I apologize in advance if this is a long: We currently have three helpers (decoys) at our club. All have different theories in working a young dog. Here is the question I pose to you: If a young dog between one year old and 18 months is not biting a intermediate sleeve very hard or full is it best to: 1.) continue using the intermediate sleeve until the dog learns to bite the intermediate sleeve full and hard. The theory being: you cannot stay in kindergarden with a dog - it must learn on this sleeve due to its age. 2.) back up to a puppy sleeve or even further until the dog is striking full and hard and then move to the next sleeve ensuring that the dog is biting full and hard before each advance. The theory behind this is the dog is not comfortable or failed to learn the game in the kindergarden phase so go back a sleeve or further until the dog understands. 3.) stop working the dog at all in protection until it is 18 months old. The theory behind this is, in my opinion, old school because this helper does not like obedience to be worked until 18 months old either.
I know what worked best for me and my bitch because she is now biting a Belgium Sleeve (Trial Sleeve) full and hard whereas a few months ago she would strike and hold full the intermediate sleeve for a short time then loosen her grip. She was then presented the sleeve again - so there was no punishment (she and sleeve should go away - no more fun for her if she lets go) for releasing grip. I took her all the way back and taught her if she lets go - game is over. She learned quickly not to let go.
I personally feel that it depends on the dog and what the dog is/is not ready for in the training process - every dog is different. What I don't understand is why would you send a dog to first grade when it did not grasp the concepts and learning in kindergarden?
The reason the dog is not biting hard is (of course, I'm guessing, having not seen the dog) lack of confidence.
If this is true, I'd step back to a good leather rag on a lead and see if the dog bites that hard. The leather's best because you can really check the dog's grip without harming its teeth.
If the leather can be suddenly yanked out of the dog's mouth then it's not biting hard enough. If the dog does not bite hard enough with a decoy then switch to the handler playing with their own dog. Make the leather a prey object and play hard. Don't give the dog anything. Make it chase the leather and don't worry about full grips, etc. All you want is fast, hard strikes.
Once this is accomplished, then the handler should move to a soft sleeve and check to see if the dog is biting hard. If so, then see if the dog bites the leather hard with a decoy. Slowly, step by step work the dog up to biting hard no matter who the decoy is, no matter what the bite object is.
Always return to the leather to reinforce good, hard, firm gripping behavior.
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