Development Of Drive

[Reddii]

With my limited experience of two dogs under two I've come across an interesting question. I've been thinking about this one a bit in the last couple of weeks as my boy changes from a BC with the attitude of a couch potato into a 16 month old BC puppy.

The question has come to be because:

My girl who is of unknown parentage (pure working dog, and likely to be pure BC) and has been with us since 6 weeks of age started life very quietly, but was played with constantly if not trained until the age of about 4 months. At 4 months we started her training and continue it now in agility, frisbee, flyball and very limited obedience, by 7 months she was a complete nutter/psycho BC and remains that way at 21 months. Very high drive, but with an off switch that generally works. She's a joy to train because she just wants to work and to please, but will find her own jobs if she isn't given one for a day or so. :p Think of all the behaviours that make people wary of owning BC's and she has many of them - destructive when bored, digs - not because she is bored, but because she sees me digging in the garden and is 'helping' - she digs in the same spots I do, constantly wandering, never stops playing or asking to play. (fortunately she doesn't bark, nip or try to escape). To me she is the best dog in the world, if sometimes a little tiring.

My boy on the other hand is from show lines that have an amazing temperament and an on/off switch like you would not believe. Think 100% into the job to off in .5 of a second. He has always been really laid back until you ask him to work and then he sometimes has been excited, but often just gone through the motions because I asked him to. Until recently......There is no doubt he is a much more relaxed dog in general, but I've noticed him begin to do the 'normal' BC things that Xena was doing at six months like rocking on 3 legs, bouncing around/herding when you are playing or running with him, asking to work more when the game is over (only to a point) etc etc.

The problem is that at 4 months he cracked an elbow and spent the next 6 months on lead/confined to a small run. While he got a lot of training and attention/grooming in that time he got very little play/excitement so we could protect his sore leg. Once we got him right he was still very laid back and it is only in the last month or so (now 16 moths) that he is beginning to show signs of drive, to the point in the last couple of days where he is rivalling Xena for wanting to work/play.

So my question is - if you keep a dog confined/subdued in their ealy development stages like we did, does it inhibit the development of drive or would he have developed this way and on this schedule so to speak any way?

[JulesP]

Possibly Reddii. You may have squashed his natural drive by keeping him quiet. he may now be coming out of himself. At 2yo my male border is getting quieter if that was possible!!!

[Kavik]

That is an interesting question.

Diesel broke his leg at 6 months, and had to be confined to a crate for 6 weeks. He is a very social, friendly dog but does not have heaps of drive. He will work to please you but does not have the intensity or speed that the Kelpies have. He has always been like that, pretty laid back, though when he gets excited he can be a bit crazy, but this is not that often. I doubt that his broken leg had much to do with it, probably more his temperament and my training (after Zoe, I wanted more laid back, more social etc and he certainly is that ). Vets love him as he is easy to handle and a big cuddle bum and gets excited at the idea of going to the vet since he has had to go so often :p

[Wobbly]

My friend's dog Popsy, an ACD, broke her leg badly when she was 3mths old, so they kept her very quiet. As an adult she is very much a couch potato, my friend believes her accident and months of enforced calm caused her lack of drive now.

[sidoney]

I had an ACD that was kicked in the head as a pup trying to heel a horse ... compound skull fracture (into the sinus), had to be kept quiet, and developed into a ball nut and tug that would never give up. She would also help me move cattle when I lived on a cattle property. No lack of drive ... wish I knew then what I know now about using it for training - this was about 30 years ago.

Edited March 22, 2008 by sidoney