Trying to understand the cause of aggression

[Jason L]

Originally Posted by JKlatsky

You're wrong. If your dog can be sent in for a Bark and Hold, maintain it even when the helper moves, and with a variety of distractions, and you can then reliably call the dog away from the helper, heel the dog around the field with the helper there and ask for sits and downs and attention to you and not the helper...then you probably have a safe dog.

Jklatsky is right and the key word is "probably". A lot of it will also depend on who the dog is doing the H & B on. A dog can be very clean with one helper and then you put another helper with less presence in the blinds and the dog decides he is going to punk the helper just to show him who is boss. Also, sometimes if you present a different picture to the dog, he may decide to act differently. Last week I did a H & B in a bitesuit with a Sch3 regional lvl dog (new helper, new picture) and he did 5 barks and then WHAM bit me in the crotch (thank god for the padding lol). No matter how well trained, never forget they are still dogs ... so put as much obedience on the dog as you can.

[Liesje]

Originally Posted by bengwie

Just out of my curiousity, from your experience, how long do you think it will take for my dog to be able to do offleash in schutzhund field with the 10 minutes training only (mostly tugging with the sleeve or shutzhund pillow)?

Depends on the dog and the training, but I can tell you about mine. He is 22 months old and can run blinds (not just patterned train but wherever I direct), I can call him out of the blind, and he heels when walking behind the helper (back transport?). We're still working on being able to heel next to the helper. We've trained protection on average once a week. Sometimes we train twice a week, but there are also MANY weeks where I am on vacation or the club is on a break and we don't train at all. If you do the right foundation and have reasonably good genetics and a good helper/trainer it will come together. My dog tends to pick up things really quick in one or two sessions. He's very biddable and doesn't get overloaded, not object oriented for the sleeve so his secondary obedience/control has been easier for me than some of my friends with their dogs who just lunge and shriek nonstop anytime a sleeve is in view. Often my dog is still on a line but I'm using this for corrections to polish things, not for control/restraint. Many times he just has a little tab on his collar and no leash.

Every dog is different, don't rush things. Bitework is new to me so after each session my helper gives me a chance to say what I thought or ask any questions and then he says what was good and/or what needs work. My dog does not have the genetics of great working line dogs but he loves the work, relishes the fight up close and physical, and each week makes progress. Sometimes there are little issues that crop up and are frustrating but if I look at six months or so at a time, I can see huge progress was made overall.