Weird Training Encounter - Page 1

I was hired to work out a 2 year old GSD that had previously had for several weeks of training at a semi local facility. The owner was extremely vague on this, even in my paperwork. Anyway, I brought out all the goodies and the dog basically shut down. Had zero interest in jute, french linen, flirt toys, nothing. Lost all interest in even his favorite toys, and wanted to be immediately with his human dad, inside, or on his "place" stool. It was so weird! 

After some positive play with a puppy sleeve the dog started carrying it around and seemed pretty proud of himself. When it was given as a reward for simple obedience, all the dog wanted to do was nail hands. The dog was totally uninterested in anything I possessed which I respect :P Luckily the dog made up for it by being a truly affectionate ham to me otherwise. Him not being interested in me meant his dad was the one mainly playing and engaging him. Poor guy got grazed a couple times. I put a stop to it and hooked a leash to it to keep it on the ground, finished on a basic high note. 

I have encountered dogs that are naturally more interested in a weapon or more aggressive arm than they are for prey items, but I didn't get that from this guy at all. It was like he was looking past me completely. Like I was invisible. Just wanted away. He was constantly back and forth on his "place"  Did I mention it was weird? 

More than I'm worried about getting a dog off of hands is how to be interesting and gain the focus of this one. I might be over thinking it and the dog didn't actually receive adequate training or any. The owner seemed slightly more knowledgeable than some beginners. What makes me say that is he seemed to recognize the words Schutzhund, Backtie, and Jute. LOL 

 

Hard to know from the example.  Some things have to be seen.  DId it seem like he was in avoidance to you?  My guess iat this point is that he's a low drive dog that someone tried to force to react through some defense which is why he is targeting the hands.  If i'm right, time and just redirect to the toy by shifting the target as he strikes so he gets the reward will help out.

I'm curious as to how he progresses.

When a dog shuts down like that my immediate thought would be he's been forced to the point of abuse.

Other than that, what the above poster said to get him to engage. Sounds like he may be a soft dog, so keep it as positive as possible to help him get over whatever bad experience he had.

Thank you for the input. After seeing his complete lack of interest in the training equipment I figured he really hadn't been worked with as the owner thought. The avoidance and anxiety that started to emerge from my presence (when I was giving my best assertive posture) and the toys and tools I brought was discouraging. The last thing I want is a discouraged client so showed the owner first hand how to play confidence building games with the dog's preferred toys and how to introduce the flirt toy.

After our session when I had time to reflect, the behaviors the dog was exhibiting started to unravel and things I recalled suggested to me that the dog had at some point been pressured to reactively bite. Having never seen this or the rusults of this approach to training (is it really?) first hand I didn't know what I was looking at. I'm going to email the previous trainers and see if they recall these clients now that I'm super curious.

I would really love to work with them again. The dog's owner was really excited, had his camera ready and was obviously expecting his dog to defend and bite no problem. I told him the good news is there was loads of potential and room for improvement. We'll see what work he is willing to put in.

Key word here is defend.  The dog shouldn't start out defending.  Starting out defending means he is nervy.  Also sounds like your not getting the full story.  The dog should be confident and aggressive or prey based that gets turned to protection through the correct training.  He sounds nervy which means lots of prey work for you to get his confidence and drive up.  Are you clear on how to start and work him in prey drive only?

How are his social skills with other people?  I'm guessing not good and that needs to be worked on as well.

Something for you to think about.  Is this dog a suitable candidate for protection training?  No harm in doing prey stuff, but if he is thin nerved and reactive, thru training, you could make him a fear biter.  As a trainer, you can be held liable if things go bad and he bites someone unprovoked. 

Something for you to think about.  Is this dog a suitable candidate for protection training?  No harm in doing prey stuff, but if he is thin nerved and reactive, thru training, you could make him a fear biter.  As a trainer, you can be held liable if things go bad and he bites someone unprovoked. 

Amen, MK, amen!  A suitable candidate for protection shows immediate interest in the equipment, whether it's a tug, ball or bite pillow!  This guy's lack of interest speaks volumes to me. My first guess is he was turned off by someone pushing him to bite.

Timid dogs avoid strangers, and are frightened of them. The fact he won't engage the poster doesn't bode well for his suitablilty. If it was due to another trainer being to harsh with him, he MAY get over it, with lots of work in play/prey drive. But if he's genetically timid (been there, done that, rehomed the dog...) he just is not going to make a good protection/sport dog.

ETA: a dog that only wants to be with its handler or on its place stool is frightened, and looking for a safe place. My timid dog used to either hide under my chair at classes, or plaster herself against my shins...

Socially he was friendly but was barking like mad at me before we met. The intro to this dog was a huge red flag for the owner/handler's aptitude. The owner said he would engage in play with guests and his toys no problem. I asked because there was no interest.

I'd love to continue to help build the dog's confidence and the owner's handling skills. You get what you put in. I have had clients blow my mind with their and their canine's improvements when I re-visit a week or two later. I'm hoping this is another mind blowing experience for all the best reasons.

Still waiting to hear from the previous trainer.  
 

How does the dogs behavior change if the owner is not in the picture? It sounds like the dog is using the owner as it's security blanket of sorts & is avoiding any outside interaction. Now wether this is due to poor temperament or past "training" is hard to tell without seeing the dog.

Regardless at this point I would keep all interaction with the dog fun & low stress & rewarding the smallest amounts of interaction with you. Even something as small as looking in your direction would be a start, if the dog is as soft, unsure, nervy, or otherwise stressed(whatever the case may be) as it sounds.