Pick your brains... 6 month old won't go after "dead" prey - Page 1

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melba

by melba on 13 April 2016 - 20:04

Ok,
One of my 6 month old pups (not from my breeding) has zero interest in either a. Keeping the rag/tug/ball or b. Bringing ball back. If it comes from my hands directly, she won't take it. She'll chase on the flirt pole all day long, but once she has it, she drops and moves on to something else. Basically, if it's not moving, she doesn't want it.

She is ho hum about food also, despite feeding time, value, withholding meals and only feeding from the hand.

Pedigree is 90% old DDR if that makes a difference. I know they can be different, late maturing etc etc.

Adding, she would hunt and kill chickens and cats until she dropped if she were allowed. Obsessively. Hard time breaking that and bringing focus back to myself.

Suggestions?

Melissa

by hntrjmpr434 on 13 April 2016 - 21:04

Sounds like low possession.
I would try to fix that by keeping it "alive" while she has it, stop, then bring it "alive" again. Make sense? Obviously you'll have to build up the time you can have it not moving.
You've just about tried it all with food drive, I have one just like that too. Its a pain for sure! Maybe someone else on here can offer another trick for that.
As far as chickens go, I would eliminate her opportunity to get to them. Build value with being with you. I know that will be tough with low food drive.
Chasing and killing a chicken/cat will always be way more fun than anything with a human, so set yourself up for success when training.

by duke1965 on 13 April 2016 - 21:04

teach the chickens to play dead LOL

but seriously, ive seen more DDRlined dog with very low prey and food drive, its not easy to work them,
some of my old czech lines are late to mature and are slow till about ten to 12 months and than prey kicks in so maybe that will happen to yours too


melba

by melba on 13 April 2016 - 21:04

She doesn't actually have access to the chickens or cats, but they free range our property and she has that look in the eye I know all too well.

Yes, very low possession. I don't know if the particular lines might show something later? Light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. She can no longer be in the house due to her cat/dog obsession. My 11 yr old girls and cats were here first, so she's outside in a kennel during non training times.

Melissa


melba

by melba on 13 April 2016 - 21:04

I'm not opposed to using an ecollar for training, I've just never had to use non motivational training on a very young dog before. All of mine are ball feinds, want to please etc etc. Wracking my brain on how to best approach training, or if it's even worth it. I'm getting frustrated, and we all know that's not conducive to good bonding and training.

She's pretty, LOL.

Melissa

by joanro on 13 April 2016 - 21:04

'Breaking' her off the chickens and cats before imprint training = squashed drives. Quit with any 'prey drive' work for now. Maybe it will resurface at a year old or more.
I have a female that was like you describe as a pup, chase a thrown ball, stand over it but not pick it up,unless I approached her. Then she would pick it up a move away and drop it, stand over it.
I was about to donate her to seeing eye, but I liked her temperament and everything about her.
I just quit any prey drive work with her till one day when she was a year old, bam! She went for a Cong I tossed onto the porch and she has been a monster for ball retrieve and hunt ever since.
I put a long line on her a couple times and taught her to bring and she quit running off with the ball.

melba

by melba on 13 April 2016 - 22:04

Joan,
She won't pick it up or move it if I move toward it. She backs up and waits for it to be thrown to chase again. Sigh. I tried with the long line to get her to bring back (and because she's absolutely deaf if another animal enters the picture)

She was flunked immediately from a service dog program at 8 weeks before i got her because of her extremely high energy levels and non settling. This is the same now... enormous thigh muscles from always being in motion.

Not ready to give up yet.... just need to know there's a glimmer of hope that it might kick in later.

Melissa

by joanro on 13 April 2016 - 22:04

Like I said, forget about work involving prey drive till she is older, like at a yr or so. Again, getting 'broke off' chickens and cats may have squashed her drive for now. Give her time for it to kick in. Impossible to force prey behavior when it's not there yet ( unless you do forced retrieve, but she's too young imo).


melba

by melba on 13 April 2016 - 22:04

She hasn't been broken from them yet... haven't even started trying other then being on lead and not allowing her to chase them while with me.

I'll try just leaving her be, then, for now. Keep doing what I've been doing and hope for the best.

Recalculated.. she's 8 months, not 6.

Melissa

Mithuna

by Mithuna on 14 April 2016 - 02:04

At 6 months old my DDR female behaved similarly with the ball; she would chase it but that was it. By about 13 months old she naturally began retrieving the ball and bringing it to me. Now at 19 months she brings the dead ball to me to initiate the chase, and she would both chase and return it for as many times and and as far as I can throw it. This repeated sprinting uphill and over flats surfaces has also lead to massive thigh development which feels almost as bulky as mine ( Im a 195 lb , 5 ' 10" male ).
I was told by our trainer that many of the DDR dogs late mature, and he has seen this with many progeny coming in the line of Lord and some of his sons like Manto.
I would give her some more time and see how it goes.

Whats does her ped look like?






 


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