184506 - 03/07/2008 10:58 AM |
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Mark,
With the Malamute's well-know food drive, why not just continue using food?
A lot of the big name trainers used food entirely as a reward ( after shaping the behavior first, of course ) in the 1980's and with a food driven dog, this worked fairly well.
So I'd stick to what works with *your* dog - that's actually one of the "big secrets" of dog training, lol.
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