# Family Pet to Working Dog



## Jeff Braden (Jan 30, 2011)

I remember reading a topic hear on the forum about this but can't find it now. I have a Mal that is almost 2 years old. Due to working long hours and being gone for awhile I haven't done much with him. So far we have done some very basic obedience (Sit,stay, down, come, heel, and out without distractions) and some tracking. He never had any bite training other than playing tug and never tested his nerve/defensive drive. I'm in the position now that i have more time and money to work with him. I'm not expecting too much, but would like to work with him. Anybody have any experience in this or have any suggestions.


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## andreas broqvist (Jun 2, 2009)

Often that is à good thing. Many dogs downt start protection intill that age anyway


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## julie allen (Dec 24, 2010)

Im starting a two year old that had nothing at all done previously as far as ob. She had minimal scent training started. She is coming along nicely. What are you wanting to work the dog in?


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## Harry Keely (Aug 26, 2009)

Never know till you try, just got a female back from a past litter, has had some OB and some bitework ( just sporty ), but never had any formal detection, so I took her back and tested her, built hunt drive up and shes now on the way to being explosive certified with her new handler.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Jeff Braden said:


> I remember reading a topic hear on the forum about this but can't find it now. I have a Mal that is almost 2 years old. Due to working long hours and being gone for awhile I haven't done much with him. So far we have done some very basic obedience (Sit,stay, down, come, heel, and out without distractions) and some tracking. He never had any bite training other than playing tug and never tested his nerve/defensive drive. I'm in the position now that i have more time and money to work with him. I'm not expecting too much, but would like to work with him. Anybody have any experience in this or have any suggestions.


For similar issues (the local Schutzhund club I was in folded right around the time I got my dog and not enough time to travel in vet school), my male Mal did not start bitework until he was 3 years old. Now we train in PSA. I will tell you right now do NOT hurry his foundational training if you find someone to work him just because he's an adult and looks good otherwise. My dog lacks that foundational training most people take for granted and even when we started, we had about four months of good training with very good decoys and then extremely inconsistent training after that due to two of the decoys moving away. Since then, it's been either inconsistent in who was working him or inconsistent in the time where we could train (like months in between where he'd see a decent decoy). Can he do bitework? Definitely. But in certain situations, the lack of experience shows in the little things in the bitework. If you think about it this way, a person who is pretty serious about training would work their dog in bitework twice a week for maybe 50 weeks out of the year. Which I would have done had that been available to me. So he basically missed out on 300 exposures to bitework. So even though genetically, I think he's a very nice dog (mom is FR3, dad was a French K9 and has a leg of his FR3), I don't think he'll ever reach his full potential. :-( But we keep pressing on! :smile:

The obedience has not typically been a problem though, since I worked on that on my own a decent amount. But the bitework, there's only so much you can do without an experienced training decoy. :?


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## Jeff Braden (Jan 30, 2011)

I was thinking about Schutzhund, since there's a club close by. What would you suggest he knows before contacting the schultzhund club. I don't want to be that person that wastes everyones time.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

I think you'd be more likely to have success in Schutzhund than something like PSA, where there is much more forward pressure from the decoy and environmental pressure put on the dog. If anyone disagrees...well, sorry. :razz: You may not end up with a national level dog, but as long as your dog has the drive to do it, you can definitely give it a shot. 

Probably just some basic obedience would be good to start with, like you've already got. Start encouraging focused attention heeling and you'll be on your way to a BH before you know it. :smile:


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## Jackie Lockard (Oct 20, 2009)

I didn't even hear about Schutzhund until my dog was two years old, started training him when he was three. He was raised and trained as a guide dog before then. Certainly possible. I'd just go out and visit clubs and see what they're like. No use in worrying about pre-req crap. Most clubs just care that you'll put an effort out training (at and away from club) and help with set up and clean up.


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## Brian Anderson (Dec 2, 2010)

If the dog has the natural drives it should be no problem. It gives the dog an advantage to start out early with imprinting and foundation type stuff. But it isn't 100% required either especially if the dog is just on naturally. Many dogs aren't really even hardened off until after 2. 

you said "I'm not expecting too much," .... thats a good way to fail at what your doing. Plus that perspective isn't giving your dog much credit. Id look at it from a perspective of ...hey its just a matter of teaching this dog. Then see where he goes. I wish you the best with him!


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## leslie cassian (Jun 3, 2007)

I started my dog at 18 months. Before that he was just a pet with a bit of pet class obedience training.

Check out the clubs in your area. If they are willing to work with you and your dog, then go from there. In my limited experience, you don't need to know anything. Think of it this way - easier to teach correctly from the beginning than to have to go back and fix something that is not quite right. 

For my dog, starting late wasn't a big deal. His biggest handicap was, and still is, his handler, not his age. He was my first working dog, and making mistakes is inevitable. I don't think there is anybody who wouldn't want a do-over with their first dog.


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## Jeff Braden (Jan 30, 2011)

Brian Anderson said:


> you said "I'm not expecting too much," .... thats a good way to fail at what your doing. Plus that perspective isn't giving your dog much credit. Id look at it from a perspective of ...hey its just a matter of teaching this dog. Then see where he goes. I wish you the best with him!


Good point

Thanks everyone, great advice.


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## Lori Gallo (May 16, 2011)

Go for it. My first schutzhund dog was 3 when we started. I saw it as a learning opportunity. We did just "ok"...but everyone has a learning curve and has to start somewhere.


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