Obedience "Drive" by Catherine L. Zinsky

The article below is written by Catherine L. Zinsky and can be viewed on her wonderful website: http://www.gettoready.net/.

The other day I was asked an intriguing question: someone who is getting a new (Golden) puppy asked me what I meant by ‘drive’ in a dog. At first I thought it was a strange question. After all, everyone knows what drive is, right?

Well, her question prompted me to ask some of my colleagues how they define drive. I was delighted by their enthusiasm and appreciation of the question. Here are the responses that were returned to me:

I think 'drive' means how a dog responds to stimulus in his environment, including that given to him by his handler. In some dogs it takes very little stimulus to trigger a response. But I also believe that the dog’s response must be directed to a specific activity. Nowadays everybody wants a 'high drive' dog, but I see many dogs that are termed 'high drive' that I would call just plain hyper because they seem unable to focus and their energy is directed to no specific activity. In my opinion a dog that has 'high drive' must also have ‘directability,’ and to me that means the dog has the ability to follow directions and still satisfy his drive. I guess I think that a dog with 'high drive' must be able to truly enjoy the energy he has instead of looking like he is having his 75th nervous breakdown of the day!

Submitted by Leslie Townsend

Sorry I didn't get my thoughts to you on "drive" but I do think it is a misnomer. Most people mistake a hyper dog as having a lot of drive but I don't think that is true. I would rather have a dog with attitude & confidence.

Submitted by Betty Cunningham

A dog with "want to" . . . who has a strong desire to get out and learn (or do) whatever it is we ask of it, and will not fold because it is corrected for a mistake or called off the wrong behavior.

Submitted by Lesa Storey

Drive in a dog can be equated to the degree of "Want To" in a dog. The more "Want To," the higher the Drive Level will be for a particular activity or behavior. "Want To" is dependent on how motivated the dog is. In other words, the more motivated the dog is, the degree of "Want To" and the level of Drive will increase. Drive, "Want To" and Motivation are all interrelated.

There are two kinds of Drive: Natural Drive and Taught Drive. Natural Drive is what the dog naturally has; and if it is high drive, the dog is generally much easier to teach and work with. This dog is self-motivated to work. However, the trainer must channel this drive into teaching focused attention—a focused attention on the trainer and in the obedience exercises. Taught Drive: a trainer is able to develop Drive in a dog, but it will probably never be as high as a dog with a high level of Natural Drive . Taught Drive takes time and careful, interactive and motivational training of "Want To" in a dog that does not have a Natural High Drive .

Regarding obedience, there is another factor to figure in with Drive: is the dog soft or hard in temperament? Hard, high drive dogs (Ex. "Divot") need careful training, because they can be very independent and "take charge" and want to do things according to their agenda. This type of dog needs to know who the alpha partner is and what the rules of the game are. A soft, high drive dog (Ex. "Twister) is a good combination, as long as you develop a strong, positive relationship between you and the dog. This dog will want to work for you, rather than for himself, plus he has high drive to keep him up and motivated in training and showing. A hard, low drive dog (Ex. Duncan) is difficult to train, as this dog is often stubborn and has a mind of his own and little drive to work with in training. This type of dog has to learn to respect you first and also develop a positive, interactive relationship with you, besides teaching the dog Drive or "Want To". A soft, low drive dog (Ex. Luc), is probably the most difficult to train, as you have to develop a very strong, positive relationship with the dog, where he has total trust and respect for you. Then you have to teach him to have both confidence and drive/ "want to". This type of dog has to learn he can and will do it and also learn to do it with drive and "want to". Not an easy task!

Please note that these four basic types of dogs are just a generalization and there are many dogs who fall somewhere in between these four types.

