Defense drive or Prey drive - Page 5

My girl Sarah will play tug with me. No barking, not to fuul a bite, and she will hang on just enough, not full commitment. If i have her on a lead and some one else comes with a tug she will get nasty, bark, jump at them, and once the tug is presented she hangs on for dear life. Once the guy gets tired of her pulling the tug away from him, and he lets go she shakes twice to ensure that it's dead, and then it's right back after the guy. Is she in prey or defense with the guy?

Once she thatught my friend was threatening me, she made no noise, came between us, and held his hand gently to show him what time it was. Afterwards she played with my friend. Was she defending me then ? Is this how I will tell that she is in defense.

I think she barks at people for my approval. She will see me playing with the other dog, then she'll run to the fence, bark a few times, then run back to me for a pat on the chest. If i am there she barks at my friend, Iif i'm in side he can walk straight into the yard and play with her. How do I know what is what?  Maybe I need to make a vid of the different sides of Sarah. By the way if you search Biljenbec's seron von watson you will see my girl. She isn't from all the popular lines but she is a nice dog.

Quote: Once she thatught my friend was threatening me, she made no noise, came between us, and held his hand gently to show him what time it was. Afterwards she played with my friend. Was she defending me then ? Is this how I will tell that she is in defense.

None of the above. One of the reasons people want to have defense is the dog bites harder. I really doubt that she thought that your friend was threatening, or was showing him "what time it was." Dogs that do that send people to the hospital, not gently take them by the hand.

Where are you located at?? Maybe there is something going on in your area and you just don't know about it.

QUOTE: she was in prey with that guy but showing herself to be a civil dog.

No, not even. Civil dogs send people to the hospital. At best this was her showing some strange version of dominence, or some sort of weird behavior learned thru interaction with her family allowing her to lead them around this way.

Please go and find the definition for different terms before telling someone things like this. Those of us that do train in the bitework really get short when you lower the bar for a definition, or do not know the definition. Not making fun, but terminology is important in a discussion.

Quote: Thanks Jeff, I wish there was some ring sport around me

Where are you at??? There might be something, again, there is French ring, Mondio ring, and PSA, so there MIGHT be something closeer than you think.............or nothing at all LOL

When she came between me and my friend she was about a year and a half. When she played tug with that guy she was about 2 years and about 2 months. So when a dog is being "civil" she does not have to feel threatened. I thaught civil or sharp dogs were dogs with low drive thresh-holds and just fliped into defense drives for no reason.

"Where are you located at?? Maybe there is something going on in your area and you just don't know about it."

I am in the Bahamas. The land with beaches and no dog trainers or clubs.

Jeff: Near Allentown/Reading PA.

I've tried to Google but am not really getting the results I'm looking for.  Perhaps I'm not using the right terminology. 

Thanks,

Melanie

I will ask on some other boards to see what everyone says. It is so tough to train in dogsports. I have talked to judges that come here and cannot believe how big this country really is. They have clubs 5 min away in every direction. Meanwhile, I think the average that people travel in this country is over 100 miles.

there is a lot of confusion on this topic.. first there are different dimensions as I would state to a GSD doing defense work . I do not believe that because the ears are back  vs.. a Gsds ears up is tghe indicator to prey vs. defense. That is to say .. because a dogs ears are up it is not defending. / i look for a Gsd ears up in working defense. that says to me as preston indicated the dog has been brought along well in iot's development that it can defend and be calm , confident , assured . yes defense can also originate from a dog concearned , not always to the degree of fear and the ears are down . OK . secondly the confusionb >NO NO NO you do not want to look at the body posture .. that is hogwash ... this is I really crash down on the word "DRIVE" . dogs do not have drives. they have THOUGHTS , FEELINGS  & EMOTIONS . that being accepted if you will .[ fighting/ chewing /thrashing , open to closed eyes , goping stright in vs. a slight tilt upon entry etc etc] THEN .. IT IS THE CHANGE in posture , facial expression , demeanor etc etc. . THOSE  /THAT states what the dog is motivated for , fear , defense, prey .. THAT IS what you look for before /during/ after and WHILE the dog is on the sleeve. ONE LAST word .. the oppopnent of the dog will also tell you about what the dog is feeling .. a dog loking into the grimacing eyes , the frontal threatening upright position of the opponent -- what would you feel? what do you think the dog will feel.??