Well I have been setting up a schedule . I want to do he BH in the fall. So I have started some stuff with her
The heeling is nice I am going to try and get a YouTube video in hear hopefully the you can see what I have been doing and give me some pointers
Could the nipping be a sign that she is enjoying herself and is really motivated ??

 Quote: jessica ginter

Could the nipping be a sign that she is enjoying herself and is really motivated ??

yes it could be for sure.

Super.. She does this funny snapping of her jaws as she is running towards me when she is really hiper . and when she wants something really bad she also snaps. Its like she is imagining putting her teeth on the object before she gets it.

In some cases, snapping (or, "clicking") the teeth is a form of leaking drive. I frequently see high drive dogs snap their teeth when their drive starts escalating during training. During group sessions, we make note of it and adjust the dog's drive, if necessry.

not sure what the op's goals are but at this point you can build on the dogs drive and amplify it during training or minimise it.

you really need to think it thru in advance.


if you are up for it I would get this type of dog spun up as and out of it's brain as much as possible....alternatively that could be a recipe for total disaster.


there are only two types of people in the universe;

those that think there is no such thing as too much drive and those that do.

Jessica, a high drive dog is custom made for reward based, marker training.

Why would anyone train a dog by avoiding corrections as opposed to training a dog in order to earn a reward?!

When and if the corrections are needed later in the training then the level needed will be much lower.

Think about it!

I have a question . how do you mean leaking drive ? Please explane also what do you do ... Not sure how to put this do you encourage it or ignore it or redirect ??

Get used to the nipping. That's just a sign that your mal is full of drive, is having a great time, and wants more. Ours absolutely loves agility training and her way of celebrating after a fun run through whatever obstacles I've set for her is to jump up and down with me and nip. She also nips when she decides I'm not running her through the course fast enough. I've learned only to wear my grubbiest T-shirts and sweatshirts when I'm working her. They eventually get full of holes. Made the bad mistake of doing some fast paced marker training with her on our driveway right after coming home from work while still in my good work clothes. She ended up tearing a hole in my favorite casual shirt when I thought it would be fun to race her to our side door afterward. Not smart. You can control the nipping. I just use a verbal correction or a "no bite" command and she's able to get it back under control. The nipping isn't necessarily a bad thing but you probably want to train your dog to control those impulses somewhat. That said, I love seeing the enthusiasm.

Yeah its like having a deer with cheetah speed and with the mouth of a snapping turtle and a wreaking ball all in one goodness they are incredible

 Quote: jessica ginter

I have a question . how do you mean leaking drive ? Please explane also what do you do ... Not sure how to put this do you encourage it or ignore it or redirect ??

Think about a bottle of soda being shaken and is leaking around the cap.

Shake it more and the bottle may explode.

Many dogs are so driven that it's very hard for them to sit quietly and wait for your release.

One of my own dogs is like that.

Get him excited on a sit or whatever behavior and he starts squeeling, shaking and REALLY wants to explode.

I have to be very calm with him in commands. Even with my praise.

Calm, quiet praise or he's over the top. Slap him in a rough house game and he comes apart.

Not with aggression in his case. It's just that his happiness borders on simple minded.

I believe that this type of dog is often unaware of his "leaking" because of the state of excitement they are in.

Like a kid having a breakdown and tantrum. Holler at them all day and they don't hear you. You have to get them quiet before they can listen.

If I get upset at my dog when he's wound up like that it it will only shut him down.