# Helper Work looks like Fun



## Yoshi (May 12, 2014)

I'm not asking people to critique the dog.  But it really looks like that this guy is having fun pretending to be the bad guy. Or at least he seems pretty enthusiastic. Am I wrong here? Is helper work fun? They are called helpers, right? What is it like to be a helper? I know I am pretty inexperienced to this stuff but it sure does look like a lot of fun pretending to be the bad guy and experiencing the dog's power in a safe procedure. But yeah, I'm sure it wouldn't be fun if a dog actually bit into your flesh. 

Playing the Bad Guy


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

I couldn't get the link to come up. Seems like it would be interesting. I think you are referring to decoys?


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

yes, in IPO they are called "helpers"


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

hidden sleeve/no out = not fun for the helper/decoy. This dog seemed to know the routine. The video looked like an ad for the stud? There is more to being a helper/decoy than yelling and making movement. Reading the dog, less if none body movement and using facial expression alone can be very effective. I think it would be fun! Great rush, but my body is too old to catch dogs safely, but blind work may be doable for an oldster that can't run fast.


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## Yoshi (May 12, 2014)

Mary Beth said:


> I couldn't get the link to come up. Seems like it would be interesting. I think you are referring to decoys?


The link works for me. I wonder why it's not working for you?  That's odd. It's a helper acting all bad in front of a dog. 



onyx'girl said:


> hidden sleeve/no out = not fun for the helper/decoy. This dog seemed to know the routine. The video looked like an ad for the stud? There is more to being a helper/decoy than yelling and making movement. Reading the dog, less if none body movement and using facial expression alone can be very effective. I think it would be fun! Great rush, but my body is too old to catch dogs safely, but blind work may be doable for an oldster that can't run fast.


It could be an ad for the dog but I'm more interested in the helper. He makes it look like so much fun. I wish I could at least have a go at doing it one day.  You can do facial expressions alone to provoke a dog? Wow.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

An exceptional helper can walk onto the field and dogs will react. They just have a look about their body language that tells the dog, "this is someone I must be concerned with".


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## gsdheeler (Apr 12, 2010)

I think a "helper" has to really know dogs and be in really good shape. Something that's learnt in years of experiance , impressive to watch.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Hey Yoshi, why don't you go back here and ask them if you can put a sleeve on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqQM8GkHBgQ&list=UUSp1hilKNehj2AkbywV8IHg&index=3

If you can get that dog to actually bite, I dare you you not to laugh.


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## wolfmanusf (Apr 5, 2012)

Helperwork is great fun. You have to put on some acting skills in order to portray the emotion that brings out the behaviors you want in your dog. Also, in my opinion, it is the best way to learn protection work because you see what causes reactions in the dog. The video was a little silly, all the yelling and screaming is actually stimulation for the dog. A great helper can get the same intensity from the dog without all the moving around and threatening.


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## Yoshi (May 12, 2014)

lhczth said:


> An exceptional helper can walk onto the field and dogs will react. They just have a look about their body language that tells the dog, "this is someone I must be concerned with".


Wow, although I think it would be more fun doing what the helper did in the video I showed. 



Steve Strom said:


> Hey Yoshi, why don't you go back here and ask them if you can put a sleeve on.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqQM8GkHBgQ&list=UUSp1hilKNehj2AkbywV8IHg&index=3
> 
> If you can get that dog to actually bite, I dare you you not to laugh.


The dog doesn't seem quite as excited as others I've seen in videos, but isn't this dog just training at the moment? I wish I saw these videos before. I wouldn't mind going and asking but they are in a different state! 

Does the lack of excitement mean that the helper is not doing a good job or is the dog just training or just not good?


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## wolfmanusf (Apr 5, 2012)

Yoshi said:


> Wow, although I think it would be more fun doing what the helper did in the video I showed.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The dog in the video didn't seem like a very strong dog, so I can't comment on the helperwork. The dog couldn't have bitten the arm any softer than what it did. Almost looked like how a retriever would get a bird with a soft mouth.

Lack of excitement is all about your goals. If you are doing schutzhund you want a dog that shows a lot of "power" and intensity. Dogs that are able to achieve this usually have a good mix of good genetics and good training.


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## Yoshi (May 12, 2014)

wolfmanusf said:


> The dog in the video didn't seem like a very strong dog, so I can't comment on the helperwork. The dog couldn't have bitten the arm any softer than what it did. Almost looked like how a retriever would get a bird with a soft mouth.
> 
> Lack of excitement is all about your goals. If you are doing schutzhund you want a dog that shows a lot of "power" and intensity. Dogs that are able to achieve this usually have a good mix of good genetics and good training.


Thanks for that Wolfmanusf.  Can a hard bite be trained or is that genetic?


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Of course its fun or why would anyone do it? Most are not paid. Even the best paid ones aren't getting rich by any stretch.

$3k per stud? lol


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Yoshi said:


> Thanks for that Wolfmanusf.  Can a hard bite be trained or is that genetic?


Largely genetic, but the quality of the grip can be improved or degraded in training.


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## wolfmanusf (Apr 5, 2012)

hunterisgreat said:


> Largely genetic, but the quality of the grip can be improved or degraded in training.


Hunter is correct. Mostly genetic but it can be improved slightly or made much worse. The same goes for a calm and full grip. It is mostly genetic. A dog that is not full and calm cannot be made full and calm with training. They will resort back to baseline when pushed.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

wolfmanusf said:


> Hunter is correct. Mostly genetic but it can be improved slightly or made much worse. The same goes for a calm and full grip. It is mostly genetic. A dog that is not full and calm cannot be made full and calm with training. They will resort back to baseline when pushed.


On that note, "Full and calm" is one of those things I think most people don't fully understand and often take to mean something entirely different from the original intent. Maybe I'll start a thread about it lol.


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## Yoshi (May 12, 2014)

So how would one improve or degrade through training? Does the helper or handler do this? 

Is $3000 a lot? Thanks for the replies so far.  It's very interesting.


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