hi i have had my 5 month old american pitull terrier since he was 3 months at first he would hold on to a tug rope or rag so well i would move it to the sides and up and he would come off the ground without letting go and then when he was around 4 months he started getting mouthy and im sure its him teething because hes lost alot of his front teeth, but his fangs are still there at five months and not loose. my question is does it matter what you use for a prey item. he will chase a kong and a ball and bring them bakc when excited but sometimes he will just sit there and do nothing and i cant get him to chase a tug rope anymore the one thing he seems to like i a peice of rabbit fur on the end of a flirt pole, he will chase it down like a maniac and when he gets a good hold his grip seems pretty good for a 5 month old pup, i also am playing with him outside and its winter already up here in canada with around minus 5 weather when i play with him, do you think it could be the cold weather and snow that is also plying a factor, also he lives indoors with my 2 year old lab/dalmation and i was wondering can this ruin his chances of becoming a personal protetion dog. also does it help to play at the same times everyday because its all over the place the times hes played with. thanks for any advice you guys can give.

Hi,

Just a few things you might try.......I would not play tug with your dog while he is teething. It's ok to do Drive work, but don't let him have a bite. You said that he was not chewing before, but now he is chewing and that is probably because his mouth is hurting.

Also, it helps his Drive if he is kept in a kennel for a while before you do your Drive work. You don't want to have him playing with the other dog so that he gets tired, and then you take him out to do Drive work.

It does not really matter what you use for a Prey Item.........I personally would not use a kong because that is made of hard rubber. I think it would be better to use a small rubber ball on a string, or a small bite tug........if your dog likes a kong, he will probably like a ball on a string.....although I guess they do make small kongs on a string......anyway, just use a Prey Item that your dog likes!

thanks for your advice i tryed a few things tonight and i found out what he likes he like fluffy stuff with strings hanging but not solid objects like balls. he likes ripped up towels, rabbit hides, raccoon tails, mops and brooms. i kind of made me laugh he wasnt feeling like playing he just wanted to sleep i think and then i pulled out the mop to mop up the water these to pigs slop all over the floor and he turned on instantly and went into prey drive and was jumping up for it in the air so thats good.
do you think preparing your dog for the helper is going to benifit his and my training for personal protection work. im new to all of this and i figure if i spend a little cash and do it right the first time i wont be wasting my time later on back tracking when i can be moving up and forward. i plan on buying what ever is necessary to train him and future dogs i have just been introduced to this form of dog training and so far from the little ive learned in very interested and want to start getting into it serously and train my dog properly. thanks

I think you might be a little bit ahead of yourself if you got "Preparing Your Dog For The Helper"..........you might want to get "Drive, Focus, and Grip"......this is the first video, and there is a lot of good info to get you started.

but on the preparing your dog for the helper it says he feels this is a better video and than the first flinks video and its supposed to teach gripping and drive techniques. hes got drive, i figured out what i was doing wrong i would come home after work and then relax and eat supper and then when he was laying down beside me half asleep i was expecting him to get all fired up but i realized it wasnt right and you mention putting him in his crate or something for a while before playing so i have been putting him out for about 30 minutes before playing and i took a 2 litre pop bottle filled is with a 100 or more pennys and taped a string to the end and man the noise doesnt bother him one bit i was sort of shocked i would be shaking it like a mad man and he started jumping up in the air barking for it so ive sort of figured things out, and im trying to keep these sessions short so i dont bore him but hes approaching 6 months and i am ordering a nice tug for him that soft so he can get used to sinking his teeth into something, i think it will be better to use a soft tug untill his teeth are all in and im getting him a hard recall tug so he gets used to a harder tug. so do you think its a bad idea for me to buy preparing your dog for the helper now. lol i know ive got alot of work to do but i think i was just not looking for the right signs and things that make him tick but i think i understand him better and what he likes.

Brock,
If you have the money to spend on Leerburg tapes, you are seemingly serious about your pup. Do your best (sounds like you are trying) to do him right the first time, correcting something is for the birds <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> . If your pup already has a level 8 drive, you may want to keep working with him on DIFFERENT drive techniques to maximize his drive. Your dogs potential maybe off the charts at a level 11 or 12(of course he maybe to much hell to handle then <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> ) Also, You want to really instill in him what a good bite is before he starts getting bad off with his teething. You can teach it later but it is always best if he can learn it young. I train in NVBK and, they try to have the dogs bite established by the time he is 5-7months. The big thing told to me was don't move to fast it takes around 2-21/2 yrs to get the dog you want, so take your time and do it right, making sure your laying all the foundation down first so that, you can build the house smoothly, without any "oh, damn, I missed that glitches". I wish you the best of luck with your pup, I love to see APBT get work like this.