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IPO Schutzund

Ddski5

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Ignorance seeking knowledge...

What is the recommended earliest and the latest age of a dog to start training?

Must a dog have specific skills to start IPO training?
 
Funny that you made this thread. My twins trainers suggested protection training for them now instead of doing the entomology scent work first.
I will be curious to hear recommendations.
 
Also, does anybody have any recommendations on IPO trainers around South Louisiana?

Not dead serious, but throwing around some ideas.

If I was still in the Army, I could always hop a Mac flight Chinook to Ft Leonarwood, Missouri. Lol.
 
They can be started months before their first birthday. The obedience and tracking parts have no limitations I am aware of in terms of starting young. I also see pups being worked in the protection part. Of course you have to really trust the people you work with so they don't over-stress or push your pup to the breaking point. They must build his confidence.

Not age-related, and I don't know if you know this; but not all Dobermans have what it takes to do IPO.
 
Exactly what Tad said, not every Doberman has the temperament needed for the sport, and can’t handle having pressure put on them.
I would look for a club that has trainers that have Doberman experience, and go have the dog evaluated. The trainer will then be able to tell you if your dog is suited for it.
 
It would be interesting to know "what it takes"?.?.
A dog that does shut down when pressure is applied by the decoy, a solid temperament, fearless, won’t back down while taking a hit, isn’t afraid of loud noises. @Doberman Gang has a wealth of knowledge of this sport and how the dog should preform. He will have far more answers then me lol We just compete and try to learn as much as possible to be a good handler and a good team.
 
It would be interesting to know "what it takes"?.?.
It takes more than being a certain breed, because most breeds (well, I know for sure the Doberman) have been watered down and made more suited to ownership by the general public who wants a pet – also less of a liability for lawsuits. Most Dobermans – I think all of 'em, really – are very alert and make terrific watchdogs; but do they have the courage to back it up if their bluff is called? We all would like to think ours would, but...

Then there's the hardness to stick with the fight when the bad guy fights back

Then there's the ability to full-mouth bite. My first Dobe never could full-mouth bite no matter how hard I worked with him. I am also pretty sure he would back down if a human actually fought back. My second one would launch forward and wedge his molars onto the article (stick, tug, bite sleeve) with no training needed.

Stuff like that.

So, it's interesting to have one's Dobe evaluated by honest, experienced people (make sure you don't deal with Doberman-haters who might have an axe to grind and try to prove Dobermans are no good). The IPO/Schutzhund world is dominated by German Shepherd and Malinois people and the like. Dobermans largely fell out of favor for police, military and protection work many years ago due to lack of ability; and it seems most people are understandably skeptical of what seems to be a slow revival in some types of lines.

That said, it seems to me that IPO is a game. Many dogs can be strategically trained and helped along to some IPO titles – even IPO III titles, but it doesn't mean they are hard, courageous guard dogs.
 
I start my dogs as soon as I get them, 8-9 weeks old. It is all positive based and desensitizing to noises and pressure. Reward for ignoring noises and slight pressure to slowly build confidence. Here is an old video of Prada dealing with some stick pressure. She has a great full mouth grip solid and not chewy, deals with the stick and then fights a little at the end to win the sleeve and carry.
She was around 14 weeks in this video.
 
It is true most Dobermans being breed have lost there ability to work. Way to many cupcakes, conformation breeders purposely breed away from working drives because they don’t want to deal with the training need to show them. There are still some that like to some drive in their lines to help the dog show better and have more confidence in the ring. Unfortunately, BYB’s have also contributed to the dobermans lack of proper temperament. My suggestion is if you want to get into the sport, buy from a reputable working line breeder. There are some Dobermans with enough drive to train Protection as a game with slowly increasing pressure with the stick to the point that they can maintain the bite while taking hits from the stick.
 
Whoa. Stop the presses! A flirt pole BUILDS drive? I thought it just drains them mentally? FYI, I'm anti-endurance - I can barely keep up as is! Endurance, drive, stamina = same thing, no?
Nope drive is totally different lol
 
Whoa. Stop the presses! A flirt pole BUILDS drive? I thought it just drains them mentally? FYI, I'm anti-endurance - I can barely keep up as is! Endurance, drive, stamina = same thing, no?
Flirt pole = prey drive , that is why we use it for teaching barking. We back tie young dogs, tease with the flirt pole and they get frustrated trying to get to it and bark. Wevtgen immediately let them win.
 
Here around Toronto, I look into sevral trainers problem is most of them they don't even do assessment on dog.
They just want to charge you certain amount for membership or session and tell u what u like to hear.
Like u get private math/ music teacher for your kid and they tell u he is genius!
I believe as a game Audrey can do IPO but in actual case I have my doubts.
I would love introduction to hoest trainer experience with dobis around Toronto.
 

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