Are we too old?

[midnightrayne]

Hi guys i have a 2 yr old male doberman ( Revan ) that ive done lots of training with, we have obedience and rally titles but i thought he was getting bored and we out grew our trainer so we started w a new one that along w obedience and other classes does protection work ( mainly gsd's) ive always wanted to do this so we went to a few classes. They started Revan on the tug and he looked a bit confused but eventually got into the game, he doesnt bark just playfully takes the tug and then gets tired and just sits there.

I wonder are we too old to start this kind of training? im not looking for a service level dog outta this but just being able to bite the sleeve and have a nice bark hold would be great!

i know most dogs are started as pupies but were kinda late - i just wonder will he ever get this or do u think im waisting my time?

Thanks in advance.

[thallyce]

No you are never to old to have fun. The dog can also learn at 2 years of age. Just give him some time to learn the "game".

[dobermanman]

Please sign your name :-)

IMO The problem isn't the age of your boy (most Dober boys don't have a brain till they're almost three :-)) The problem is too much control from Obedience training. Do tug/bite work with NO Control, NO pressure...nothing but fun and winning. Once he gets the idea that's it's ok to bite and tug and play you can start adding control. I don't know who you are working with but they should keep it all prey for now.

[spoons]

I started my girl at 2 1/2 . She is now 3 and is coming along nicely
Only important thing is to make sure your dog is having FUN
And learning the "game " of bite is allways fun
Spoons
shem hetep
nuk au neter

[jonny]

How long have you been doing the tug work?
It may take him a few weeks as you build and develop drive. Also you have to remember that doing tug work if new to the dog uses muscles that he hasnt used much before. He will exhaust quickly. As his stamina increases he will go for longer.