Only the NOSE really KNOWS Part 1
A dog's nose is a miracle, and what they can do with it is nothing short of miraculous. And just like any other miracle, we admire it and marvel at it, but understanding it is just beyond our capabilities.Only the NOSE really KNOWS Part 2
I'd like to focus part 2 on a crucial part of Schutzhund tracking, articles.Note on Tracking from the ART List
I am pretty careful with tracking because I believe that we don't ever know 100% what is going on in the dog.Helmut Raiser on Protection Drives
Prey-drive, defense-drive, fighting-drive, etc. are the catch phrases of modern protection training. They are thrown around at every seminar we attend, they are the subjects of countless articles, but rarely do people agree on what is being said about these "drives." About 20 years ago Helmut Raiser revolutionized Schutzhund protection training by identifying which inborn motivations (drives) are stimulated in the different phases of training.Prey Drive Promotion, Part I
Let's begin practical training for protection work where it should begin: with prey-drive promotion. Let me briefly explain why I chose the word "promotion" over the word "development" to translate the German term "Förderung", which could be translated either way.Prey Drive Promotion, Part II
...There are several exercises that I personally feel should be started during prey drive promotion training. These exercises are the focus of this article.Defense Drive Promotion
...Next, let me caution the readers about the territory we are about to enter. Defense drive is an important part of protection training, but it is the most dangerous aspect of it as well. By that I mean that it is dangerous for the dogs. Defense training done wrong can really ruin a dog. My philosophy is this: "It is never too late to do defense type work, but quite often it is done too early."Suit Work for Schutzhund Dogs
A few weeks ago I got into a bit of a debate with another trainer over the fact that I did bitesuit work with a dog who is destined to be a competitive Schutzhund dog.Getting a Grip
...I would say that with the dogs who have already had some protection training, the single most mentioned problem is the issue of gripping technique.The Hold and Bark
...After reading my article on grip problems again, I felt that I didn't spend nearly enough time discussing the hold and bark exercise.Protection Obedience
It's club training day, phase B training is coming to an end. Time for the good stuff: Protection. Once the helpers, training directors and handlers set their mind on protection, obedience becomes a distant memory when it comes to training concerns. Obedience is over with the end of phase B. Or is it?Two Sides to Everything
...As helpers we all have a preferred side. Well, guess what? So do the dogs.Dog Terms, Part I
...I have discovered that very few things in training are quite as diverse as the interpretations of terminology. Why is that?Dog Terms, Part II
I believe that reading dogs is one of the most important parts of dog training. ... In this part I would like to tackle the active side of dogs' characters and talk about the traits that determine how dogs respond.Shaped Retrieve
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