DDR German Shepherds

Roger Williams · Guest

We usually test our dogs defensively enough to analyze as a team (me, my partner and our trainer) and then back off of it and get them playing...get them in the game...well, actually depends on the dog, but that's the way it works a lot with us. They aren't going to learn a lot of control if you make it real all the time....most of that is for later, you're seeking a balance and they learn in prey. But I want to know asap that I have a dog that is serious before spending 2 years teaching fine points of a game and then finding out when they're tested seriously (and they will be) that they never had it to begin with.

I think Sasha is awesome, and if she is guardy on her own property it's almost definitely a matter of time before she isn't going to tolerate someone agitating her without showing some defensiveness...even if she knows it's a game. But I don't know bloodlines and traits of or even the breed of GSDs as much as I want to.

Daryl Ehret · Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 18 Location: Loveland, CO

Roger Williams · Guest

You can work her in prey as long as you like, it's a simple matter to bring her defensive drives out later when she gets older or shows you signs she is getting ready...as you give her reasons to show defensive behavior. It all depends on what you want in a dog, also. If you want her to title in a sport, she can work in prey drive completely, always, but you need to be aware of not letting her get fixated on equipment....you know...unless you want to score high! LOL. But there are some dogs so strong that they aren't threatened easily and are always in prey, and what looks like really civil behavior is just amped up prey drive..fight. They love it. And it's enough, too. My bulldog Cotton loved people, but he absolutely loved to fight. It was a game to him, but it was a deadly game, and the more an attacker brought, the better he liked it. He would never make friends with a decoy after being agitated by him, but he was not a mean or an aggressive dog by any means.

Pharaoh · Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:24 pm Post subject:

Your description of Sasha sounds a lot like how my Shadow was.

An incident happened making me aware that family dog classes at the Humane Society were not enough for a seriously protective dog. So I found a Schutzhund trainer who did not motivate Shadow at all. He was not a dog that most Schutzhund people would ever have chosen. Not a flashy prey monster-just a very steady serious dog. Fortuitously, I stumbled into Ivan in San Francisco.

In a short time, I had a dog that was amazingly into it. Ivan set him free. Friends from the other club came to see how Shadow was doing. They could not believe the transformation.

There is a picture, in the Rainbow Bridge section, of Ivan working him and Shadow is staring into Ivan's eyes while he is swallowing the sleeve and making a very low humming noise (not growling or chewing-Ivan called it very interesting). When Shadow did a bark and hold in the blind, his deep basso bark never got high pitched like most of the other dogs. Really solid nerves.

You mentioned trying to motivate her by having her watch the field. Most dogs doing that get visibly animated and do a lot of barking. Shadow never did that. He watched intently and silently, eyes narrowed. You could see him very slightly opening and closing his mouth. He just didn't show his interest the same way. He was very interested, and, he was very, very good at it despite my poor handling.

I wish I could explain what and how, Ivan did what he did that made such a difference All I know is that the trainer makes a HUGE difference. The first helper thought Shadow was not so good. Ivan thought he was good to world competition level.

Your dog may be very good indeed.

PS-Shadow had no interest in running circles with the sleeve in his mouth and neither did I.
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Daryl Ehret · Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 18 Location: Loveland, CO

I've considered that my trainer just isn't experienced with this type of dog, and I've seen the type of dog you describe with a couple others in the club, and their progress is slow. We had alot of difficulty with our linebred Titus female who just wasn't "into it" either, and she was the single most serious dog that I would confidently expect to protect in time of need. "Lacking in drive" is the first impression that gives, and the limitations of the trainer are then perceived as the fault of the dog. I'm going to try some different things, because I'm certainly more interested in a concerted effort to "bring her out" than my TD would be. But then, I'm sure a slow progression would follow, and the "fun" of training cease for us both. Where Sasha differs, is that she's not a hard or dominant dog, and to stay motivated it needs to be fun for her as well.
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Daryl Ehret
Ehret German Shepherds

Pharaoh · Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:57 am Post subject: