On January 11 2008, 6:36 PM, LisaM wrote:Not only is it tough to find a good trainer but it is tough to find the right dog. The fact is most apbt and other bull breeds just aren't cut out for bite sports. Most are lacking in either prey drive or nerve . You can get by minus the prey drive if good nerve and courage is there, but as far as the bite sports go (Schutzhund, Ring sports, PSA etc) prey drive will defintiely get you to your goals faster. But, as far as an actual personal protection dog you can get by on strictly nerve and courage. Problem is, finding a dog with good nerve and courage on the man is no easy task. Nerve is not something you can "create", the dog either has it or it doesn't. Exposing a sport/pp prospect to various enviornments certainly won't hurt, but it isn't going to make a weak dog confident. Dogs are born with either weak, mediocre or good nerves, and there isn't anything we can do to change that. IMO there is a VERY fine line between "exposing" our dogs to various stimuli and enviornments and "conditioning" them to various stimuli and envrionments. Wiith enough testing, the true character of the dog will be always be exposed no matter how much conditioning has been done by the owner. Put enough stress on a dog and you will see the weak ones fold like an accordian. Not to mention the fact that to have a dog like this (and be succesful) the dog needs to be under CONTROL. MANY MANY dogs look awesome in the bite development stages of bitework, but later on, once control is demanded, these same dogs don't look so good anymore. A good dog needs to be able to take pressure form both ends of the leash.
I don't mean to sound discouraging but please prepare yourself for the possibility your dog won't work out . I have seen many dogs washed out since being involved in a sport club. Have an open mind and understand that this is a very good possibility. Think about all the years the apbt has been bred to NOT bite a human. The odds of finding a suitable dog for this sort of work is very much against you, BUT if you are lucky enough to find a one that is..look out as they can be be very impressive to watch.
Good luck.
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