I am working a 3 year old gsd in protection training for the last 6 months and he is doing ok. He has all the drive and nerves that a dog needs for the work and he takes a nice full bite. The only problem is that he lacks intensity. I know its there, but I am having a hard time Brining it out of him. I know it was something that I did wrong in the developmental stages but now I need to fix it. We are working on some ideas but I am looking for more. Any ideas?

Talk soon
Dave

You say he has all the Drive, but what do you mean that he lacks Intensity? I think of Drive and Itensity as the same thing. If he does lack Drive, you might try doing some Drive work the Flinks way.........Ed has a very good video called "Drive, Focus, and Grip". Also, you want to make sure (you probably already do these things) that he has not been fed before Drive work and you also might want to keep him in a kennel before Drive work. Also, you don't want your pup leaving the field totally exausted, you want to put him away totally wanting another bite and that will build Intensity or Drive, and it's good to make him miss a few times and that also builds Drive......I hope this helps.

I do use all of these good points and the lack of intensity may have come from how I played tug with him and combined it with obedience. The dog had a CDX before he was 2.5 years old and I think that he looks at bit work the same as when we work with the tug. When I out him on the tug he sits right away and stays quiet until he is given the tug again. So she has been rewarded for being calm. It has become routen and he looks at the bit work the same. Its a obedience routen. If you ever see this dog work in tracking or anything else you would see the drive but like i said, I thing that it comes back to how I worked him as a pup.

Dave

If he is looking at bite work as routine and lacking interest. then you need to do some advanced defense work with him. Do the old shell game with the helper in what ever blind. After his work on the field let a helper attack from the crowd. a tree a car a building, what ever. He will get the idea that the helper is serious and not just playing a game
Ron
and he always wins in this game.

That sound like that may work. I will give it a try. thanks

Dave

This topic is of interest to me also, my male is in the process of being taught the hold and bark. Over the past couple of weeks with the constant corrections of getting him to sit and focus has brought his drive down also. He had really nice grips and with the corrections he began getting mouthy. Will the increased pressure from the helper bring him back into line or will it push him further down?

Van Camp, can you enable my PMs please?

frank, just on thought, a lot of times the helper can take a dog and make it mouthy. It is really too hard to explain in just one post, or to assume with out seeing the dog work. there are little things that can be done to encourage the dog to have a full calm grip. Ed has a videos on some of the exercises. maybe back up a little and creat more frustration in the dog. I agree that some good defensive work perhaps will add more power or intensity in the dogs performance, just make sure you have a good helper doing it. This is an area in training that can be messed up well from a new helper or someone that does not understand what they are doing. A lot of the things that will help your dog are things that a good helper will know. They are the ones who work your dog all the time, and see the dogs strong points and week points. If your not making progress where you are at, try and find other training helpers to work your dogs and see if they can find solutions for the problems your dog is having. I'm not suggesting to jump boat on your club or current training helpers, rather visit other clubs or helpers and let then know your problem and see if they can help you out. That is what a good training helper does.

good luck...Chet

I agree with what you are saying completely. I am one of the decoys for our club. The other decoy (and training director) believes in keeping the bitework mostly in prey so the dog keeps a clear head. So, in my opinion when the dog is corrected, it's harder for the dog to come back up. When he is kept in prey and corected his grips get weak. That is what I see in my dog. When he is worked in a patrol dog type environment (dark out, helper hiding in the shadows, coming out and showing alot of threat), he is an entirely different dog. Mind you, he is not showing defense but fight, he just wants to eat the helper.

I also agree with Chet. Remember Frank, It is my belief that in the bark and hold the dog must initiate the task in defense, and then move into pray. But when he rounds that blind he better be in defense not pray.
Ron

Frank
I should also say that the munching is probably from stress, If so, more stress is not the answer. And I dont want you to think I teach the B&H in the blind. I dont. I teach it away from the blind first.
Ron