Now a year old, Xena's personal protection training is coming along nicely..

With the knowledge that actual 'biting' doesn't seem to be a problem for Xena...far from it... Control is the issue which is important.

With the help of a several very good people, Xena and I seem to be moving in the right direction.

This video clip, from this morning's session at the Working Dog club I attend, shows Xena and I being put through our paces by a great decoy/criminal..

Her ability to control herself is getting better all the time. The pieces are slowing dropping into place and it's becoming all the more 'fitted together'.. I think.

To explain what we're doing/training in the video;

First off, it was aggression on command, or more in this incident aggression upon seeing some 'action' from the decoy. She allowed us to shake hands, happy for him to remain quite close and in conversation..and even happy for him to move about... but when he took up a fighting stance....it was 'game on'......so a nice show of teeth and noise, but without the lunging and lunatic dog look. You'll see whenever she stood or forged forward, she was checked. So the sitting and barking meant no check, any other action meant a check.

It's all about 'control, control and control' with Xena... it's going to be the "making or losing" of our future together otherwise.

Here's the clip;

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http://www.youtube.com/K9Protection

Pretty cool video. Nice control work.

Thanks very much Chris...

At a year old, she's doing really well I feel....

Xena is now 12.5 months old and she's getting better, stronger, more controllable and a more all round dog with each week that passes..

As well as personal protection, she's being trained for UK Service Dog Working Trials. One of those disciplines is the challenge of a fleeing man, the send, the bite, the control and escort afterwards.

With the help of some great trainers/agitators/decoys, we're starting to put everything together and Xena is getting used to how it all works. The manic, lunging, going crazy stuff she used to do, doesn't get her the bite. Control and discipline is the order of the day and the results in her getting what she wants.

Hope you like the video, which was taken today, and appreciate how much we've achieved in the last 9 months or so...

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http://www.youtube.com/K9Protection

Nice pup Gary!