Beginning runaway bites

When the young dog bites with energy and also some force, and shows an intense prey urge to possess and guard the sack (sometimes as early as twelve to fourteen weeks of age), it is time to begin teaching it to pursue the decoy.

At a moment during agitation when the puppy is especially aroused, the helper passes by the puppy quickly, letting it try for but not reach the rag, and keeps going a few steps. The handler lets the puppy run a short way against the resistance of the collar (running with it but holding it back in order to inspire it) and carefully allows the puppy to overtake the decoy and bite the sack. Gradually, these pursuits become longer and longer until finally the handler just drops the leash and allows the puppy to run free.

These fledgling runaways are the young working dog’s first taste of the heady excitement of the chase. If its heart is brave, runaway bites will begin to build in it a warlike passion for the driving sprint and crashing impact of the courage test.

^{The handler lets the puppy run a short way against the resistance of the collar, and then carefully allows the dog to overtake the agitator and bite the sack. (Charley Bartholomew handling Ann Weickert’s “Blitz.”)}

GOAL 2: The puppy will bite the sleeve.

When the puppy begins to teethe at around four months of age, do not discontinue agitation. Simply allow it very few bites, and be sure to be very gentle with its mouth. If the desire to bite has already been well awakened, then several weeks of vigorous, frustrating agitation with very few bites will do the young dog nothing but good.

In general, it is best to wait until the dog is ten to twelve months old before introducing it to the sleeve, even if it has a great deal of quality and is more than willing to bite the sleeve at five to six months, as some puppies are.

Important Concepts for Meeting the Goal

1. Using drive to bring the puppy onto the sleeve

2. Repeating the progression