Hi team

I have a 7 month old GSD that I have been working on the tie back for a while now. I recently had someone work him at our club while I was holding the lead and couldn't get a bark out of him.... just consistent pulling on the lead until he nearly choked himself out. Now at first I thought it was an issue he had with the helper. Tried a few times with the same thing happenning. I put him on the tie back and got the same helper to work him and to my supprise we were back in action again!! All I can put this down to is that he wasn't being held strongly enough on the lead and the few inches in headway he was making by pulling was enough to make him think that he was strong enough to chase the tug instead of barking to flush it.

Anyone had this issue before?

Cheers

Bryce
New Zealand <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

If he is not barking try having the helper back up a bit, find that magical distance where he barks from frustration because he wants it closer, yet close enough to keep him focused, and as I'm sure you already know as soon as he barks have the helper reward him, then after a while try making him bark the helper in, every time he barks the helper takes a fast step forward and pauses, another bark another step, I have found this works quickly for me in getting them to realize that barking will get the man closer which will give them a bite. I mix it up also after that and every bark I move laterally, then come in, or every bark laterally, then the handler sends the dog, but definatly try having the helper back up when he gets locked like that.

Yes, I am experiencing this somewhat with my 6 month old female Mal. I am training for home PP not sport though. I was using a rag tied to jute on the end of a fishing pole. I back tied the dog and had the dog bark to flush the prey. It took 3 weeks of this to get her agressive barking to flush then reward with the bite on the rag. Now I reward various amounts of barks with a bite from the back tie. I noticed after about 10 good barks she kind of loses focus on the leg sleeve, so I usually reward between 3-7 barks. She is young and improving all the time. I find about 4-8 feet is the optimal distance for her for the barking prey flush

Bryce as Brad said it takes some time with a non-barker. It took my male a month of putting him in a chainlink kennel where he could observe bitework being done, he would get so worked up he would eventually bark out of frustration, I then would stand in throwing distance with a nice big tug that had a long rope attached and when he was looking in one direction and would bark at the work I would toss the tug over the top of the kennel and when he would grab it I'd play tug from the other side of the kennel using the rope. Then I go in the kennel and get the tug back from him and stand quiet and still again and let him watch more bitework and then the same thing again, he eventually got the message that barking would lead to him biting something. This took about a month of doing this 3X's a week.

Thanks Guys.

I should have been a bit clearer in my explanation .... no problem with his barking while we work him on the tie back its only once we do it while Im holding him on a lead. He is comfortable with me but I think if he pulls really hard towards the helper and makes a bit of groung he would rather try to bulldoze his way to the tug rather than flush it.
Any ideas?


Thanks again

Are you using a harness or collar? Use a harness with him if your not, that should help. Also, when you had him on leash you haven't always made him bark for his bite before sending him have you?

He was a lazy barker to start with but is much better now. Have only just started tug work on lead as I started drive building and bite work myself on a tie back. Maybe its just a transition thing. Will definately switch to a harness though! .... will help to keep him concious <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
He also eyeballs the helper the whole time during bite work so this does'nt help much during the tug work!

Thanks Chris

You know in ringsport your dog only has to bark once at the helper in the blind. VIVA LA REVOLUTION!!!!!!!!!!

"You know in ringsport your dog only has to bark once at the helper in the blind. VIVA LA REVOLUTION!!!!!!!!!!"


We're now planning on kidnapping Jeff and forcing him to watch all the upcoming Seiger shows. That contact with Showdogs will bring him back to his senses.

If that doesn't work......we'll be duct-taping him to a front row seat and making him watch the Canine Freestyle Dancing Championships. That should do the trick...

A kiwi on the board!!!
Here's my take on the whole thing.
Your dog is 7 months old. Barking is really not a big deal but great prey development and grip work are important.
Let the bark come about when you are dealing with a more mature dog and it can come from something other than prey yapping. If it is coming from self-defense (doesn't sound like ti in your dicription) then that would be bad.
in fact i teach that during the grip work if the dog is barking the decoy isn't doing his job of keeping the dog strongly into prey. They should be chasing and trying to grab the prey right now, their face should be one of focused determination to grab the tug or sleeve and as they think they can reach it they should be opening their mouths and stretching their necks out to fil their mouths.
They can't do this while barking.
Good examples of this are within the Flinks videos ed sells.
This may sould like a simple thing but for years I was in a big rush to get the dog barking. But, it didn't take long for me to see the error of my ways.
I want barking to come from fight drive or if I'm stuck with it I'll push the self defense issue a bit. But this has to come with maturity.

 Quote:

Hi team

I have a 7 month old GSD that I have been working on the tie back for a while now. I recently had someone work him at our club while I was holding the lead and couldn't get a bark out of him.... just consistent pulling on the lead until he nearly choked himself out. Now at first I thought it was an issue he had with the helper. Tried a few times with the same thing happenning. I put him on the tie back and got the same helper to work him and to my supprise we were back in action again!! All I can put this down to is that he wasn't being held strongly enough on the lead and the few inches in headway he was making by pulling was enough to make him think that he was strong enough to chase the tug instead of barking to flush it.

Anyone had this issue before?

Cheers

Bryce
New Zealand <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />