SisMorphine- we are talking PP, not Sch. The white GSD simply didn't have it. I've seen a half dozen dogs come to our club for evaluations, and only 1 has been accepted. GSDs, Rotties, Dobes, mixes of dogs that are working breeds, American Bulldogs. None of them had any kind of drive to work. No prey, no defense, nothing. Only the 1 Rottie, who is doing well in his training now.
With the white GSD, he was making NO progress. Even in Sch- he would fail the courage test where the decoy runs at the dog and handler. Forget about taking a love tap from the stick. In our training, if the decoy didn't slip the sleeve on him in 5 seconds, he'd come off the bite and look for a cheap shot. He had weak nerves and was a fear biter. That won't work in Sch and it will never work in PP. I'm not sure what term to use besides wash out, because that's what happened. This dog was 2 years old, so he was pretty mature, and the decoys never put any pressure on a dog that the dog can't handle. The owner was the one who kept trying to jump from step 1 to step 10, then go back to step 3, then to step 7, etc. He had no focus on the training. He'd see one of the advanced dogs doing something, and he wanted to do it too, instead of working the dog on a back tie or bungee and building his grip and confidence. He could be a nice dog in obedience or agility or something like that, but he isn't cut out for bite work.
RD, how old is this dog you are talking about? You can take him to a Sch or PP club and have him evaluated. They can tell if he's a fear biter or if he means business. Controlling a dog that means business is easier than a fear biter. It's all about obedience, and you know how to do that already.
With the white GSD, he was making NO progress. Even in Sch- he would fail the courage test where the decoy runs at the dog and handler. Forget about taking a love tap from the stick. In our training, if the decoy didn't slip the sleeve on him in 5 seconds, he'd come off the bite and look for a cheap shot. He had weak nerves and was a fear biter. That won't work in Sch and it will never work in PP. I'm not sure what term to use besides wash out, because that's what happened. This dog was 2 years old, so he was pretty mature, and the decoys never put any pressure on a dog that the dog can't handle. The owner was the one who kept trying to jump from step 1 to step 10, then go back to step 3, then to step 7, etc. He had no focus on the training. He'd see one of the advanced dogs doing something, and he wanted to do it too, instead of working the dog on a back tie or bungee and building his grip and confidence. He could be a nice dog in obedience or agility or something like that, but he isn't cut out for bite work.
RD, how old is this dog you are talking about? You can take him to a Sch or PP club and have him evaluated. They can tell if he's a fear biter or if he means business. Controlling a dog that means business is easier than a fear biter. It's all about obedience, and you know how to do that already.