Samson's first prey drive test - Page 1

Samson just turned five months old a few days ago, and this is the first testing of his prey drive that I have ever done.  I found an Everlast punching bag in the thrift store, tied a little length of bunjee cord between that and a long line.  He took to it well and quickly, and no doubt in short time will become the prey bite monster that both his parents are.  http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=1379623

Try this again.

http://youtu.be/4iKB8I-lNeY

im I wrong or does he look like hutch when he was young

Quite a bit, yes.  In structure and behavior...it's almost uncanny.  Overall, Hutch has tended to stamp himself better in his female offspring than in males, but Sam here is practically his mini-me.  I will also be gaining a pup from this upcoming litter http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/para.utkoma?fadir=522522&modir=699216

He looks to be enjoying himself

That punching bag is a cool idea!  how well do they hold up and how much do they generally cost?

I used to have one of those x-large "tennis" balls inside a canvas bag tied to the end of a lunge whip.  It worked great for a little while, but it's dead now. 

My first time playing with it, you can see it takes gettin a feel for.  I don't know what they retail for, I bought this one used for a buck at the local charity store.  It is really tough, a little slippery, and only half full of air at the moment, which is probably ideal.  It gives them a nice firm but squishy feel in their teeth.  And they're not necessarily biting in the exact same spot, so it should last longer than a lot of tugs that wear in a specific section. 

I felt that Samson would take to it well, and he did.  But, I suspect he could become very possessive if we were to play this game very much in this manner.   I think it would be less so if I were using a lunge whip with a strip of polar fleece attached, and more prey/chase could be stimulated with a less satisfying object to sink the teeth into.  I just didn't think he would be as fast as he ended up being.

Samson's second test, two weeks later at six months age.