How to ruin a good time...

[Jag]

I had Grim on the field today, and he was doing great, having a good time. The last bite on the sleeve...when we were going off the field, I ruined it! The field had some snow, slush, and a little ice on it. I'm also really out of shape! Anyway, I started to lose my balance, tried to regain it, and didn't. As soon as I fell, Grim doubled back to me. He had to make sure I was OK, then stand guard over me until I was up and he was satisfied I was OK. He got another bite to carry, but just wasn't into it like before. He wanted to keep looking back at me to make sure I was going to stay on my feet! I think his closeness to me is going to work out well for service work later, but when something goes wrong with me it sure makes a HUGE distraction for him!! I felt bad that things ended on such a bad note for him. It was like watching air come out of a balloon. My sweet boy!!

[x11]

have a few sessions of handler staying upright and all will be fine. :-)

[Wetdog]

If he were not concerned for your well being, there would not be any point at all to protection training.

[CurvyOne]

Originally Posted by Wetdog

If he were not concerned for your well being, there would not be any point at all to protection training.

That is the truth right there. Sounds like you have an awesome and loyal dog there.

When Huter was just 10weeks old, I feel down the stairs. (I'm very clumsy, due to a joint problem) He obviously, was not old enough to help me, but he came running anyway and sat on my lap, licking my face until my father came to help. GSDs are the best

[irickchad]

hahahaha, at least you know he cares. Stay on your feet next time, twinkletoes :P

[onyx'girl]

I've always heard the advice, if your dog is running away from you, play hurt....fall down and cry~ your dog will come running back to you.
I did this with my moms hyper little mix mutt. Her dog doesn't really know me, he escaped during a family gathering and is known for no recall/running. I collapsed on the sidewalk and whimpered, he came back in a flash and I grabbed him.

[Jag]

That's totally true about PP training! This is the second time I've fallen with him. The first was on a night walk and the snow covered up a piece of cement sticking up on the sidewalk. He came running to me to 'guard' me then, too. I guess he'll get used to the fact that I have some defects, lol! I don't know what he'd do if I faked it. He wasn't loose either time, though. I wrap the line on the field to make sure if I go down he's still connected to me. He spit that sleeve and was back to me in the blink of an eye, though. My boy. He's been walking right by me (in the house, even) since. He's now touching me when I'm walking. I'm going to use him as a service dog, also... so I'm glad he's so concerned for that, too. I'd already told the TD of his prior reaction when I'd fallen, so Grim's reaction wasn't any surprise. Unless someone approached me, there wouldn't be an issue. I don't think you could pry him away from me at that point, even if he was loose.

[onyx'girl]

re: wrapping the line....
what do you think he'd do if he wasn't connected to you thru the line? I hope you aren't double wrapping the line around your hand, you may end up with an injury. Most dogs aren't going to be dirty and most helper/decoys know how to go neutral or be ready if the dog breaks from the handler. There are only a few that I've ever seen that need the line(or ecollar) attached to the handler. The main problem with line handling is the dog pulling the handler to the helper when the handler should be a post/tree. And the dog gets too close in/gets a bite when they shouldn't be rewarded. Otherwise it is usually the handler(or dog) getting injured from the line, not the helper.
I think Grim will make an excellent service dog. I know of another Grim, he is a Czech dog, too and was a handful for his handler when young, but it all paid off when he matured.

[Jag]

No, I'm not double wrapping it around my hand. If I did that, I couldn't let more line out. I think he'd do exactly what he did if he didn't have a line on at all. Knowing I could fall, I keep that in the back of my mind all the time, though. I also think he's going to be one heck of a service dog. He was totally in drive when I fell. He was out of that mode in a heart beat. I don't think Brian would've ever been in danger unless he tried to approach me. Instead, he just talked to me without moving. This was good, as the sleeve was where Grim dropped it when I fell, and all he had on were scratch pants and a normal jacket.

[LouCastle]

Originally Posted by Jag

... He got another bite to carry, ...

Originally Posted by Jag

That's totally true about PP training! ...

Originally Posted by Jag

This was good, as the sleeve was where Grim dropped it when I fell, and all he had on were scratch pants and a normal jacket.

It sounds as if you're training this dog for personal protection, PP. Allowing the dog to "carry" the sleeve as a reward for the bite, or to make him think that "he's won" is a very basic technique that should only be used for a PP dog until he's biting reliably on command. Then it should not be done again. It's perfectly OK to continue this for a sport dog, but not a good technique for a PP dog. Make sure that your trainer is not applying sport dog techniques to a PP K−9. Many will. They sometimes think that "biting is biting" no matter what the venue. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I believe that a PP K−9 and a PSD (police service dog) should have identical levels and balance of drives, and nearly identical training. The only difference between them is that the PSD is trained to search, and that's not usually necessary with PP K−9's. If given a cue to bite, NEITHER K−9 SHOULD RELEASE THE BITE UNTIL COMMANDED TO DO SO. Such dogs SHOULD NOT come off the bite because the handler "fell" or anything else. The only exception would be if the handler was attacked by a third person.