I am looking for a good video that helps teach schutzhund decoys how to read a dog and different training techniques. Granted, what I just asked could fill a library of videos,but anything could be a help. I am an intermediate decoy looking for new techniques and styles. Our training director can be a little closed minded at times and I still want to learn. Most seminars, just came from one, are more geared to the handler than the decoy, yet most professional trainers will say that it is their decoys that make their dogs.Even the trial helper seminar is geared more to the trial than to erveryday training.

Frank,
This is just my opinion, but I don't think that you could learn much about reading a dog in a video. A video might be able to show a dog's posture and facial expressions, but it looks *very* different when you're in the blind and the dog is leaping up and barking at you while it's four inches from your face.

You learn to read a dog by experience and practice. A new helper can learn a lot about the proper trial routine via Video - Ed's helper video's are mandatory learning tools at my SchH club. You can also learn the proper sleeve position and how to place yourself for catches - but again, until you've had the experience of doing the action hundreds of times, you really haven't learned it fully.

If you want to advance as a helper , you do the following :

Attend helper seminar's and certifiications - I think DVG does this far better than USA ( I've attended both DVG and USA helper seminar's multiple times and there's no comparison )

Catch dogs - it takes hundreds of repetitions to get your timing down pat.

And finally, title your own dogs. You learn to read dogs by being on the end of the leash as well as being in the sleeve. We're seeing more people that want to be helpers that don't have enough experience trialing a dog, and it ultimately hurts them as a helper. The helper that was excused/replaced at the USA Nationals had only taken one dog to a SchH III and really had very little experience being on the end of the leash - and I think his lack of experience showed.