Can someone please explain this to me?

Two days ago we recieved a retired Police/Narcotics GSD from a friend. The dog (Jack) was retired at 5 yrs old due to a "bad bite". Our friend is a disabled officer and has had Jack for about a year now. He is moving out of state and needed to find a new home for him.
My boyfriend has seen Jack multiple times in the past and can attest to his aggressiveness and personality. Due to us having my boyfriends 6 yr old daughter on the weekends, the friend got a page and a half of "deprogramming" instructions and commands and put the dog through them the day before bringing him over. He was never a handler when he was active and was only doing what was told so can't explain it to us, much less himself.

For the past two days that Jack has been with us he has been a completely different dog. He still remembers basics like come, sit, stay, etc..... but acts like he doesn't recognize any of the German commands. What's starting to bug us is that he's acting almost wimpy, and won't even play with his favorite toy, won't play fetch, etc... My boyfriend was kinda hoping to still have a good guard dog that was still safe around the child.

It's seems strange to me that a page and half of instructions in the hands of someone who's not even a basic dog trainer can strip all that work and training.... We'd like to get some of it back. A little bit of guard instinct, or at least an interest in playing fetch again! Could it just be the stress of a new environment?

Can someone help me?

Michelle

one, you have to bond with the dog and I ask pretty much the same question about de-miling a K9 awhile ago and was pretty much told it wasn't a very safe idea and I would love to see the page and a half instruction on how to do it. Also police K9s aren't SchutzHund Dogs, training and goals are different

Dennis is right. First you'd have to bond with the dog. Two days in a new home is not enough, even if your boyfriend had hung around with the dog at his past home many times. Could take weeks till he accepts his new home, and even months for a full bonding. Give him time to accept you.

Also, very important. Pack Structure. Read the article on this site (multiple times) and consider the DVD. Very important, especially in your situation (youngster, dog with combat training).

I'm sure others will have plenty more to add.

I also would be concerned about the "bad bite" history, it's my understanding a bad bite for a police K9 means the dog bit inappropriately ie the wrong person, and or the wrong time.

Or, failed to bite.

If he doesn't perk up in a few days, I'd have a full vet workup done.

 Quote:

the friend got a page and a half of "deprogramming" instructions and commands and put the dog through them the day before bringing him over

Out of curiousity what were some on the instructions?

I admit to being a complete novice at serious dog training, however I find it just to "good to be true" (a.k.a. ludicrous)that it is possible to "deprogram" a dog with a few special words or actions. Perhaps working with a professional, highly skilled trainer over a period of time could help remove or modify certain learned behaviors, but in no way do I believe that a list of instructions given to a novice (such as myself) could change a dog's behaviors over the course of two days.

If this is really what the previous owner told these folks, I find that grossly irresponsible - at the very least. Am I way off here??

Yikes!
Green handler. Seasoned K9.
Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

My first thought was the same as Dennis on the bad bite.
Alyssa, would a non bite, be called a bad bite? Just a question.

For the op, I'm with Barbara. Get ye to a profession trainer, NOW!

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

Are you keeping the dog and the child separated?

I got "Roxie" a bite trained dog, from a breeder who wanted to take his breeding program in a different direction, she was a kennel dog with a real mind of her own but she quickly adapted to household living and good with the kids. some time later my daughter broke her wrist at gymnastics and was in a cast. Roxie almost immediately locked in on the cast which had a real strong resemblance to a bite sleeve. I stopped her before she got a hold of it and worked some more on that training. Erika wanted to bite on a lady's purse because it looked like a bite pillow.

The point is, if you have a bite trained dog, even a sport dog, you have to pay attention to what the fig you are doing and what they are doing. They're just not a sloppy happy beagle or lab that you can let lay about the place with out proper handling and training