Will suit work hurt my SchH dog? - Page 1

My dog had a couple of sessions on the suit during her initial stages for bite development.  She was a late starter at 15/ 16 months.  Whether its the norm, I am not sure  It was with an experience helper.  I can only guess it was for confidence building.

I enjoyed it :)

In general, I don't think so but it depends on the dog and the goals.  I do both, but I'm not out to compete at the WUSV or anything.  I don't see any reason why a good dog would be ruined with good suitwork.  I've found it to be complementary, and it gives us something new and fun.  My dog tends to improve in protection when there's not a ton of repetition, so sometimes we do suitwork for a while, then go back to Schutzhund protection, and the dog works better after that "break" doing something else.  We did the BH, then the PA (suit), then we will do the P1, then the SchH1, etc., training and competing both at the same time.

I see some SchH trainers now wearing special suits for SchH.
I would probably stay with the sleeve for SchH. Why confuse the dog.

Do you think it's really cofusing the dog.? My dogs know what we're doing by the gear I'm wearing, he's wearing and tools I have in hand. Big Rubber Boots=Tracking.

There are dogs who  have switched from Ring to schH and SchH to Ringsport.

But when they do they stay with equipment that is needed for that sport.

It may not show up right away Don,.. until he bites your schH helper in the nuts
instead of the sleeve.

I could switch Nina over to schH easliy, but my Utie.. I would never
trust to just bite the sleeve. I would ruin her, ...she is natural born
Ringsport dog.....She is my problem child and my best dog.

LOL, Max. I have a puppy that likes to bite in the nutz! Gotta keep your head down, not up. I'm not really talking about switching sports. Just some recreational suit bites. Melanie and Andy have done a slew of things, and many PSDs that have done fairly well in the sport.

IMO if the dog is "confused" by equipment then there's either something wrong with the dog, or the decoy/helper, or both!  The dog should show aggresion and courage and control in protection work, whether the helper is wearing a sleeve, a suit, or a speedo!

dogs can switch from one sport to another // dogs can  learn to target to accomodate .. however it is much easier for a dog to first train on the suit then go to a sleeve than it is for the dog to go from sleeve to a suit .. one reason ..in a ring sport the dog must be comfortable entering body space with most often head down , or eyes shielded from 100% eye contact or sight of the helper .. when the dog goes to a sleeve he has a much better view literally and figuratively of the combat situation .. in Sch the dog is in a  much much less vulnerable situation working on the sleeve.. , the sleeve also is a bit  removed from the body,  no matter how it is presented ,, as opposed to working on  a suit  where  the dog is completely into and onto a body .. dogs have a very very acute sense of personal space .. even doing protection work .. you can see some dogs weak or strong either working high or low or from one point toward another  horozontally in relation to a body , that may be 6 inches in difference ..