Personal protection.

[jason m cusello]

i have a 9 month old female boerboel i have just started to work her with a personal protection trainer.he did his initial test and she passed to join the program.she is 4 sessions in and is doing awesome,showing no fear and really biting the sleave,so far so good with the training still obviously a long way to go, just wondering how other owners are doing with protection training and what age is your dog your dog.

[Lee May]

Hey Jason, Congrats on starting personal protection work with your girl. You will be amazed every week. BB excell in protection work more so then most Breeds. They bite well and very strong. Just a few things I would like to add. Make sure your obiedience is perfect, esp. your out command. for BB will not just go for the sleeve if your doing Personal Protection, they also don't need much bite work to do their jobs. Also socialization must MUST be added after each session even with agiatior or helper. I have 3 BB's two have done Personal protection work, My Male is 4 yrs. old and a female 2 and 1/2 very powerful and protective. But very stable, thats what it is all about. Good luck and Peace Lee. 

[Chrissy Elmazi]

Hi Jason,

 

Glad to hear it's going so well for you! I would definitely agree with Lee and make sure your obedience is perfect.  I have a 17 month old that I am still working with his obedience, although I am not hard core with training so I am sure it is taking a bit longer than most.  I am currently working with a trainer I love whose main focus is police dogs.  Although he mostly deals with Shepherds and Malinois, he has worked with some Boerboels and similar breeds (Presa, etc.).  I was not sure if I was going to do protection work with my guy, but I like it and I think he will so I asked my trainer what he thought and he feels he's got a great temperament for it.  He wants to wait a bit with him until we get his obedience perfect (his out is actually very good though at this point).  As long as you trust your trainer and they have a great reputation, I would feel comfortable going at the pace they deem fit. 

However, as the owner, you know your pup best and need to be able to see if things are moving to quickly for her.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Chrissy

[jason m cusello]

thanks for comments.  we finish the session with obediance training

[jason m cusello]

now my female has seemingly gotton bored, she was progressing real well and now it seems shes just like whatever.she doesnt show any fear of whip,but she bites and doesnt hold on and kinda gives up.

maybe its just immaturity, any ideas anyone

[Chrissy Elmazi]

Possibly the maturity is an issue... I am no expert so can't really offer many suggestions... I do know that I love the DVD by Leerburg (like most of his stuff) about the power of playing tug with your dog.  It is a precurser to protection work by building the desire to bite and tug, making it fun for the dog.  Maybe try to take a few steps back and start again.  I would try watching the DVD and see if it helps you to build more drive in her...

 

Chrissy

[Lee May]

Jason, glad you had the heart to bring this up. Most guys won't. There may be two to three problems, first she may be getting ready to go in season. Or you trainer has given her the bite too soon. Either way Still continue to take her, just tie her out let her watch other dogs. then 5 min. heavy Agitation, only if her nerves are really good, no bite, confront and run away. Third possibality your basic Obiedience is not on par with her level and mixed signals with your stop command. We teach stop command solid well before the first bite. Becareful don't want to ruin her. FYI You can't learn real protection work from a Video, or a trainer That does not adjust to your dog's needs right then and there while training. Their are many steps in building up to a dogs first bite, Sleeve or what ever. I'm just saying. It also to it could be her Drive, Does she look for cridders to chase, stare at moving objects, bugs, birds etc. or could care less? Good luck & Peace Lee

[jason m cusello]

she will go after anything.the trainer is awesome. i have seen dogs hes trained, he told me one of his shepards is just like my girl it just took some time but he got it.she is still very young..the other day was embarrasing a little.(lol)2 other dogs with same time training made my dog look stupid. one dog not sure of breed was phenomial went after sleep when told to go off lease and would jump and latch on to sleeve. im not giving up on her just yet.

[Lee May]

Yes Don't give up we all can have a bad day. do work at home, with Watch Stay and hide and seek with you. that may liven things up too. Good luck and Peace Lee.

[Lee May]

Hey Jason just checking in to see how you making out with your girl? Hope all is real good!! Peace

[Lisa Tiro]

I know this post is old but just curious, my trainer told me that Mastiff's don't do well with bite work because they bite their own lips a lot and let go. Could she maybe have droopier lips? Just a thought!

[Marco]

Lisa thanks for your input on the post.  Mastiffs from what I have seen, tend to have more droopy jowls than boerboels.  A lot of it has to do with the drive & focus of the dog.  I've posted some articles below that might be helpful for some interested in this post.  Hope this is helps.

 

 

Bite Work

Understanding Drives

Building Drive, Focus, and Grip Q&A

Bite Training puppies 8 Weeks & Older

Accidental Bites & Poor Handling in K-9 Training

Training Defense Before Prey Is Foolish, and Stupid!