Beginning Bite/Protection Work

As with any dog training, there are a lot of theories out there and a lot of methods. Some get you to the same results and some do not. We like to start the foundation work early in our dogs. Young dogs need to learn how to bite properly before you can expect them to engage in bite work, protection work, or sport work. We do this by training with the dog in prey drive first. The dog learns to bite properly, becomes confident and comfortable in biting. As an added bonus, the dog is having fun working in it's inherited prey drive. Some people begin this work with the dog in defense drive. This will lead to more problems in the end and possibly a dog that has weak nerves. Prey drive is the instinctive drive for a dog to find, pursue, and capture it's prey, where defensive drive is the dogs instinct to defend itself and/or its pack. Some sport work only works the dog in prey drive and some work the dog in prey and defense drives. Starting to train a dog in defense puts a lot of stress on the dog. This is why we do not start the bite work training in defense drive. We want the dog to be as calm and comfortable as possible starting out. Once the dog learns to bite properly, is calm, and confident, then we start working with the defense drive. Some dogs need work in prey drive longer than others before switching to defense drive. Police dogs start out the same but go a step higher.