I'm really new to protection and i'm starting bite training with my puppy. My puppy has good prey drive but will only bite certian things. what should I do

How old is your pup? I would find out what he likes and use it to build drive also that would vary depending on age. I think others would agree with me.

My puppy is 4 months old. I have a house full of puppy tugs, but she will only bite rags. How do I introduce tugs

First, I would research everything it is going to take to raise, train and maintain a PPD. Also, you will need to consider the liability on owning a dog like this.

Here is where I would start since you have a puppy (not to mention having the pup evaluated by a reputable trainer to see if (s)he even has what it takes to be a PPD......

E-Books:
Ed's Philosophy

Groundwork to Becoming Your Puppy's Pack Leader

Theory of Motivation

Who can pet my Dog

Drives of Protection Training

Theory of Corrections

Dealing with the Dominant Dog

I would also recommend all of the DVD's in the first list and then when you are sure you want to proceed I am sure we will recommend others. There are really too many to sit here and name in order to learn about PPD dogs.

DVD's to start with

Don't forget to ffind a reputable trainer and be willing to adjust your schedule to go to training at least once a week.

I am not trying to discourage, there is just a lot involved in this whether it be sport, ppd or any other working venue for a dog.

I have a question along the same lines. Is 4-4.5 months old too late to start this kind of work? Once he's done teething, that is.

I'm not looking for a PPD but a proofed sport dog, for home and while collecting on a vending route. My pup has pretty intense prey drive, is nippy, pushy, bites his favorite toy (small canvas bone) with gusto, and will already bark/growl alertly when people walk in front of our house (our porch is about 45' from the road). We got him when he was about three months old (judging by his current tooth loss) and my wife made the mistake of taking him to a friend's house and then to PetCo on the first day we had him. He bit our friend when she tried to touch my wife and he also bit the cashier at PetCo when he reached towards the cart. Neither bite was hard and my wife apologized profusely...and learned from the situations. So I think he might have what it takes to get to a decent degree of training.

I've been following the "no one outside the family pack" rule for most of the 13 years I've owned my other dog, so I'm already used to that. He's fairly protective and has proven to be an effective deterrent in the past by getting nasty and lunging/snapping at threats. I already take dogs and their aptitudes very seriously. I've had a good amount of traditional martial arts training (Tang Soo Do and Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan) and own two guns for home defense, that I'm both confident and competent with.

I wouldnt take those two situations with him biting someone as a sign he could be a sport dog Scott. If you have a training club near you take him out and see about having him evaluated.

If the puppy prefers rags, let him bite rags at this stage.

Dogs develop at their own pace, and some just aren't ready for the tug until down the road.
Teething and other developmental changes are going on.

If the pup will bite a leather rag and hang on with gusto, just leave it at that for now.
Every once in awhile, once you've got him worked up with the rag, try tossing a tug out, just for giggles.

Keep in mind that we have a tendancy to move and offer the tug differently than the rag.
That alone may throw a puppy new to the game, off.

Put the tug on a long line and move it just like the rag.

It takes puppies awhile to learn how to strike and hold the tug.
Be patient, and most of all, don't push it. If the pup has what it takes, he'll come along soon enough.

Keep it fun for him.

And yeah, you will need a good trainer and decoy to work with this dog.

 Quote: steve strom

I wouldnt take those two situations with him biting someone as a sign he could be a sport dog Scott. If you have a training club near you take him out and see about having him evaluated.

Not so much a sign, but it gave me pause to think. My wife said he wasn't showing any amount of fear. I do understand that he's a pup and there's no way to accurately judge the adult response based on the pup.

On our walk this morning he heard something rustle in a bush that lined the sidewalk. It was a bird, but he didn't know it. He alerted and I said "what is it?" in a questioning tone. He hackled and trotted forward a few steps to investigate. After he was satisfied that there wasn't a threat he relaxed and we continued on our way. I kept my reaction calm and level. I most certainly have extremely limited experience in this field, but this seems like a good natural reaction for what I'd eventually like.

The biggest problem that I see, and this may just because he's in full-blown teething mode, is that he's mouthy with his toys. We taught the other dog the basics of how to bite by enticing him onto a toy and then gently pushing it into the back of his mouth. I don't know if that's correct, but it seemed to work decently. He still bites with a surprising amount of force and holds on very well. We used to be able to pick him up off the ground and give him a gentle swing from his bite (that was when he was over a year old, not a young pup). We were even foolish enough to make a mock puppy bite sleeve...I'll leave the details of that one out. After he got over a year or so old we started testing his reactions by having a friend dress up like a thug and come walking out of the shadows or come over and bang profusely on our door. His attitude as a pup was a lot like our current pup's attitude.

I did find a training club in Vacaville (http://www.sacvalleywdc.com/). I think that's the closest one to me, I live about an hour North of Sac. I only did about 30 minutes worth of searching though. It's going to be next month before I can afford it, though. The vending route is brand new so we're in a "period of financial transition" (ie: broke). Essentially, I'd like what our current dog did but with actual and proper training.

 Quote: alyssa myracle

If the puppy prefers rags, let him bite rags at this stage.

Dogs develop at their own pace, and some just aren't ready for the tug until down the road.
Teething and other developmental changes are going on.

If the pup will bite a leather rag and hang on with gusto, just leave it at that for now.
Every once in awhile, once you've got him worked up with the rag, try tossing a tug out, just for giggles.

Keep in mind that we have a tendancy to move and offer the tug differently than the rag.
That alone may throw a puppy new to the game, off.

Put the tug on a long line and move it just like the rag.

It takes puppies awhile to learn how to strike and hold the tug.
Be patient, and most of all, don't push it. If the pup has what it takes, he'll come along soon enough.

Keep it fun for him.

And yeah, you will need a good trainer and decoy to work with this dog.

Thank you.

We've had him biting and tugging a fleece tug from PetSmart. It's his heart toy and he'll do anything for it. I haven't been giving it to him lately though because of the teething. I'll start up with it again and let him go at his own pace.

What should I use for a tug? Aside from that fleece deal we have a tug made up of three rubber rings, maybe 6" in diamter, with two yellow and one black ring. The older dog loves it but we haven't given it the pup yet.

http://www.placercountyschutzhundclub.com/about.htm

These guys are in Lincoln.

Ah, so they are. I missed that the first time I looked at their site. Thank you, sir.

Would you happen to know anything about either club?