[Lisa]

Just give him time. He is still young.

Alot of dogs and puppies exhibit more drive and energy at home because that is where they are comfortable. Sometimes when you take them out of their element their confidence goes down. What I would do is either tie him out or crate him right next to the field where he can see the other dogs in action. Sometimes this will frustrate the dog and it will start showing more interest int he work. I also recommend NOT doing any tug/rag work at home. If you are a novice you may end up causing problems. It is imperative to know when to reward the dog, how to set the bite, etc. If you start rewarding the dog at the wrong time you could teach bad habits that will take long to fix. Teaching a dog to bite properly is a science. Its alot more than just going out there and tossing a tug around. Leave that stuff to your helpers and concentrate on ob and tracking when on your own. Also, have you stopped to think that maybe you play with your puppy too much at home so when he comes out to the field he can't be bothered? I would frustrate the heck out of that puppy. I would play very little with the dog at home and see if that helps him "bring it" more when he is at the field. I know alot of new handlers are very enthusastic and want to do all they can at home, but many times it can be counterproductive.

 

[Lisa]

Thank you very much, Lisa. I will definitely keep all of your suggestions in mind.

I did have one more question...Is there any way to tell, at this age, weather or not he will have the drive to do the work?

Puppies are a crap shoot. Some take longer to "wake up" than others. Some never wake up.

Some show great potential as pups, exhibiting tons of prey drive, biting monsters etc but once they mature and the training gets more advanced the dog starts to fall apart. Some just can't handle the increased pressure coming FROM BOTH ENDS OF THE LEAD. For example, once the helper starts to put pressure on the dog in the form of drives/stick hits etc. Or once the handler starts incorporating obedience into the bitework. Not all dogs can handle this and I have seen MANY dogs washed out because of one or both of these reasons. It is not uncommon for people to continue working a dog until 2-3 yrs old before washing it out.

The only way to know how your puppy is going to devlop is by following the training program at your club. As the work advances you will see strengths and weakensses in your dog. If it was so easy to tell if a dog was cut out for this, people wouldn't be washing out dogs as often as they do.

Good luck with the puppy.