I think the earlier one starts the better, especially when it comes to novices. If you are interested in this sort of training and are new to it, I feel the best thing to do is find a reputable club as soon as you get the puppy. With the guidance of a training director and other club members you can learn how to properly imprint your dog at home. Most novices unknowingly do things that are counterproductive to bite work training. A club can help you avoid doing those things. A protection/sport prospect is raised much differently than your average pet and it's important to have that knowledge going in or at least have someone available to guide your through the process. Otherwise you will more than likely have problems that you created only to undo later. Could be the owner over corrected the puppy for using its mouth, could be it was given to many things for free without having to work for it, could be that bad grips and targeting were promoted through improper play. The mistakes that can be made are endless.
On the other hand, if a dog "has it" the bite work can come together fairly quickly so waiting won't always cause a problem. Some people will concentrate on bonding along with obedience and tracking (if schutzhund is the sport being trained for) and don't start the bite work until later. That too is fine for a novice (some clubs won't even give you the option of starting bite work until the dog is a year old or so) but again, its the support of a club and trainer that is most important at this stage of the game when it comes to novice handlers.
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