I think basic obedience training is just common sense. I taught and competed in akc ob for a number of years but I am totaly inexpierenced in real sport dog work. In raising a puppy for sport, the common opion is to let the puppy be an aligator to build confidence and drive. I completely understand this, and agree. My question is My dogs all have to have manners around my grandkids so how do you correct/redirect the puppy when it starts mouthing the kids(grandkids). If you correct, You take away drive. If you redirect, you take away the interaction with the child. I am planning on getting a working shepard in three years when I retire. The dog will be in a run out side but will spend lots of time with all of family. I know I'm missing something simple but bite work is totaly new. I feel like a kid in a candy shop since finding this board (site).

I want to know more about bite training kids! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

They take a long time cause their teeth grow slower but some of them have excellent grips.

As soon as I read my post after it was up I knew I was in trouble. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

 Quote:

If you redirect, you take away the interaction with the child.

Here is your misconception, redirecting to biting a toy instead of the child will not lessen the interaction with said child. Let's go over an example.

Grandchild is playing ball with puppy in the yard while you watch with a tug in your hand. Dog chases ball a few times and builds drive, child has ball and insead of waiting for the throw, dog decides to mouth childs arm instead. You instantly grab scruff of dog and say "Phooie" and offer tug instead, you say "Ok" and dog bites tug and is happy, child picks up ball and throws and dog drops tug and chases ball, you retrieve tug and repete as needed. Dog will soon learn that child is not a toy, ball and tug are toys.

If you needed to use a long line so you can correct instantly for any mouthing, I seriously don't think learning manners will hurt drive or grip, as long as you are teaching these things correctly when workign the puppy, I did this very thing with my dog and the next door kid who is 9, he won't mouth my wife or a kid now no matter what they do to him. He learned fast and hard.

Lonny,

I think you would get quite an argument from at least a few people here on using any kind of lead correction on a puppy like this and saying that it won't hurt a pup's drive.

Hurting drive is my exact concern. My hunting terriers are VERY hard mouthed but they are very good around people. I taught them very early mouthing people was taboo, but their drive is all directed towards varmits and bite work is totally new.

Quite possabley true with a lead correction, I sugested a scruff correction first, and lead second if one is not fast enough to respond in a timley manner. I never used a lead correction with my pup, because I was standing right there all the time next to the girl....but it never hurt my pups drive one iota, and he is a medium drive dog...so I can't afford to lose any lol

But I think as long as you rebuild the drive even after a lead correction, it will not be harmed, just redirected. But you have to do it right.

The real answer is don't let the grandkids play with the dog until the pup is older if your really concerned with drive reduction, and do all the redirection work on yourself where you really don't care about a few abrasions on the ole arm. Especially if you have other dogs the kids can play with.

I usually don;t allow the kids to play with my dog to much because there are many other things that kids do that are not productive to his type of training. Kids just don't grasp working dog training...they want a dog they can ride lol

It sound like common sense. I just wasn"t sure about the drive end of it. The smaller grandkids would make great tug toys but grandma keeps smacking me in the back of the head when I suggest it. Go figure. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />