# High Drive Dogs



## CharlieBear80 (Oct 13, 2013)

Interesting. I'd hope anyone looking for a dog with high drive would already be able to distinguish between drive/focus and a dog that's simply frantic, but I guess not?


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Oh - agility people I think know what they are looking for to begin with. <- And generally buying puppies with a stacked background. 

But I was thinking sometimes you have people who take their dogs to puppy class and because their dogs are constant motion they are told to give agility a try....


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## CharlieBear80 (Oct 13, 2013)

Ha ha, good point!


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## goldlover68 (Jun 17, 2013)

I only deal with Field Bred Goldens and in Field Trials and Hunt Tests the 'Top Dogs' must have a strong drive. Our breeders, breed with this 'requirement' in mind. Now I am talking about a dog that requires a lot of exercise and wants to run and swim all day long, and when they run it is like a greyhound with coordination, grace, and bullet speed (When training, the challenge is often to get them to use their nose, as they have a tendency to run past fallen birds). But, natural drive is not all you must have....Trainability, Good Nose, Obedience, etc. also have to be their or they will not be competitive in Field Trials. 

I have often see that these top field dogs, are also competitive in Agility and Obedience events...they are only limited by their owners time and money to train and compete.


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## Hombrespop (Sep 3, 2012)

I have a friend who has an extremely high drive dog and this woman and her husband have trained several dogs to an OTCH but this particular dog even with a far better than average trainer is more dog than 99% of us could handle or want for that matter because anything just winds this guy up and he just gets wilder and wilder! and when given a correction verbal or leash he skyrockets to where he reacts but little thought of what he is doing ever enters his mind. He does have his UDX and I believe a Senior hunter but the amount of work and patience needed for a dog like this is overwhelming. When he is under control he is a pleasure to watch in the obedience ring but when he gets wound up it is almost always a NQ or the loss of way too many points to be in any placements. 


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

I enjoyed reading that! I do think people confuse drive with hyperactivity. I remember reading an article about that in clean run awhile back. Thanks for sharing!


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## KeaColorado (Jan 2, 2013)

That was a great article, thanks for sharing! The way I see it, a hyperactive dog probably needs more exercise, whereas a dog with focus and drive needs exercise coupled with mental stimulation. Once you see a driven, focused dog working, it's definitely something you'll never forget.

I'm curious, would you say a dog with more drive is easier or harder to train than a dog with less drive? I could see it going both ways, depending on the trainer. 

There are sooooo many things I'm going to do differently with my next pup. Kea is naturally driven and focused, but as much as I hate to admit it, I inadvertently trained her out of some of that drive because I wanted to do therapy work. The obedience trainer we were using at the time was mainly oriented toward basic pet obedience and not competition. :doh: Now, I am finding myself backtracking quite a bit with our new and fantastic obedience trainer to build the drive and focus back up. I thought she just didn't have it, but it turns out it's been there all along, it was just suppressed.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

Drive and hyperactivity are different, but a dog can have both. Gabby is HIGH drive. She can work all day and loves to. When we start training she gives me everything. She tries hard and has gusto and style. In obedience I am constantly working her eagerness. It's not a bad thing but it manifests in forging, creeping and over zealous dumb bell retrieves. In agility it can kill me because she gets going so fast, I can't queue her fast enough. We have gotten much better and honestly I think she's gotten faster because we both are more in control. 

I have a friend with a high drive hyperactive dog. He often can't focus as his brain is running out his ears. She has actually started him on an all natural calming supplement and it does seem to take the edge off so he can think and focus. 

I've seen over the top dogs in agility and field. Both places you need the drive and bid ability it's important they are willing to work with the handler not just blow them off. I know people who think in agility a border collie is the answer. Only if you can train and handle one. I'll stick to Gabby. She's fast enough to beat the borders. And she's not herding me at home. 


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## CharlieBear80 (Oct 13, 2013)

KeaColorado said:


> I'm curious, would you say a dog with more drive is easier or harder to train than a dog with less drive? I could see it going both ways, depending on the trainer.


I think you hit the nail on the head in the asking of the question. Depends on the trainer - I think it's not hard at all for a smart dog with good drive to outsmart an inexperienced trainer.


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

Isn't it a question of what type of drive the dog has . . . toward what type of goal . . .and how it can be directed for field, agility, obedience or whatever the activity is?

I agree with the distinction between drive and hyperactivity but didn't see how the author then came to the conclusion:

_The take home message, regardless of which sport or activity you do with your dog, is clear. Select a dog who will naturally want to participate in your chosen sport. Whether you go to a breeder or rescue a dog, *don’t confuse hyperactivity or franticness with drive*. And once you bring home your new partner, nurture that dog’s focus and make working with you fun._

I guess they're saying make sure the dog's drive matches the need of your sport but the article seemed to be all about the distinction between drive and hyperactivity.


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

Megora said:


> But I was thinking sometimes you have people who take their dogs to puppy class and because their dogs are constant motion they are told to give agility a try....


I think agility is good for an over the top dog, not because they will be the best dog there, but because agility training teaches control (and self-control) in a high arousal environment. 

And sometimes it is hard to tell. I don't get to many agility trials so there are often 6 month stretches between trials. I remember a young Malinois who was seemingly deranged during a run. He was all over the course, running in circles and leaping off the top of the dog walk. His trainer who had trained several dogs but had never had such a loose canon before. I was at trials this weekend and worked in the ring for the standard course. This dog had some beautiful runs. The secret is more time and learning to communicate on both sides. 

These HIGH DRIVE dogs require fantastic handling, but when the dog and handlers are in sync, they can't be beat. I however am much happier with my medium drive girl who is very enjoyable in all aspects of life.


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## goldlover68 (Jun 17, 2013)

This is my first 'high driving' Golden....Walking on Water....


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## gldnboys (Mar 15, 2012)

I agree that a lot of people confuse hyperactivity with drive - and vice versa. My current dog (22 months old) has tons of drive and absolutely adores working and learning new things. When he's in working mode, nothing else exists for him. However, he is still otherwise very exciteable, and if I had a nickel for every time someone referred to him as "hyper" or having tons of energy he needs to burn off.... well, I'd be a rich woman. He's actually very calm and easy-going at home; I do make sure he gets lots of exercise, but I don't find his requirements crazy at all, and he's far from bouncing off the walls as people might think. 

Now, I worked on attention and focus from the very beginning with this boy. When I see some of the more "frantic" types of dogs, I find myself wondering if they're that way at least in part because they didn't learn early on to focus on their owner/handler.... They get so overstimulated by everything that's going on around them, without having something to "come home" to, to get them settled again. I can totally see my dog being like this, had he not learned to focus on me right from the start. 

So, to answer an earlier question in this thread, I think it really does depend on the owner and the dog.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

goldlover68 said:


> This is my first 'high driving' Golden....Walking on Water....


I hope you have that awesome photo framed and hanging on a wall


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## MarieP (Aug 21, 2011)

Interesting discussion. I was just talking to a friend who had been at an obedience seminar. There was a woman there who insisted she wanted her Malinois to show "in drive." However, she had basically made the dog frantic. The dog had great drive but the trainer got the dog so high it was constantly panting and was never under control. The dog had failed Open multiple times.... Anyway, I say this because I think some trainers can make a dog frantic or hyperactive and ultimately create a dog that can't focus or perform. The driviest dog I know, a lab, who is so freaking talented in the field, is the quietest house dog I know. That is my ideal. Focused but relaxed.


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## goldlover68 (Jun 17, 2013)

To all...
This has a lot of really good posts...thanks..


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

Another great article I just read on the topic

Drive and brakes and steering | Suzanne Clothier


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Thank you for posting this - what an awesome summary 

Drive vs brakes, or perhaps drive vs biddability? Everything in balance including the drives within our dogs.

Get that duck or respond to the come-in whistle. 
Suck to that tunnel or respond to the handler's body motion.
Stay in a sit, or chase the birdies flying in the rafters 

Oh, the combinations are endless  But the drives need balance, just as a Ferrari has powerful & responsive brakes to match its powerful & responsive engine.





sammydog said:


> Another great article I just read on the topic
> 
> Drive and brakes and steering | Suzanne Clothier


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## CharlieBear80 (Oct 13, 2013)

I really admire Suzanne Clothier, thanks for posting!


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

This is so true. We were told Penny would be good at agility because she was so busy during obedience class. It turned out she had no focus; she was just excited out of her mind. We had to audition for the agility class and she didn't pass the first 'test'...went running helter skelter all over the place.

Plus she had no work ethic. You combine excitement with no desire to work or control the excitement and you won't have a 'working' dog.



Megora said:


> Oh - agility people I think know what they are looking for to begin with. <- And generally buying puppies with a stacked background.
> 
> But I was thinking sometimes you have people who take their dogs to puppy class and because their dogs are constant motion they are told to give agility a try....


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