Hi I have a 3 yr old Rottweiler bitch that I am training in IPO. One of the issues I have is that once the sleeve goes 'dead' ie no helpers arm in it and she's quietly holding the sleeve for 10 seconds or so, she quickly loses interest and will drop the sleeve. She likes a 'live' animated sleeve, she likes the fight with the helper but once that's gone she will lose interest...

My helper wants more possession of the sleeve from her and he's doing what he can but what I'd like to know is, is there anything that I myself as the handler can do to want her to possess the sleeve? Any exercises or games I can can do? On running her off the field with the sleeve she will always drop it after a few yards, I'd like to able to get back to my car with a dog that wants to keep hold of the sleeve... any suggestions?

coming from someone with very limited experience in this area . . . how about putting a string on the sleeve , so that even after the helper has slipped the sleeve , the game isn't over . you can put life back into the sleeve as you see fit .

Can the helper fire her up without the sleeve?

That wouldn't be a bad thing because some dogs can become fixated on the sleeve/equipment.

You want her more possessive?, or to just fetch the sleeve? Not like it's a chew toy.

This is something I had in mind, attach a line to the sleeve and make the sleeve come alive as she's being run off... it's worth a try

 Quote: Bob Scott

Can the helper fire her up without the sleeve?

That wouldn't be a bad thing because some dogs can become fixated on the sleeve/equipment.

This is something we really haven't done, sure the helper has approached her front on with direct eye contact and the sleeve behind his back and she does respond, but he's never done it without a sleeve being on his body...

 Quote: Jeffrey Eggenberger

You want her more possessive?, or to just fetch the sleeve? Not like it's a chew toy.

She loses interest in the sleeve when it's not in motion. My helper wants her to want the sleeve more than she does now. She has a good full mouth grip, no chewing...

I don't really understand one thing... you are equating holding the sleeve with want6ing to possess it? There is a difference between a dog wanting a sleeve and a dog holding a dead prey.

Modern bitework is done in prey drive. The tug/sleeve are prey items. The possession we teach is "defense of prey". One way the "out" is taught is by "killing the sleeve", or holding it still.

A dog who will carry or hold a sleeve for a long time either has a very strong inherent prey drive, had the drive imprinted during the dog's developmental phase, or both. Dogs with less than high prey drive might not care to hold a dead sleeve. My dog will only carry a sleeve for a short distance. We work some defensive dogs who have sharp bitework but have zero interest in the sleeve once the helper slips it.

IMHO, don't confuse carrying or holding a sleeve with desire for the sleeve. I wouldn't expect a Rott to have as high a prey drive as other working breeds. As long as his work is good when he is engaged with the helper, you probably don't have anything to worry about.

What does he hope to accomplish by the dog wanting to carry the sleeve more?

Most of the Rotts I've seen were more interested in the action of biting the helper and the actual work(guarding, etc) than possessing an inanimate object and it never caused problems in their training.

Once the helper slips the sleeve, the fight is over, the prey is dead, and there is little more to gain. Many dogs lose interest at this point. If you want to build more drive for the sleeve (as opposed to desire to hold it), you should do so before the bite. Misses and frustration. Someone else suggested a sleeve tied to a line. That is a good idea, as long as you don't let the dog catch it. The dog acquires the prey by biting. IMHO, you can build drive for the sleeve, but, at his age, you may not be able to build the dog's desire to hold the sleeve.