When considering the concept of canine motivation, the convenient lures of food, affection, and toys may immediately come to mind.
Hey, my own dogs would not argue with you about that – who doesn’t like a yummy treat or a nice scratch behind the ears? However, while these resources can create a desirable anticipatory response in our dogs, it is worthwhile to delve a bit deeper and develop an understanding of what drives our dogs instinctively.
Whether your dog is a large working breed or a tiny toy, a bully or a cuddly squishy, each and every one comes hardwired with three main drives that galvanize certain behaviors: Pack Drive, Prey Drive, and Defense Drive (the latter otherwise known as the fight-or-flight response). When speaking about a balanced dog, we are referring to the proportion of each of these three drives in his or her psychological makeup.
A dog with high Prey Drive can be that dog who, for example, is challenging on the walk – you can easily imagine him thinking “Look! A squirrel ! Over there! Wait! A cat! A leaf ! Wow ! Gotta go. Gotta GO! ” Many clients who contact me for training have dogs with high Prey Drive whom they no longer walk due to their hyperactive behaviors, lack of responsiveness, and tendency to pull their people down the street.
High Defense Drive dogs can sometimes be identified by their tendency to walk hesitantly, as if through a mine field of splintered glass. Alternatively, they may seem to have huge chips on their shoulders, ready to confront any pooch who happens to glance in their direction. Think Travis Bickle in “The Taxi Driver”: “You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to ME?”
And finally, we have the high Pack Drive dog – that dog of our childhood dreams, our loyal, watchful, loving companion who seems to be able to read our minds and loves nothing more than hanging around with us by the fire on cold, snowy evenings and sticking to our sides like glue when out on a walk.
Prey Drive, Defense Drive, and Pack Drive all exist concurrently to varying degrees in our dogs, and recognizing which one is your dog’s default can help a lot when it comes to training him toward a life of balance.
You may, indeed, utilize food, affection, and toys as you train your dogs from the perspective of Drives Theory. Other powerful training tools are your body language and attitude, with which you can mimic the manner in which dogs communicate with each other, make training sessions much for effective.
Moving a dog from one drive into another is not necessarily difficult, but it does require a specific skill set. Wendy Volhard has done astounding work in this field and I frequently rely upon her strategies when training both clients’ dogs and my own two rescue pups. Implement her ideas and watch your training reach a whole new level.
Lastly, beyond hot dogs, beyond Frisbees, and even beyond that good old scratch behind the ears, the initial relationship you establish with your dog is the foundation upon which all of your training relies You have a direct hand in determining your dog’s drive balance from the get-go.
Dogs are, at their core, relationship driven, so by taking the time to nurture a bond of trust and partnership with your canine companion, you ensure that he or she will be eager to receive your guidance and instruction day-in and day-out, which sets you both up for success. Gaining your dog’s trust can be accomplished in various ways: spending time together just hanging out, playing training and obedience games that include appropriately timed rewards, practicing consistency and clear communication, and being aware of your dog’s needs and challenges. and even taking the time to gently massage your dog. Sound fun? It is!
Working with the Drives Theory has allowed me to successfully modify the behavior of dogs who exhibit a wide range of issues, from aggression to overwhelming anxiety. By taking the time to learn about what truly drives your dog and incorporating this knowledge into everyday life with your dog, you will add a meaningful tool to your dog training repertoire and your training endeavors will be both highly effective and richly rewarded.
Susan Raymond is the owner of Calm K9, a behavioral dog training service that offers private training throughout the Greater Bay Area. Visit her online at www.calmk9.net.
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