Questions & Answers

The following questions and answers are for training assistance only. Each canine problem is unique and not all answers fit as a "carved in stone" response.

1. Can I do my own protection/bite work on my dog? This answer is simple, NO! Why would you ask your dog to challenge your pack position? Biting is the canine form of a physical challenge. Be the leader or the follower, it's your choice.

2. My puppy is growling at me when I try to take his food bowl from him. Why's the deal? Your puppy is showing he is in control and that he is the pack leader. He has no respect for you and is showing it. It is time for you to show "Mr. Man" who is the REAL boss.

3. How old should a puppy be before any training takes place? I start at 7-8 weeks of age. I am the pack leader and all good and bad things come from my position. It is too soon to do real obedience work with them. You can however start by calling the puppy by name, commanding "here" or "come" and doing fun forms of "sit" and "down." Use food or a toy and lots of praise with this little one.

4. What type of herding commands should I start using with my Border Collie? I use the following commands: "walk up" to approach stock; "down" or "lie down" to stay in position while I inspect my sheep; "come bye" to go clockwise to the handler and the other is "away or away to me" to go counter-clockwise to the handler. The last one is "that'll do" which means our job is done and it's time to leave the field. Simple!

5. What is the right age to start herding lessons with a puppy? I don't start herding dogs before they are about ten months of age. Under ten months and they are still too young to handle livestock related challenges and problem-solving issues. Ten months is also not the "magic age" either. It is up to the puppy how mature they are and for the task at hand. You can always introduce a young dog to sheep and keep them on a long line. This is the safe way to work them. I once worked a Sheltie that weighed about 15 pounds. The ewe came at it with a frontal charge and I had to "line roll" the dog to keep it out of harms way. YIPES, that was a close one.

This is my foundation Border Collie female, Jess. She would try to work sheep 24/7, if it were allowed. The "that'll do" command tells them that the job is done and that it is time to leave the pasture. She was still looking on at the sheep and quite upset with the command. Oh well.

6. Can I give my puppy raw hide chews? I would tell you not to do this. They can get caught in their throat. When wet they act like a paste and the puppy has no way to expell them. I use pig ears and pig skin rolls. The puppies and dogs love them and they are much safer.

7. My dog's parents both have Schutzhund titles on them. Will this dog  be a protection type dog? I have lots of dogs which come here for K-9 personal protection pre-testing and training. Many of these dogs come from parents of Schutzhund showlines backgrounds. When the puppy or dog is tested, even in light prey or defense, they fold like a cheap table. They are GREAT pets but very poor protection dogs. In addition, I have purchased Working Border Collie puppies from working stockdog breeders. Some of these puppies never showed signs of wanting to work. Nice pets for someone, poor workers for me.

Temperament, breeding,  and socialization are three major elements, of  many, which determine what a canine can and cannot do. This is the reason why I buy from working lines dogs and not show lines. The chance of having a working animal are greater from a working line breeding. Would you play basketball in cowboy boots? No, you use athlethic shoes, the type for the sport that you are playing. It is the same mindset with K-9 personal protection or police patrol uses. Get a puppy or dog from a background which is similar to your need or use.

8. Why is my Border Collie puppy biting at my feet? Your Border Collie is showing signs of prey drive, the desire to chase things. This is also a form of herding. Border Collies will try and herd feet, cats, other dogs, children, anything that moves. Redirect their interest onto a Frisbee or tennis ball. Also, command "no" as you redirect their interest.  Never let your puppy chase cars. Many Border Collies will do this as a prey item outlet.

9. Are your Border Collies hyper? No. A hyper puppy or dog is not fun to live with or to train. Many times these are animals that come from poor breedings or are from working lines and have no "job." You can't keep a working dog in a crate, in the house, and for ten hours out of the day and expect a calm animal. My dogs have jobs; herding sheep and removing geese through my goose control business, FIRST STATE BORDER PATROL. If you are not an active person or have an active family, don't get a Border Collie.

10. My Lab doesn't give me the tennis ball when I throw it. She stands back and won't let me have it. Why? My guess is she has been taught that by you. You are making her wait too long to get the ball back. Think about it this way...you threw it, she chased it down (in a prey mode), and now she has to give back what she has caught. I would try to bond with her better. I would also release the ball to her faster, cut the reward wait time back or play two ball. You need to have another tennis ball in your pocket, when she returns throw it. Then pick up the first ball to start the game over. Canine bonding is EVERYTHING.

When doing basic herding lessons with young stockdogs, use easy going livestock like Katahdin Hair sheep. Cattle are too big and goats are too wild. The young dog needs every advantage to have success...sheep are the answer.

11. Do you think my 14 week old lab will be a good hunter? Your 14 week old Lab will never be a good hunter, that's YOUR job! The Lab's job is to find and bring back the game which you harvested. At 14 weeks of age, no one can tell what will happen or predict how long it will take to get it to a hunting mode. Some Labs are good basic workers at six months of age, and then there are other Labs that will never work. I have owned both.

Start now with bird wings; frozen goose wings or small quail wings taped to a canvas bumper. The Lab is being conditioned to the smell and taste of feathers. You can also tie a wing on a string and then to a  bamboo pole. This will give the wing flight and take your hand from the picture. Go slow...

