mutchumbo

Thanks for the tips everyone. I've only had him a week as of today and I think it's clear to say some bad handling in the past has made him this way. But, what's done is done and I have to move forward for his sake.

Howdy folks, I just picked up a new GSD pup (when I say pup, I mean 11 months.) He's fairly highly strung with incredible drive and there's a great expectation in his future potential. There's one niggling little issue that I've discovered with him that may have been carried over from his previous carer. He's a major puller, he pulls relentlessly on the lead despite it being a check chain. There's times during casual walking where if I act as though I'm going to really 'pop' or 'crunch' him on the lead, he anticipates it and turns really submissive. (Despite the fact I don't pull on the lead at all.) I'm wondering if anyone's had experience with a similar issue. I want to do two things with him, firstly, correct his pulling issue without tarnishing his drive, and secondly, stop him from being chain shy. Any ideas?

At any moment in time, there are an infinate amount of possibilities.

Everything in this thread is mere speculation. The reason for Police being there, the reason to have a K9 on standby, the level of threat, the nature of the job, the propensity for escalation, the level of risk. These are all things that no one on here has any clue about. As for Police asking you to remove your dog, sounds like sound judgement to me. Something I would have done myself. It certainly reflects on the experience of the handler, it shows they are 'well' experienced. If you've ever seen an offender taken down or bitten by a Police dog like I have, you'll understand why the dog handler would want an ideal environment to work in.

I can see what you're trying to do here, however, your dog may perceive this as praise and reward for this behaviour. Redirecting her attention without any praise would be more suited, then once the dog's in a more calm state introduce the reward. If you reward calm behaviour when around other animals and correct her when anxious/over the top. Your dog is reaching an age where she should 'mature' so this would be best dealt with ASAP.

Thanks Tangwyn for you input, you've hit the nail well and truly on the head. Eventually this dog will be trained in tracking which will be his bread and butter. Everything else is going for him except his constant perves. He never marks territory when perving but loses focus none the less. In other environments where scents are less prevalent, it's not an issue. He otherwise has great focus and control.

"Yes" doesn't really answer my question, but I'll run with perving. Perving is a dogs obsessive nature to investigate elimination and scents left by other dogs whether it be urine or otherwise. Surely everyone has taken their dog to a park or for walks and at some point the dog stops by a tree or a 'hot spot' for a bit of a sniff. This activity is called 'Perving'. It often takes a bit of a yank on the lead to encourage them away. The more a dog does it and get's away with it, the easier it can be to lose focus. Of course, when the dog is off-lead, one doesn't have the luxury of this means of control. This is my dilema. I've used techniques in the past to overcome this issue but they are not working in this instance. I'm hoping for some other suggestions.

Goodness... Is it the term 'perving' that is driving the uncertainty or another part of my original post?

I have a little issue with one of my dogs and continuous perving, mostly when off-lead and when I'm trying to get focus and control. Exists mainly in environments where many dogs frequent (obvioiusly) such as large parks, dog parks, shopping strips. In places like the backyard and when he's on-lead, it's not really an issue. This is a big problem for his working future and if it's not corrected it will be catastrofic for him. Has anyone else battled through similar issues with their dog? Any suggestions are welcome!

Yelling at a dog is only a sign that the handler has 'lost' control. Nothing else!

Check out this video... It's SPOT ON!

I do understand what you're saying K9... I normally mark his attention or other behavioural correctness in other exercises with a chirpy "good" or "gooooood booooy". I wanted to signify his behaviour on the video with minimal other noises / encouragements. With the training I do with him, I signify the "yes" as if he was asking me for permission whether it's eating or taking an article from my hand etc. Good points you make though.

I actually had a crack at this over the past week. This is my result: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxfQ_W6Rit8 N.B. I don't use an out/finish command in these circumstances.

This has been a very interesting thread and i'm learning a lot. I have some knowledge on this topic, far from an expert and am always willing to listen to new things/advice. Ben is progressing very well - as expected. His play drive and attention span is fast increasing which is great. I had grave concerns as mentioned earlier regarding his retrieve but that seems to be coming along well also. I've uploaded a short video of him. Note: he's still getting used to this new article. It's a rubber spikey ring and he hasn't quite got a handle on it yet (funny to watch him though) Also note, i've given no verbal command / encouragement. NB: Apologies for the bad quality, I used a still camera's video function - it's also harder trying to throw and follow his movements. Eh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfqz_36RTeQ

My wife has been a professional groomer for ages. If anyone lives in SE suburbs VIC, check her out! http://www.pawshas.com.au

Few wyears ago two of my friends that had dobes went to train at the sch club. They were signed up as "trial" memebers for 8 weeks. The club trains twice a week and they went to training twice a week for 8 weeks. It gave the club a chance to asses the potential new memmbers, and hte new people to asses the club and to decide if they want to continue. So I guess if there was a "cowboy" it would show in the 8 weeks that the person isnt suitable to become a member. Hmm... Interesting indeed. Is it also compulsory for a Police records check?

What systems/strategies are currently in place now to avoid the rogue cowboy-type individuals who abuse what training they receive at these clubs?

Hmm... Interesting. Perhaps i'm being a little to critical on Ben. I'm used to GSD's that IMO have more a natural retrieve instinct then the Rotty. When it comes to his bite rag however, that's a different story. He latches straight on an wont let go, a good deep bite, no mouthing. Maybe someone can tell me whether that's indicative of a Rottweilers natural characteristic.

I have an issue with my current dog Ben, he's a Rottweiler and still just a young pup. However, my role with him includes building a strong prey & retrieve. At the moment he shows a lot of interest with holding & tug-o-war but loses a lot of focus when it comes to the retrieve, if I throw something, he might grab it the first couple of times, then he loses interest. (Granted he's young) I've attached a video link, just something I stumbled accross on Youtube, Ben acts very much so like the dog depicted in the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-EVKtvxeBI Any suggestions what I can do to increase his focus and drive when it comes to retrieve??? (Please, no mention of pinching ears.) Thanks in advance!