I've got a few questions here, so bear (bare?) with me
Knox is transitioning from a rag/tug to a bite pillow, hopefully tomorrow, and I've just got a few questions . I'm of course going to talk with my trainer and a couple decoys (hopefully) but he is primarily working in defense right now. I think he is seeing the helper as a threat only, and not really someone to play games with. I'm not sure if this needs to be fixed, or if there's too much pressure on him for his age he's twenty months old if that matters. He's very clear headed, is able to be friendly with the decoy on and off the ffield, but once my helper picks up the rag to start teasing him, he's all defense.
As well, the helper will do just as well as the rag or tug. He doesnt seem to care if he gets the toy or the arm, any bite will do. So far I have no corrected that, because I'm up in the air as to whether I want to pursue French ring or Schutzhund. I've round a decoy who does French ring training not too terribly far from up. I was thinking more Schutzhund, but tracking does not interest me at all, whatsoever, and I'm not willing to give up my Saturdays for driving two hours to the field the club tracks at and tracking for a little while to drive two hours home.
Anyway that's besides the point. Knox is the first dog I've personally trained and lived with that wanted or just does, work in defense. Are there precautions I need to be taking? Everything seems so different than when I was doing this with my first GSD. Who was a huge clown and never took anything seriously. Except ball, and he worked strictly in prey, I never felt the need to ask the decoy to try to put him in defense because I never planned on trialing with him due to some of his health issues.
And second question. Wtf am I doing wrong in teaching heel? Knox is. Not. Getting. It. I am getting frustrated with it, so I've basically ignored teaching it. I've got his attention on me for about two steps before he disengages to pursue his own interests. And we're in the house. I'm the only thing in the room that is interesting, so I think there is some displacement behavior going on. Im taking care not to teach this when I am ffrustrated at all, so that's not what he's picking up on. If he can only be successful at holding attention for one step I reward each step. I'm clicking on the right times rewarding correctly, and trying two steps rarely enough that I hope I'm not raising criteria too quickly on him. I would think that he would have it by now.
He focuses better for the ball, but the problem with that is that he jumps trying to grab it from me and sometimes misses.
Third, how do iI teach him to aus without taking him out of drive? Or lowering it? He just "turned on" about three weeks ago. I don't want to screw his drive up by correcting him in drive, or anything like that. I cant even play two ball because he carries the ball all the way to where the other ball is before dropping it
Sorry for any typos. I'm posting from my phone.
Anyway, sorry this is so long. Cookies if you read that novel
Knox is transitioning from a rag/tug to a bite pillow, hopefully tomorrow, and I've just got a few questions . I'm of course going to talk with my trainer and a couple decoys (hopefully) but he is primarily working in defense right now. I think he is seeing the helper as a threat only, and not really someone to play games with. I'm not sure if this needs to be fixed, or if there's too much pressure on him for his age he's twenty months old if that matters. He's very clear headed, is able to be friendly with the decoy on and off the ffield, but once my helper picks up the rag to start teasing him, he's all defense.
As well, the helper will do just as well as the rag or tug. He doesnt seem to care if he gets the toy or the arm, any bite will do. So far I have no corrected that, because I'm up in the air as to whether I want to pursue French ring or Schutzhund. I've round a decoy who does French ring training not too terribly far from up. I was thinking more Schutzhund, but tracking does not interest me at all, whatsoever, and I'm not willing to give up my Saturdays for driving two hours to the field the club tracks at and tracking for a little while to drive two hours home.
Anyway that's besides the point. Knox is the first dog I've personally trained and lived with that wanted or just does, work in defense. Are there precautions I need to be taking? Everything seems so different than when I was doing this with my first GSD. Who was a huge clown and never took anything seriously. Except ball, and he worked strictly in prey, I never felt the need to ask the decoy to try to put him in defense because I never planned on trialing with him due to some of his health issues.
And second question. Wtf am I doing wrong in teaching heel? Knox is. Not. Getting. It. I am getting frustrated with it, so I've basically ignored teaching it. I've got his attention on me for about two steps before he disengages to pursue his own interests. And we're in the house. I'm the only thing in the room that is interesting, so I think there is some displacement behavior going on. Im taking care not to teach this when I am ffrustrated at all, so that's not what he's picking up on. If he can only be successful at holding attention for one step I reward each step. I'm clicking on the right times rewarding correctly, and trying two steps rarely enough that I hope I'm not raising criteria too quickly on him. I would think that he would have it by now.
He focuses better for the ball, but the problem with that is that he jumps trying to grab it from me and sometimes misses.
Third, how do iI teach him to aus without taking him out of drive? Or lowering it? He just "turned on" about three weeks ago. I don't want to screw his drive up by correcting him in drive, or anything like that. I cant even play two ball because he carries the ball all the way to where the other ball is before dropping it
Sorry for any typos. I'm posting from my phone.
Anyway, sorry this is so long. Cookies if you read that novel