Could Someone Explain 'high Drive/training In Drive' To Me?

[Tor]

I've done some googling but I'm not quite getting it...

I think I understand prey drive, is that chasing? My boxer pup loves to chase, he adores chasing and retrieving his ball, I discovered he'll even stop playing with other dogs if I throw his ball for him, he pounces all over leaves and bags blowing around. He wants to chase the cat, but he is getting MUCH better about that. I definitely wouldn't trust him with chickens or pocket pets, although he won't harass them in their enclosures when I call him away.

Does he sound high drive? Medium drive? Am I totally misunderstanding the terms? I thought most dogs his size would be similar, but he has this Goldie friend who just looks at a ball being thrown and then goes back to sniffing the ground. He's not full-on in terms of energy and activity though, a good walk/play and some games and training a couple of times a day is plenty. He loves tug too.

And what does it mean to 'train in drive'? Links welcome!

[The Spotted Devil]

I've done some googling but I'm not quite getting it...

I think I understand prey drive, is that chasing? My boxer pup loves to chase, he adores chasing and retrieving his ball, I discovered he'll even stop playing with other dogs if I throw his ball for him, he pounces all over leaves and bags blowing around. He wants to chase the cat, but he is getting MUCH better about that. I definitely wouldn't trust him with chickens or pocket pets, although he won't harass them in their enclosures when I call him away.

Does he sound high drive? Medium drive? Am I totally misunderstanding the terms? I thought most dogs his size would be similar, but he has this Goldie friend who just looks at a ball being thrown and then goes back to sniffing the ground. He's not full-on in terms of energy and activity though, a good walk/play and some games and training a couple of times a day is plenty. He loves tug too.

And what does it mean to 'train in drive'? Links welcome!

Technically "drive" is the same thing as "motivation". I'm a scientist (animal behaviour, learning and welfare is my thing) so my perspective as a scientist when I'm training is to look at things this way: what is the behaviour I've got? What is the behaviour I want? How am I going to get from one to another? I need to understand what motivates my dogs - is it food? Retrieving dummies? Retrieving game (I have working Spaniels)? Tug? To flirt (thanks Ziggy!) Or, in Ginny's case, plain old running and swimming :laugh: How do I transfer value from what is already within to what I want them to do? To me, to play tug (not the first option with my dogs), the retrieve (dummies over game for example) and to agility obstacles? I understand what the trainers mean by "in drive" but it's really a concept and not something I use to figure out how to get from A to B.