Submitted by Louise Fox-Meredith

Thanks for asking about drive – it is making me think – as I start looking for a puppy. Good timing. Drive – A dog with DRIVE is one that has an intense interest in its world. I believe puppies with curiosity often develop drive as adults. A dog with drive has stamina, chase (or prey) instinct, and an interest in learning. They naturally try to figure out their world and are confident enough to attack new things with gusto. Dogs with drive also often disregard their own bodies and pain to accomplish a goal. Unfortunately many dogs with drive injure themselves because the goal is so important to them – whatever that goal may be – retrieving a ball or dumbbell, digging a hole after a gopher, rounding up some sheep, flying across a dogwalk, or chasing a plastic bag on a string. Although I want drive in my dogs for training, dogs with drive can have troubles if not well rounded socially. Most people have seen the Border Collie twirling in a run, a Sheltie that fixates on flickering light, or Saluki that runs into the street after a cat. I believe these are examples of misdirected drive.

After writing the above – I realize that most dogs have drive. If it is not visible, it is probably due to illness of some sort. Dogs must have healthy bodies and good temperaments to actively demonstrate drive. Some dogs will work through more pain to demonstrate drive, but most dogs have a goodly amount of natural drive. To help a dog develop the most drive – they need to be kept healthy, given a chance to explore their world at a young age and in a safe environment, they need to be encouraged to learn and rewarded for attaining goals in such a way as to make the attaining the goal an intrinsic attribute.

Submitted by Kathy Moore

When I think of a dog with drive, I see enthusiasm, self-confidence and strong instinctive traits specific for that breed. But, drive is never one thing---rather it’s a combination of hard-wired traits that you hope are evenly balanced. I like Volhard’s breakdown of drive into prey, pack and defense. Too high or low in any of these traits can create an unbalanced dog that will create more challenges for the trainer. But, unfortunately I don’t think there’s any way to accurately predict the strength of these aspects in a young puppy with our tools available. But, we do the best we can with puppy tests, examination of previous generations and a lot of hope

Submitted by Pamela Murphy

Everyone wants a dog with 'drive' but the kind of drive a dog should have for obedience is a variation on the single-minded determination that a dog exhibits when digging furiously for his bone in the back yard. A dog that charges straight out to the water on a go-out because there are ducks swimming out there certainly has drive. Likewise, a dog that runs out to the dumbbell and continues on running after a skateboarder also has a strong prey drive - no doubt about it!

But when we watch an awesome dog with lots of drive at an obedience trial what we are seeing is a dog that is bold, energetic and has a great desire to be engaged in activities with his handler.

A dog that focuses intently on the dumbbell waiting for the command to retrieve and then runs briskly out, snatches it up, turns on a dime and then stares right up at his handler's face when coming to a brisk front. These individual behaviors are taught, but once learned by an energetic dog with a strong desire to work with you, the sky is the limit. The dog has a job to do and gosh darn it, he's going to do it! That's the kind of drive I like!

Submitted by David Zelitsky

Drive? Who knows? I don't believe you can train drive into a dog. That doesn't mean you can't train them to run when they should and look interested, but that dog won't ever look like the dog who is driven to gather up his body and go for it. I think they come hardwired with whatever drive they have. One will stretch out on the couch all day and wait to be called for dinner...and the next one will wake up with a list of things to do, "so-let's-get-going-and-the-sooner-the-better." The best thing that can happen is that you get the one you are comfortable with. Nothing nicer than to be with a K9 partner that you feel in sync with. Can you pick a puppy that will have this drive? Don't know. Maybe not. I do believe it is just as frustrating to a dog to be with someone at the other end of his leash who has a different life rhythm. I personally like high drive but there truly is a limit to how high. "What? You wanted a glove. Here are three."

Submitted by Sandy Walton

And as for my own contribution, it follows: When I look for drive in a dog, I want a dog that has energy, curiosity, and a strong tendency to chase things. A dog with drive should want to push through and not quit, providing the skill/exercise is understood. A dog with drive should have the mental power and the physical energy to get things done. Certainly there are variables and different degrees involved in drive. But enthusiasm, energy, and push are, for me, the fundamental attributes of drive.