The "out" in SchH - Page 2

I believe the choice depends on the dog...meaning you might not have a choice:-)  I love the active guard...but, it takes a special dog to make it look good. Then again, same can be said for the silent guard! My pet peeve is the handler approach....I want my dog on the helper no matter what I'm doing! Nothing looks less convincing than a dog constantly checking where the handler is:-)

I like the one that best showcases the dog's power.

While an active guard does give a clearer picture of the dog's ability to switch drives, an intense silent guard can just send shivers down the spine.

A correct and convincing guard,  whether active or silent, is what I like.  I prefer the guard that suits the dog.  And Judron I agree, nothing sadder than the dog who is looking for his handler for support.

it depends on the dog first. a active gaurd can hide temprament issuses, when the dog stays active it doesnt give it time to realize it is that close to the decoy and far away from the handeler. with a silent gaurd the dog MUST stay focused on the decoy and not the sleeve to show its strength, but the decoy is the only one that see's that. a silent, focused, and with intensity type gaurd shows confidance in the dogs temprament. personaly i like a silent gaurd if the dog is intense and focased on the decoy, that shows real strength in the dog.

i do agree with sue, and judron is right a dog that looks around is a VERY bad thing.

I find that having my dog bark while he is in "hold" puts him in stronger drive mode while having him sit and be quiet in "hold" encourages self-constraint and "takes the edge off" to a degree. Maybe that's just my dog.

This is an interesting thread.  I can think of the pros to a silent out/guard is that it conserves the dogs energy, it also gives less chance that the re-bite will be bad, because the dog is still and not bouncing or anything.  The cons would be only a matter of preference.  I tought my dog from a young age that with each bark the decoy would come closer and closer to giving her a bite, but with my new dog I did not get to do any foundation as a puppy, and she is silent as of right now, gotta teach her, first by teaching speak through obedience then using that command on the field and showing her it brings the decoy and sleeve to her, I will get it on command however I have to.

I am not sure why I thought about this...lol... I do find this post interesting. I do see the pros and cons of each.
The main reason that I like the silent guard is because, like a few have mentioned here, there is less of a chance of getting a bad grip on the re-attack...therefore less points lost. The helper doesnt have to try and timethe bite when the dog is  bounceing and barking. Also the dog conserves more energy because they are not barking. These are the main 2 reasons I see for a silent guard.
For the active guard, the dog is able to release some drive so to speak. Which means less of a chance (hopefully...lol) that the dog will get dirty during the guard.
I dont remember who mentioned it, but the one thing that I HATE is to see a dog who keeps looking back at it handler when they are approaching the dog during the guarding. An ear turned back is fine, but I would really like to see the dog stay focused on the helper. Whether the dog is doing a silent guard or an active guard after the out.

The conservation of energy is the least concern IMNSHO. I want a dog that is committed to the helper..whether active or silent.  

Do you think a dog with a powerfull silent gaurd shows its ability to cap its drive and is assessing the situation as far as if the decoy is still a threat or waiting (wanting) the attack to come back? 

Any time the dog is in a guarding phase, the decoy is always a threat! He'd had better be prepared for a attack...reattack. I like a pushy dog...I find mostly that the silent guard is used on a dog after the fact....meaning after he's been dirty or out of control most times due to a conflict with the handler. Not a bad thing just an observation!