Buzzs protection work progress. I recently bought a hidden sleeve to test his defensive and fight drives. Up until now, Buzz has only been using a very obvious bite sleeve in training. All he has to do is see the large bite sleeve and he becomes excited, because it represents a game of tug to him, and he knows it is safe to go after it as hard as he can without hurting anyone. Yesterday, Rob and I aimed to bring him out of his comfort zone a little bit by taking the sleeve out of the picture. I dressed Rob up in old oversized clothes that didnt belong to either of us and had someone elses scent, to disguise his identity by changing his shape and his smell. Then we covered his face and gave him a hidden sleeve under his jacket and even gave him a gun with some blanks. We took 2 different routes to get to the same location to further keep Buzz from knowing Rob was out there, and while Buzz and I were walking I signaled to Rob to fire the pistol in an effort to agitate Buzz and put him in a defensive drive. When we found Rob he further agitated Buzz by walking erratically and threatening. Trials like these are very important for protection training. They give you a glimpse as to what your dogs fight or flight instincts are. Believe or not, most dogs choose flight or they try to bluff and then run if that doesnt work, only defending themselves when cornered. Its rare to find a dog capable of dependable and controlled protection instincts, and a lot of hard work to train them to do it right. Years ago, it was believed that working protection dogs and house pets were 2 completely different animals. A bite dog usually wasnt allowed around other dogs or children. More effort was put into the aggression training than socialization, many worried that an overly socialized dog wouldnt protect as well. At Dogs Listen to Me, we disagree. We believe that properly socializing only makes them more effective. If you get a mean dog to protect you and your family, but you dont trust him around your kids and keep him kenneled this a useless dog. ~David
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 23:03:23 +0000
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