12. I have a young dog that needs some training. The trainer says to leave it for six weeks and don't stop by until the dog is done. What are your thoughts on this? YIPES! I would NEVER leave a dog or puppy with someone I knew nothing about or who told me to not stop by and check on the progress. This should be a RED FLAG to stay clear of this outfit. Your dog should be something like your child. Would you trust your child in the hands of an unknown person? Well, would you? This is my answer to that mess!

Professional trainers have no secrets and openly accept client questions without snappy, hateful answers. They don't stand behind a business card or slick slung resumes. Remember, a professional is as a professional does...

13. In the protection phase of Schutzhund, what is the difference between prey and defense drive? Try thinking of prey drive as the dog's willingness to chase a rabbit. It wants nothing more than to run it down and catch it. The only "fight" is the rabbit trying to get away, fighting to live. Prey drive has no real pressure of being hurt. The motion of the dog is going left and right, start and stop, and moving into a bite.

Defensive drive is when the dog has pressure put on it. It is in a "fight" or "flight" mode. The dog must go one on one with the helper/decoy or run away. The dog may face some type of "danger" to itself in this conflict. Some of the  defensive style movements by a decoy can be a long/deep  stare, a  movement towards the dog,  body contact, light stick hits, or a hand raised over the dog's head.

A very good K-9 decoy should be able to work a dog in and out of both drives. The decoy should read the dog's body language and any verbals which are presented. It is the job of the decoy to be a skilled sparring partner, the handler to be a great coach, and the dog to be the showcased "fighter."

14. Which is better, a male or female dog? This all depends on your need and what you will do with it. I have found both sexes to be very loving and loyal. Males are larger, heavier, a a little more independent. They like to "mark" anything they can lift a leg on. Females come into season twice a year. They are more "stay at home" than males. Females a not as strong in some areas...but there are always exceptions to every rule. I have found both sexes easy to train. It all has to do with the temperament, breeding, socialization, and training of the animal. Pick a breed that you like, talk with folks who own them, ask questions, and purchase from a reliable breeder.

15. Here's a version for "here's yer sign" or the big daaah. Aren't eight week old puppies potty trained when you get them home? When you brought your child home from the hospital, after giving birth, was it potty trained and had no need for diapers? Could it use the bathroom without your help? What do you think a puppy is anyway? Hello....! You have a four legged baby that needs help and attention. For folks who are too busy to offer dogs, cats, or other critters quality time and attention, DON'T BUY ONE! Get a stuffed animal instead because you have no business owning the real deal with that kind of a mindset.

K-9 Personal Protection Training...

This is my right calf and not a drumb stick from KFC. You can see where the teeth locked into the bite suit and bruised and scared my leg. What do you think this would look like without padded protection?

K-9 Personal Protection is not a game. Be mindful of your need and the outcomes which are generated from a personal protection dog! And yes, it hurt like HELL!

16. Do I need to beat my dog to make him do K-9 personal protection work? No, you just need to get a clue! Do you need a butt whooping to learn a new task? Does someone need to smack you up along side the head for thinking to take place? Dogs are no different. Show any animal the task, do it in simple steps, keep the reward triggers positive, and then put the pieces together for the final outcome.

17. Why is my dog growling while it is on the bite sleeve? This is an easy one to answer. Your dog is under alot of pressure in this fight scenario. The growling is the dog's way of expressing "fight concerns." While on the bite sleeve, it is in a fight. It now has a locking hold on the "bad guy" and is wondering what in the world am I going to do now? A good decoy should be able to read these signs and adjust the "fight" to help the dog win, to feel like IT has power.

18. If I neuter my male German Shepherd, will it make him less aggressive towards people? Neutering is an operation which prevents animals from reproducing. It has nothing to do with the basic temperament of the dog; the same is true with its ability to work sheep or do personal protection work. If you are neutering him while he is still awake and doing it yourself, he may have GOOD reason to bite you and hate you! This surgery is done for reproduction or health purposes and not temperament improvement.

19. How do you make your dog "mean" so that it will do bite work? This is a question that I get asked often. You don't make your dog mean, that has nothing to do with protection training. You are looking for an animal which is a clear thinker, one whose genetics made it suitable to do that form of training. Mean dogs are not stable and should NEVER be trained for protection work. So, how do we make them mean? We don't!

20. My groomer says that I shouldn't train my dog in the protection sports or for K-9 personal protection. What do you think? Everyone has their own opinions on this topic and there may never be a most right answer. You must be a strong K-9 leader and be on good shape to do this style of training. If you are not sound in your own mind and have solid values, then this may not be the thing for you. When you train a dog for protection work, you are creating a "tool" that has the power to do some real damage. At 900 pounds per square inch of bite pressure, a dog can hand out some very nasty injuries.

Ask yourself this, "Why do I need a dog like this and do I have the power to control the outcome which I have created?" Never put your trained dog in a position to "guess" if this is a threat. Never let your dog run loose, and be mindful of the legal issues which you could be faced with when owning a trained dog.

A dog is man's best friend.

What does that make man to a dog?

Report dog abuse violations to your local animal control office. Stop dog fights and other forms of animal cruelty in your state!

When working dogs are properly trained, they can do many things. Folks are always shocked when I tell them that I am training a female Rottweiler to herd sheep. Many fire back, "A Rottie?" Sure and why not? This is Windywoods Bell and she is holding sheep for an inspection. We were doing a "walk up...lie down" command.