Blueprint of Dog Drives

Drives are the unconscious, biological impulses that carry out important vital functions.  They display in a physical manifestation of the dog’s personality and energy.  How a dog sees and reacts to things, such as food, physical presence of other people or dogs, things that move, etc. all fall under the “drive” category.  

Although often inherent, these drives can be compounded by environment with good or bad handling techniques.

It is important to recognize drive traits in order to control & develop or inhibit the manifestations of dangerous or undesirable ones.  You cannot properly train or understand a dog without understanding the drives that make him that dog.  Without the drives, the dog is merely a stuffed animal that barks and moves.

For those who want to label all dogs as dogs and not see dogs as multi-faceted in their various groups and breeds, I issue a warning.  Although all dogs share most of their DNA with wolves as well as with each of the various breeds, the characteristics of drives throughout the various breeds can make their personalities (inside) as different as their looks (outside) very distinguished.  How we deal with different drives can make or break the dog.  It is our responsibility to strive to understand what makes a dog and his or her behavior; most of this is based on the drives of the dog.

Different breeds of dogs have different triggers, drives and temperaments.  However, you may find a high drive dog within a breed that is generally known for low drive and visa vis.   

For the most part, a specific range of drives can be classified within the specific groups of dogs.  We can assume most dogs of the working dog group have a similar drive for work, tenacity, temperament; herding breeds would share a set of characteristics and drives, etc.  There’s always the odd man out, but we want to focus on defining drives as they appear in each dog, breed and group and work with the dog based on his or her individual drives.

Video Lecture: Drives of Dogs