Dear Tami,
You are wise to be thinking ahead with your pup.  Too often, people teach bite work skills to their puppy and forget about the out.  Teaching the out to a grown dog who is otherwise trained in protection work is a very difficult task.
Begin teaching the out separately from the work he does with your bite helper.  It is best, if your pup has ball drive, to teach the out with tennis balls.  If your pup does not have ball drive, you may use other puppy toys.  For our purposes here, I will describe the method using the tennis balls as our example.
With two tennis balls in your pocket, engage your pup in a game of fetch.  Throw the first ball for the pup.  When he returns to you with the ball, give the ball a light shake as he holds it in his mouth (simulating a tugging game) and release the ball.  At this point, take the second ball out of your pocket and try to draw your pup’s attention to it.  Toss it lightly in the air or bounce it lightly in front of the pup.  As you do this, tell your dog, “OUT” in a firm, but gentle voice.  Resist the urge to repeat the command.  It is very important that the pup learns to listen to the out command the first time it is given.  Even if it takes several minutes for the pup to drop “his” ball and focus on “your” ball, keep tapping your ball against the floor, rolling it back and forth.  You are trying to make him believe that “your” ball is better than “his” ball.  The moment your pup drops his ball, you must praise him by saying, “GOOD OUT!!”  Immediately reward him by tossing your ball for him to retrieve.
Play this game with your pup several times a day, keeping the sessions short.  Each training session should only last two or three minutes.  Eventually your pup will realize that if he wants the game to continue, he must out the ball.  Once you have a good out with the ball, you may substitute the ball with a jute toy during your training sessions.  You will follow the same basic technique with the jute toy with one small difference.  Before releasing the jute toy to the pup, make sure the pup has a deep grip on the toy.  When simulating bite work, it is important never to reward a poor bite.
When you are confident that your pup has a good understanding of the command and he is spitting the jute toy out promptly, it is time to try giving the out command during bite work with his bite helper.  Make sure your bite helper is experienced in working puppies in prey drive.  A helper that puts too much defensive pressure on a young or novice dog can destroy any chance of that pup ever having a good clean out.  As you work the out command with your pup and bite helper, remind your helper to be sure to reward the pup immediately with a fresh bite as soon as he outs.  This immediate reward will re-enforce the idea to your dog that the game will continue if he obeys you.  As your pup becomes more and more reliable in the out command, you may gradually reduce the reward for the out until you are only giving the fresh bite about 50% of the time.
If your pup refuses to out the tug for your helper and you are certain that your helper is working the pup in prey drive, you must backtrack to working the out command with your dog at home.  Do not be in a rush to advance your pup before he is ready.  If you ask too much of your pup while he is young, it will be reflected in his bite work as an adult dog.
In Schutzhund, dogs that do not out are viewed as weak.  They are viewed as being too fearful of the bite helper to release the bite.  Schutzhund judges will assume that the dog does not trust his handler enough to obey his commands.  What can occur as a result of poor training will be viewed as a genetic defect in your dog.  These problems can be avoided if you take your time and start teaching the out with your young or novice dog.  The keys to a good, clean out are time and patience.  If you exercise patience in training the out command, your adult dog will have a very fast, impressive and confident out and will be rewarded with full points and high ratings on trial day.  Good Luck!

*For previous Ask Ei….  columns visit  www.Topline.org

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