That second Is it a BB? It looks more like a pit mix.
I asked her the same question, but she said he was mos def a BB... just young and dry in type.
Looking back at these videos I'm thinking maybe the guy I had tested Thor, approach was "too strong". I know it was a simulation of what somemone might do but still....The mannerisms of these decoys are different. I'm going to try to pull the entrace clip from my phone.
Yea, that could be. That's one reason why we caution people about picking the right decoy for testing their dog, for a "green" dog you really have to be good at reading dogs and understand how much pressure to put on them. A green dog should only have enough pressure put on them to get a reaction, then the decoy should "read" that reaction and decide how much more (or less) pressure the dog can take.
In the second video I posted, you can see the decoy put very little pressure on the dog, and then slowly builds the pressure as the dog proves he can take more of it then stops when the dog starts to show stress (note the high-pitched bark the dog devlops toward the end - that's stress).
That dog took a nice amount of pressure for a "green" dog. Most dog, even good PPDs will not take that much pressure for their first test - and that's ok. A dog that takes less pressure in the first test but still shows good instincts can be built to take more pressure. The dog's natural response is what you are "testing" not how much it takes to "break" them.
A good decoy will make even a horrible dog feel like they are a winner. A bad decoy can take an AMAZING dog and break them in a matter of minutes.
Here isa great example. This is another video of a female BB, she had bitten someone before but had never been tested for PPD work.
[video=youtube;7Bs1LGHtf3A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bs1LGHtf3A&feature=colike[/video]
Notice she is a bit more hesitant initially, maybe even a bit unsure, but her confidence builds as the test continues. Towards the end she has good focus. Compared to the other video of the "green" BB I posted, this female took very little pressure but she still showed good protective instincts and focus. So, she is still a pretty good prospect for PPD work even tho she didn't take as much as the other dog.
Ok, same dog but with just a little work. See how much more focus she has and how much more pressure she takes.
[video=youtube;slIx5hCIpx4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slIx5hCIpx4&feature=colike[/video]
Her bark shows a bit of stress still, but she is pretty darn committed and taking a lot of pressure. This is after only 3 session.
So, my point is, you gotta get a good decoy (who has experience working Mastiffs) for these tests and then work with a good trainer (also who has experience working Mastiffs) who can build your dog appropriately. A lot of breeds have solid natural guarding drive, but you can't expect them to give a solid bite in a unknown situation with lots of environmental stimuli without any work at all. I think this applies to all breed - even Fila and Caucasian Ovcharka - they may show great instinct and probably bite, but you can take them so much further with a good decoy and a good trainer. I really wish I had a good one around me.
