by Amanda Crispel
What follows is a discussion with trainer Larry Painter on the Australian Cattle Dog's natural tendency to heel, or grip livestock, and the difficulty some novice handlers have in understanding and controlling this behavior.
Question: What is a grip?
A grip or bite is the dog's prey drive rising to the surface. High prey drive isn't necessarily a negative aspect. But you need to balance the prey drive with biddablity, the dog's willingness to take direction and correction.
Question: Why do ACD's bite?
The breed was created to control wild cattle in the open or pens. These stubborn animals respected little and to get them under control and moving a dog needed good bite. Therefore, today's ACD naturally wants to grip. The important thing to remember is you need to learn to control the grip, not completely take it out of the dog.
Question: Why shouldn't you take the bite out of the dog?
First its the dog's primary defense against aggressive stock. Whether working sheep or cattle the dog needs to know that they can defend themselves. Also, working some livestock might require a bite, especially if you want to work cattle. Barking and displaying eye doesn't work on some stock. It's nice to have it when you need it. But most importantly you weaken the dog. It hinders him from doing the job he needs to do and undermines his confidence on livestock. It's like taking a boxer, tying his hands behind his back and telling him to go out and fight.
Question: How do you start to control the gripping?
First make sure the dog isn't just gripping out of fear. Build up their confidence in controlling the stock so the dog knows they don't need to grip to get the job done. Then allow the dog to bite but control the situation. After they grip tell them lie down. You want to show them that they're not in there to start a fight. You need to channel their natural abilities to assess the amount of force necessary to move the stock without causing a wreck.
Suggested Exercise:
Use to long line to control the situation and steady the dog. Give a command such as "Get A Hold" in a tone that encourages them to grip. After the grip you down the dog. Only allow one bite.