I have a problem in defencetraining. The dog bites and fights relly good when playing with the decoy on ground. But if the decoy lifts up the dog in the air and swings around it looks like this:
She goes in really good in a high drive and gets a full and strong grip. But when swinging in air, she either loosens the grip, or just opens her mouth and falls on the floor.
I can come up with two explanations: Eiter she's got too bad muscles in jaws and needs to build up them more Or she's got fear when off ground. What should I do to get rid of this problem?
The muscles in the jaws should be strong enough by now. Also pain caused by bad teeth are also possible.
Now its up to you were the problem lies is it drive or nervs.
When it's the nervs I would say a lot off bitting and several times hanging but not to lang and start slow. She has to know that there is nothing wrong.
when it's the drives try to agitate her some more. play a lot with a tug and give her air.
Otherwise it could be a minor problem what can get to a major problem if you confront her to much.
As spoke about in the chatbox I don't think it has anything to do with fear nor drives but yet still does.
Let me explain it another way: picture in mind you bought yourself a trampoline. The first moment you try to jump you might try to jump high, but after the first real good jump you stop jumping and breaks the trampoline effect. Just to realize you went that high and 'wow'...that was quite a feeling.
The drive made you jump high but active fear did made you stop.
With your dog the same 'emotion' could make her realize nothing is the same: not the game, not the movements and all. And especially there's no win anymore. What you need is to build up the joy and the actual win, thus the reward. To swing and be lifted up in the air makes no sense for a dog born with 4 legs. We human beings also prefer to get in tough with the ground with just 2 legs.
To make Warga relalize the swing and being lift up is part of the game the decoy has to make lot of wins to build drives by reward. Just a slip of the sleeve to show he gave up the 'fight' and make Warga feel strong (physical). Rotation where Warga can feel the ground every now and then in the swing (rotate and up and down) does might help. Another trick: a long attack, decoy walking backwards (to catch speed of the dog and not block), a swing... bring Warga on four legs and then win of the sleeve.
All idea's here is just another illustration to give impression of how to train this problem and make it enjoyable for a dog to be in the air and trust the grip is secure enough to be safe.
This all makes you do need Warga's jaw strenght, trust, and control of physical and mental effects. All parts needs to be trained.
Take it easy and build up slow...all part of the whole program and a short fly with a win. That does the trick.
Well I agree with all written above. You need to go step by step and never do something that makes your dog uncomfortable. It has to be a win win situation to learn and improve. But also we can talk about for hours in here, but at the end its only you, Warga and your decoy. If you really want to help your dog, talk to the decoy, tell him your concerns.. make a plan how to solve this together. Trust me, I know how it sounds: Listen, I have been reading this on the internet....
also we can talk about for hours in here, but at the end its only you, Warga and your decoy.
Trust me, I know how it sounds: Listen, I have been reading this on the internet....
Here I do not agree with you Nikki. Not everybody is negative about talking and thinking about possible options and consider new visions and or insights. Not everybody believes wisdom is only out there on the field and only able to be gained in interaction with the dog. Books, internet, discussion and so on are very good source to come to new knowledge. The wisdom to use them is different.
I do believe communication and fresh input does might help you get a new perception on what is going on: a sky is just a sky but when you learn to read the sky by being taught what clouds tell you learn to be prepared before and bring your umbrella. Otherwise you might only think the sky is falling.
Discussion on forum can be very helpful for many people: but of course it's your insight that must do the trick to learn some out of it.
If we follow your advice, Nikki, we then best stop with forum and any online communication. That would be a waste, a shame.
I would prefer people to talk hours in forum about this subject and give their opinion or idea's. As long as we do not start become personal. To write down in words what you would do is not easy and therefor never perfect, but we all might get the idea behind the explanation.
Of course in the end we can't say to our dog: "well, at forum we had discussion and now we do this and that and I do expect you perform fantastic from now on". That never would work. But you can talk to your dog and say: "let's try this and see if our communication works better and if I could come to understanding of where the problem exactly is, so we can solve them together"
I feel more confident about my training now after talking to you folks! I tryied to apply yesterday what you JVG suggested and the training went really good. I'll also keep in mind in future what sculpa and Nikki suggested.
If there is someone else with suggestions about the problem, please write!
I agree with all the advices given to you. Just wanted to put in that I would keep the dog on the lead (in a harnas ore wide collar) and make her feel really suported by you. Make the first lifts when you are close to the dog and support her with lead and voice, make the win together. Keep us posted on you results and good luck
Author
Logged
