It seems that a dogs desire to horde a prey item is used to build a calm/firm bite. What if you have a dog thats mouthy and if for some reason gets the prey item from you but voluntarily brings it back and tries to get you to play, being mouthy the whole time? Is this an indication of a dog not suited for bite work or can a dog like this be worked with as well?

I have helped fix the grip on at least 3 dogs now, one dog as the decoy and 2 as the handler, since the dog owners are lacking the physical strength and handling skill it takes to co-ordinate with a skilled decoy to make the dog understand not to chew. You can fix it, but it can take a LONG time and some experimenting to see what you can do to make the dog stop chewing.

Some dogs are just natural chewers. Some dogs chew toys but not a sleeve or body suit. Often, chewing comes from improper tug work with the dog as a puppy, so the training to fix it is basically making the dog forget about his foundation and relearn how to bite and hold.

Lots of factors to consider when making that assessment. If it's not fixable then you'll loose points in a sport like Schutzhund. Other sports might hold it against you if they feel the chewing comes from a nerve issue when they critique the bite quality. It depends, I'm not too familiar with the judging of other sports.

I have that issue and will probably loose points coming up at our trial.When he goes around the blind he has to give a nip at the darn sleeve ,when he brings me his dumbell he chews it.I got him at over a year ,he'll be 4 in April.He did not have a foundation to teach him to bite full and hold, so I am stuck with what I got .

How do you improperly tug with a puppy to accidentally "teach" him to be chewy?
What are the things you do not want to do because it will cause your dog to be chewy on the tug?
What exercises encourage them to have a calm hold?

pm okay too.

(I know, get the video...can't though $$$...)

Alison Voore

Mike might have a better answer than I , I'll tell you what I did with my youngest male which has a full grip and a great hold.I sacked him when he was young and "if" he would loosen up his grip guess what I'd have the sack and not him.(he was back tied on a harness)I would do alot of miss bites and when he would get his bite I would tug at it and if it was a bit loose or he would mouth it he would risk to loose it , after a while of sacking and play with tugs they learn real quick that they can loose it and so they bite full and hard.I didn't have to work hard with mine, I have to say that he came to me with a full grip and a strong hold, I simply kept at it.My other male is a different story..Sacking a dog or play with a tug is so important to built a good grip.Wild dogs get their good grip from praticing holding their prey at a young age,their mother give them a prey to play with ,teaching her young to learn to hold and not let go of their prey, a survival need and if you don't teach your dog from a young age how to hold the tug ,bite and hold firmly(whatever) they can loose it, same concept..

My 32 mo has a very good grip when we play tug, and I taught that as Angelique described, but he also mouths the ball in the carry. I think it reflects his drive (not real high) not weak nerves.

Thanks for the input guys and gals. Im not actually working a dog for bit work but I am fostering an AM staff that I have had for about 6 months. She is a soft dog with endless amounts of energy, high drive but is easily distracted when not in drive.

Ive been working with her on BO (largely based on the leerburg video) but for that she isnt in drive and easily distracted. I then decided to try and work with a prey item instead of food using the Bernhard Flinks video as a guide. When in drive she is much more focused in general and not as easily distracted so I figured it would be worth a shot.

Anyways I am looking forward to getting more involved in SCH in the future with my own dog and just thought her behavior was interesting and if it was something that could be worked with. Overall she is very mouthy, almost like she is teasing you with the tug and trying to instigate your own prey drive (as if your another dog) so that you grab it and play tug.

Once she latches on however and tug starts its all business and she thrashes like a fish out of water.

Polly,
The reason a dog chews on the ball is because it sits in the center of their mouth when they carry it so they tend to roll it from side to side to get a grip on it, it has nothing to do with the drive of the dog.Some dogs don't rollit but I have seen most that do.