Training In Drive

[aussielover]

Since joining this forum i have heard a lot of great things about traininng in drive.

Not having expereincewith this before, if I did want to do it, would the best thing be to book a consult with a trainer knowledgeable in this method?

I am not intending to do this with my current puppy, even though i think she would really benefit from it as she appears to be quite drivey in some ways (well at least more so than my last dog who was the most placid thing on earth )

But with my next pet/sport dog I would like have a go.

I assume it is something that an experienced person must identify if it is going to be suitable and instruct you?

NOt something you can read out of a book.......

[Red Fox]

Get in touch with Steve from K9 Pro and ask about his Training in Drive DLP :D

[gsdog2]

Whoops ..... double post :D

Edited October 8, 2010 by gsdog2

[gsdog2]

Since joining this forum i have heard a lot of great things about traininng in drive.

Not having expereincewith this before, if I did want to do it, would the best thing be to book a consult with a trainer knowledgeable in this method?

I am not intending to do this with my current puppy, even though i think she would really benefit from it as she appears to be quite drivey in some ways (well at least more so than my last dog who was the most placid thing on earth :D )

But with my next pet/sport dog I would like have a go.

I assume it is something that an experienced person must identify if it is going to be suitable and instruct you?

NOt something you can read out of a book.......

If you do a search you'll find lots of threads here regarding people who train in drive - Steve would be my suggestion too ;)

Edited October 8, 2010 by gsdog2

[ChristineX]

i've been reading back thru the training section, and in the earlier pages(years ago) you can see posts from when people on DOL first started training in Drive. It actually sounds like a lot of fun..... and if Duke ever gets all his brains settled between his ears, I think we will have a go at it.

Second the suggestion to talk to Steve about it, too.

[Erny]

...if Duke ever gets all his brains settled between his ears, I think we will have a go at it.

You will find that training in drive will help Duke's brains settle between his ears .

[JulesP]

If you want to do it with a pup that you haven't got yet then it might be an idea to chat to Steve or Erny about what to look out for in a potential pup. I keep getting dogs with very low to zero toy prey drive,it is all about the sheep, lol Or I break them which is some people's opinion.

[aussielover]

I have a few more questions about training in drive....

How do you know your dog has drive? My dog has leapt off ledges and wharves (into water) to retrieve a stick or ball, does that mean she drive?

When teaching new skills do you use the tug to lure or??? how do you show them what you want?

I have reinforced learnt skills using a tug toy as a reward and i do find she is much quicker to respond for this compared to even food exchange (unusual for a lab)

If a dog is trained in drive, will it then not be as responsive to other methods of traning eg. clicker, food exchange

[ness]

Aussielover I'll have a stab at answering your questions based on my experience but probably not the worlds most knowledgable in the area .

Its not a case of "having drive" or not but rather what level of drive an individual dog has and whether the dog has enough for what you want. A dog can have plenty of drive but that drive can be inhibited through nerves for example.

When it comes to teaching a new skill I have used a combination of everything. Teaching or polishing a behavior using a clicker and food before introducing the drive reward into the picture. I have also taught her a decent hand touch so will use that to lure a behavior. I am coming at it a little differently though because my dog I am doing the drive training with actually had a lot of the foundations in place before I started.

I don't think its taken away the responsiveness to clicker training when I need to use that for a particular behavior. In fact the really strange thing I have found doing the TID with her is that she was a little indifferent about a food reward and yet the value for that skyrocketed and she now does backflips at breakfast time .

I will say in the past I have used a clicker in combination with a tug/food reward with her to reasonable effect.

ETA. I am not really sure its about taking away the effectiveness of other methods I guess its more about finding a method that works for an individual dog and sticking to it.

Edited October 12, 2010 by ness

[Erny]

I have a few more questions about training in drive....

How do you know your dog has drive? My dog has leapt off ledges and wharves (into water) to retrieve a stick or ball, does that mean she drive?

All dogs have drive. It's the amount/strength of drive and for what, that is the question.

When teaching new skills do you use the tug to lure or??? how do you show them what you want?

Generally speaking I find it easier for both myself and the dog to gain some understanding of the new skill I want to teach by using a method such as (for example) lure. That's not to say the tug toy can't be used in a similar fashion, but on the whole I find food lure or some other 'calmer' method of teaching to be easier all round. I find this usually to be the case because in my experience, I'm often teaching new skills at the same time that I'm also building drive, so it is better for me to separate the two and then join them (not necessarily a lot) later.

I have reinforced learnt skills using a tug toy as a reward and i do find she is much quicker to respond for this compared to even food exchange (unusual for a lab)

Training in drive does serve to enhance learnt skills. It is better to teach a cue that will trigger your dog into drive though, rather than your dog only going into drive if/when the tug toy is presented (if that is what is occurring).

If a dog is trained in drive, will it then not be as responsive to other methods of traning eg. clicker, food exchange

It's not so much that the dog won't be "as" responsive to other methods because of the fact that the dog is trained in drive. It's more a case of training in drive always being the more likely to attain a better response than other methods.

Edited October 12, 2010 by Erny