Most people are now training in the protection phase using mostly
prey
drive. The following article is for dogs 1 year or older. A lot of
the
trainers are agitating the dog, then giving the bite and slipping
the
sleeve, having the handler run in a big circle and stopping 5 meters
or so
in front of the helper. NOW IS WHEN THE CONFLICT BEGINS. The handler
is
grabbing the dog by the collar and hanging him while they are
stepping on
the sleeve and screaming "out". Once he releases the sleeve it is
quickly
kicked out where the dog cannot reach it. Then the helper challenges
the dog
for the sleeve. This not working through defense drive, it is still
working
in the prey drive.
The longer the dog is worked this way, the more he becomes imprinted
to not
release the grip on the sleeve. Later when you want to teach the
out, it
becomes more difficult and eventually it takes more force. These are
the
dogs that when they are finished have problems with the outs i.e.
slow to
release or double commands to out.
Alternative Method
This method will start to channel in some drive in defense. It will
give a
safety margin to dogs that are not real hard. It will make the
handlers job
easier. It will make the helpers job easier, with a margin of safety
to work
close with the dog, as it will be in done in a controlled manner. It
will
start to imprint the dog in a way that he will understand that if he
wants
to bring more action when the helper stops fighting and locks up and
bring
the sleeve back to life, he has to release the grip and challenge
the helper
by barking. He must understand that the out is not the end of
session but a
way to bring the sleeve back to life , fight the helper and be able
to win
the prey and take it back to his den (car or crate). This method
eliminates
the conflict between dog, handler and helper, which often becomes a
3 ring
circus.
Details
You build a fenced area. It can be off to the side of the training
field. It
should be 25 centimeters high and 50X50 with an opening 1.2 or 1.5
meters
wide in the rear for entering and exiting. A gate can be used hear
if you
want to do defense work without the handler inside , at a later
time. There
should be a stable bench built along the front of the pen and up
against the
fence. It should be .75 or 1 meter wide and run the entire length of
the
front section. The helper will be using 2 sleeves and a whip or
stick for
agitation purposes. I work dogs with a fur saver collar (the long
links) and
clip the leash on the live ring and then come back to a dead ring
and clip
the leash again. The collar should be snug so the dog cannot back
out of it
but it is not on choke. I've read other post where it was suggested
to use a
wide leather collar so it is more comfortable for the dog. My
opinion this
is hooey!!! The chain collar is only going to bother dogs of soft
temperament. This is protection work. When wide leather collars are
used,
the dog starts associating it with protection work, the same as he
does when
he see the sleeve or the helper in scratch pants. When challenged he
must
come in full drive without training aids. No this will not hurt the
dogs'
throat.
Now we are ready to start. The handler comes into the pen about half
way and
the helper agitates the dog coming in and running back. The handler
should
let the dog go to the fence and try to bite the helper. The handler
should
not be talking to the dog or praising or patting him. This only
distracts
the dog. It is the helpers job to bring the dog out. If this is a
beginner
dog you can use a young dog sleeve. When the helper knows that the
dog is in
high drive he puts on sleeve # 1 and goes up on the platform, bends
over the
fence and puts the sleeve down to where the dog can bite it. He can
then
pull the dog up slightly giving him a very short fight and slipping
the
sleeve . The handler takes the dog out the back of the pen while he
is
carrying the sleeve. The handler doesn't have to run like a nut case
just a
fast walk making a circle of medium size and returning to the pen
about half
way. Still no talking to the dog. The helper starts agitating with
the whip
or stick and the dog will drop the sleeve and go to the fence. At
this
moment the handler throws the sleeve over the side fence and the
helper gets
# 2 sleeve that is behind him. One or two bites in the beginning and
the dog
carries the sleeve to the car. You should stop when the dog still
wants to
fight . Put him away frustrated. When a dog reaches his peak in
drive you
must stop or you will be doing negative training.
When the handler returns to the car or crate, stand and relax. Do
not give
the dog out commands, just ignore him, he will get tired of holding
dead
prey and release it. As training progresses the helper can start to
stay
more up right making the dog come a little airborne to get the
sleeve and he
can at times lift the dog off the ground. These high bites will make
the dog
bite hard and full or he will lose the grip. This is just basic
build up
work and getting the dog to learn a system. The out is not the end
of the
game. You are not doing true aggressive, defense training but you
are at
least mixing prey with some defense. The young dog working behind
the fence
will be more sure of himself. When you are satisfied with this basic
work
you can take the dog to the training field to start the outs. If
there are
questions of this article, Please no e mail or PM's. Address them to
the
post. There are many other members that can give good input and
alternative
methods.
Contact
Thomas
Sauerhoefer
ThomasSauerhoefer@gmx.de
or call 1- (530) 749 - 8861
