Long boring build up to a few questions about working dogs

[blas_t]

I will take a couple key points from the last post i made that directly relate to these questions.
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I guarentee Pharus is pretty much what all people involved in competitive working of dogs would look for in this breed. she is a machine, when it comes to any task, simple or complexed. she is very easily controled even in full out drive. many times, I have felt bad that she didnt fall into someones elses hands that had the means to work her seriously. I may still yet, though , she is still very young and has some foundation to work from, including a bit of introductory work to do protection, and she has excellent obedience on and off leash. what i am sad about is that i didnt raise her with the intention of persuing some working competion titles, as i would have hated to ruin her with bad habits and not the best method of raising dogs. I have a bad tendency to make my dogs love me to much, that they are very sad when i go, and when i get back they become so excited it is verging on dangerous, as they run recklessly through the property

and also
Quote:
I am reserved about ever making this guy(Minos) anger or get him fired up to teach him to bite. I did some early property and territory exercises to build suspision and watchfullness on home turf, bu ti think this was unnecessary. he already , and Pharus, how to do this.

so my questions are:
1.do you think i could have ruined Pharus's chances of excelling at a protection sport, not by any abusive but just average everyday normal desicions on raising a dog?
2.How important is exploiting early drives in a dog and maintaining and trying to increase throughout their life, as to starting a 2 year old dog of no previous training other than obedience and a few other basics but still maintains the desire to work and intensly accomplish tasks at hand?
3.this i an old question asked and answered many times, but how will teaching my dog , correctly of course, to bite change his disposition or character etc...?
And last, any suggestions as to hunt down a good trainer or a club in my area that is going to offer quality guidance and effective training?
I am in the Vancouver , BC area of Canada.
One comment on what my trainer friend Craig ( who just doesnt have the time or ambitian to get something regular going on with my dogs, as he has a young family and a busy business. Money , bribes any offer i have doesnt seem to spark his intrest . it is a shame , he is very exce;ent with dogs, has tittled a few dogs in fr. ring and sh. , has raised rotties, bobbies, and bearchuron, which he conciders the sports car of the fr. ring circle(mind the pun). the very first time we trained Pharus, did many stability, courrage, drive, tests, he looked at me and said, wow, i could really get into this breed, i love it, mellower, slower very powerful , but very alert and obedient. he said when he was younger he started with rotties, and ended up with the beaurchorn because he was looking for something better and faster and agile and could jump ten ft in the air. he told me, that the presa would never do well in th efr ring sport, and i am just talking out my ass as to what he said to me as i have little to no knowelege of these sports, but that a dog of this size and structure would have a terrible time with the verticle uprights , and the amount of pressure on the joints coming down from a climb like that. i t would mean a very short carrier and health problems for the dog.
Craig is pretty much only into practicle protection training methods like nice leg bites and take downs, and stuff like this that is not judged on technique or form , but by sheer effectiveness.
As i said before many a time i have my ideas of what the preas is , but anyone trying to breed the presa to higher levels of competitive work ability , should be commended for their efforts. but this is a personal objective aned goal of the individual or group and also should not be the be all end all desire of every breeder out there, as there are many ideals, and different uses for the for the multi tasking presa canario.thanks

[ButchCappel]

blas_t, Thanks for the questions, there are a few that I have wanted to address for a while, so here goes.

Let me put 1 & 2 sort of together. I don't see any trouble with Pharus doing good bite work whether for "sport" or "PP" because of the way you raised her, as long it was in a good confident manner that allowed her to grow up social and confidant.

As for as not "exploiting drives" at an early age? Wellll.

In my guard dog company I had, on average, about 60 dogs in the kennel on any given day. 10 were for patrol teams with a handler, 35 were for lease, as on site guard dogs, and 15 were in training. Of these dogs only one, as I remember, had ever had any work as a pup. The average dog, when I got them, was 18 months old and had little training past knowing their name ( that was most of their troubles) yet after countless attempts by some of the very best thieves in 2 countries no merchandise was ever removed succesfully, from a clients property.

My K9 patrol teams secured everything from, the county hospital for the criminally insane, to strikes by some of the most determined workers and large companies around, and only 2 acts of serious violence ever happened, and at the same time many of these dogs were going on to title in the few bite sports available at the time.

Why? because the dogs were good, confidant (thought I can't say always social) and started a training program when they were mature and able to handle the stress of a very serious training program.

Training pups for a specific discipline is a great efficient way to help assure a good adult, no doubt. If this is only the third or fourth "working" dog you have raised and trained, starting early gives you the luxury opf making a lot of mistakes, cause that's how you learn, and still having time to correct them, cause that's how you become a trainer. So not training as a pup is not a problem. After all if it was there would be no full time dog trainers.

As to "proper" bite work training causing personality changes ( most often asked question I get) I can say it definitely WILL cause changes in your dogs personality, It will make the dog more outgoing, confident. less likely to snap or act aggessive in public, or when left alone, a better judge of situations that may be excitable, kids tussling etc., vs. a real life threat to you or your property, so yes, it will change your dog into a much better companion and family member!!!