Coming off a busy weekend, into a short week, and then off to the honeymoon for 2 weeks. Hopefully I make it back alive.
Spent pretty much all day yesterday at a PSA club in NJ, it's a protection dog sport club, they get together and train on the weekends and work to title their dogs. I reached out to bunch of clubs because it's something I'm interested in and I wanted to find out more before I just go buying a dog and thinking I am going to jump right in. They were one of the only ones who were willing to have me come out to hang out while they train. Really nice group of people, their club name is actually the Outcast PSA. Felt like I fit right in
They let me put a bite suit on at the end of the day and take a bite from an old retired dog. Once I get back from the honeymoon I think I'm going to start hanging around with them and they'll teach me how to be a good decoy until I get my **** together and get a dog suitable for this type of work.
Only thing that is making me hesitate is that it's such a monumental time commitment and basically becomes a lifestyle change. I don't know if I want that... but after yesterday I think I am hooked.
This is an 8 month old male Belgian Malinois ... a couple of his littermates were there too and probably a good 20 lbs smaller. Dude is massive. Terry is the decoy they bring in, and that's his dog that he brings to train.
Training director and her Belgian Malinois, I think she said she was 5 and that big male came from one of her litters
I didn't get any pics of bite work but grabbed this still from a video. When they let me go it was a leg bite and a watered down version of this. I didn't realize but in this type of work, once the dog is on the bite, the decoy is actually doing the training, trying to increase drive, direct the bite where it needs to go, direct the dog where it has to go.
It'd be cool if there was a way to upload videos without going through youtube or something
Did some other stuff this weekend but not as interesting. Right after I got home from this I jumped in the car and went down to Manhattan for the ranger game. Sloppy game but it ended in a shootout win, so that was cool. Friday we were closed, I spent all day driving around doing errands, dropped off my dad's snowmobile and chainsaw for him, that took up most of my day. Saturday was chore work with Gab.