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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Bite work for nervous aggressive dog?

21 replies

Pikaso · 19/01/2022 08:51

Trainers and behaviourists especially …

2.5 year old Doberman. Fear/nervous aggressive. Trainer tells me that bite/protection work would be perfect for her … it would build her confidence and teach her an on/off switch.

I’m nervous it would make her worse.

She’s working lines - ultra protective already, loves to work - lives for training. Hyper-intelligent, very sharp, memory of an elephant.

What do you think? Would schuzhund/IPO type stuff be good for her?

OP posts:

user313213521 · 19/01/2022 08:57

What qualifications does your trainer have?

Original poster

Pikaso · 19/01/2022 08:58

@user313213521

What qualifications does your trainer have?

I can’t remember the titles exactly but he has a few. He was a dog handler in the military

OP posts:

Branleuse · 19/01/2022 09:07

bite work surely isnt for a pet dog. Maybe this dog isnt really suited to being a domestic pet.

Poniesandgin · 19/01/2022 09:07

I can’t imagine making a dog who is frightened get that close to a scary man in a suit making a lot of noise would help the situation.

Please use a registered positive trainer instead!

Original poster

Pikaso · 19/01/2022 09:10

@Poniesandgin

I can’t imagine making a dog who is frightened get that close to a scary man in a suit making a lot of noise would help the situation.

Please use a registered positive trainer instead!

I am ☺️ I’m just trying to think of other stuff she could do to keep her mind active

OP posts:

Poniesandgin · 19/01/2022 09:11

Have you thought about something like competitive obedience?
I know it’s so hard with a nervous soul and I’ve been there
Once you have the dog focused on you it tends to blur a bit of the world out. It’s not as boring as it seems on the outside either if you can find a sympathetic trainer to help!

Clymene · 19/01/2022 09:13

I'm a bit confused. You were asking what breed of dog you should get on Saturday?

Original poster

Pikaso · 19/01/2022 09:18

@Clymene

I'm a bit confused. You were asking what breed of dog you should get on Saturday?

I also said on that thread that I have two dogs already and that choosing my next breed was forward thinking.

OP posts:

EricScrantona · 19/01/2022 09:28

Use a balanced trainer for best results.

Pet dogs shouldn't really learn bite work. As you're not a trainer, you wouldn't exert the same control as him and it could as to problems. Nervous dogs especially shouldn't be taught to bite.

I used to have a Rottweiler and the trainer said he would be fabulous for bite work but as he was my pet and not his working dog, it simply shouldn't be done. Add nervousness into the mix and it's an awful cocktail.

Janeandjohnny · 19/01/2022 09:33

Have you thought about tracking? If she lives for learning then its a great sport to do and you can compete. Its all on lead too.

Original poster

Pikaso · 19/01/2022 09:35

@Janeandjohnny

Have you thought about tracking? If she lives for learning then its a great sport to do and you can compete. Its all on lead too.

Yes scentwork/tracking/mantrailing seems to be the way to go ☺️

OP posts:

Postdatedpandemic · 19/01/2022 09:40

It could work and teach her on off switching, it could also go very wrong. I understand your nervousness.

2.5 yo old dogs have had there socialisation fecked up by lockdown.

Do you trust the trainer? If I was going for an ex services trainer, I would choose customs or prison. Good scent work dogs are amazing, they learn passive reactions.

Agility is also good.

I'd be bloody warey of protection work.

Janeandjohnny · 19/01/2022 09:58

I agree with above - protection work with a nervous dog would be difficult I imagine - that needs confidence. They are nearly always dogs that are confident to bite & let go on the 'out'. I'd worry a nervous dog would use those skills out of competition.

Thatldo · 19/01/2022 10:03

This dog doesnt seem suitable to have as a pet.there is an accident waiting to happen.you would need every day extensive training by a very very experienced trainer.I doubt(will all due respect) you would have the time to do this.

PollyRoulllson · 19/01/2022 10:32

Bite work or mondioring/schuzhund/IPO can be great for some dogs. Pet dogs included. However it is not an easy sport and for an inexperienced handler I would not start with a nervous dog as my first dog in this sport.

Nervous dogs would be weeded out of any training program involving bite work by any service or organisation - I think that says it all really not the best way forward

The issue I would have is that some trainers are still in the dark ages and the training methods will not help a nervous dog. However if you can find a reward based mondioring instructor it may work but you will have to travel miles and it will be a major commitment for all involved.

It is a hard sport to practice and do at home so with a nervous dog an easier sport to be able to do more frequently would be scent work. I would start with scent work and then move onto tracking.

If you have a nervous dog tracking and finding people can be hard to start with but can increase confidence when they are expert sniffers

Difference between IP and Mondioring is that there is no tracking in Mondioring and the bite work is not only on the arm. IPO also actvely works on making the dog let go so the IPO dogs usually have a stonger bite hold this is hard for many dogs and very hard for nervous dogs. You have to have an aroused dog to hold and with a nervous dog is not great.

It is not the first option I would think of for nervous dogs and in the wrong trainer hands and inexperienced new owner could be hard work and not really very successful.

The first line of approach with nervous dogs is increasing their confidence this could do the opposite.

Scent work however will improve their physical symptons eg slow their heart rate release dopamine etc that will make your dog feel better, then be able to learn, then increase confidence win win.

Janeandjohnny · 19/01/2022 10:54

I was just going to say that I hoped @PollyRoulllson would see this thread. They (Polly) are just a great assest to this forum and helped me so much with my dog queries. Thats a super post above OP - find what your dog loves and let it do it. I think we all forget that our job as owners is to help them shine.

Original poster

Pikaso · 19/01/2022 11:00

Thanks everyone, I also worried bite work would be wrong for her so this has confirmed it.
Looking into scent work now as that seems perfect for her.

@PollyRoulllson would you recommend starting this at home to begin with? With a kong filled with food for example?

OP posts:

Clymene · 19/01/2022 11:10

Ooh okay. Just seems odd to be thinking about getting another dog when you have a toddler and an existing dog with behavioural issues.

You have a lot on your plate!

Original poster

Pikaso · 19/01/2022 11:21

I don’t have a toddler, you might be thinking about my granddaughter ☺️ I’m a bit old for toddlers of my own 😂 (although I hear it’s not that uncommon these days!)

OP posts:

Clymene · 19/01/2022 11:23

@Pikaso

I don’t have a toddler, you might be thinking about my granddaughter ☺️ I’m a bit old for toddlers of my own 😂 (although I hear it’s not that uncommon these days!)

Oh phew

PollyRoulllson · 19/01/2022 11:25

@Pikaso

Thanks everyone, I also worried bite work would be wrong for her so this has confirmed it. Looking into scent work now as that seems perfect for her.

@PollyRoulllson would you recommend starting this at home to begin with? With a kong filled with food for example?

Yep you can start scent work with a kong.

Use a kong filled with food and feed from it every day for two weeks (maybe 1 week for some dogs). it has to be the RED kong.

Then cut up an old red kong and put hide 5 bits of kong - a really easy hide so maybe in some fencing slats. Let you dog sniff over the area and they will show some kind of reaction when they find the kong pieces - mark and reward with best treat ever.....

From there you can start working on indications etc and a whole new world of scenting is open to you both -

Organisations that will help are:-

Scent work uk - have trainers all over uk - they start with clove as a scent. Lovely competitions for progression -lovely people

Uk sniffer dogs - have trainers all over uk - they use kongs as started scent

or if you are very motivated and like to work online then

School of Canine Science have a course - great and quite theoretical but you will learn loads. It is a 6 month course and you keep the content for life.

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