Things to Think about: When training a low drive dog

Low Drive, Low Motivation, Low Work Ethic dog ---- you know the one. He lags while heeling (especially in the ring), he does everything at a walk (far be it for him to trot and running is OUT of the question), everything he does, he does slowly with his head down, if at all possible. He makes everything look hard and painful. Do you know that dog? I know him too --- in my case his name is Rosco.

Training a low drive, low motivation dog is a challenge. But it is also a blessing. I have learned more from training Rosco than I have from training my two higher drive girls combined.

When training a low drive, low motivation dog remember that teaching him to DO the obedience exercises is only 5% of the battle, the remaining 95% is teaching him HOW to work fast, precisely, and with energy.

While a higher drive dog may offer this type of work (fast, precisely, with energy) naturally or even as a preferred-way of working. Your low drive, low motivation dog must be TAUGHT this.

It is important that you never just ALLOW your low drive, low motivation dog to slowly go through the motions of an exercise. Now here comes the creative part --- you must think of a way to make each part of each exercise a game, in which the dog must run, drive, and exhibit energy. The simplest game can merely be running along side your dog as they are preforming the exercise (say a go-out).

By doing this you are SHOWING your low drive, low motivation dog HOW TO run, drive, and do the exercise in question with energy. By playing these games your are effectively teaching your low drive, low motivation dog how you want the exercise to look and how it should feel when he does it. You are making drive, running, and energy part of the exercise and eventually a habit for him.

So remember: It is important to teach the pieces of the exercise first, it is also important to sometimes make the exercise look formal in the practice so the dog understands how the "picture" will look in the ring. But for low drive, low motivation dogs, like Rosco, there is an additional equally, if not more, important step. You must in addition, teach these dogs how to drive and exhibit energy during each part of each exercises. It is important for them to understand that driving and exhibit energy is a PART of the exercise.

Now the good news: I believe it is easier to get BETTER scores with a low drive, low motivation dog. Yes believe it or not, that is what I think. The reason? If you take the time required to teach a low drive, low motivation dog to drive and exhibit energy during each part of each exercise than this dog (unlike a higher energy dog) understands that energy and drive are PART of the exercise. Lets consider the dog returning to you with a dumbbell or scent article. A low drive, low motivation dog must be TAUGHT to RUN with the dumbbell or scent article in his mouth, since he will not choose to do this naturally. He must LEARN how to do this properly. It becomes a habit for him, but he also understands that RUNNING is PART of this exercise. It is something that is un-natural and hard for him to do (not his choice) so he must put thought into that part of the exercise whenever he does it. A higher drive dog, on the other hand, may run with the dumbbell or scent article in his mouth because this is his preferred working style - to run. It is a habit for him, but most importantly it is HIS CHOICE. In the trial setting as he feels more distraction and pressure he may choose to not run. And he would not be wrong to do so, since he was never specifically taught that RUNNING is PART of the exercise.

Just something to think about ...