Mini Babies

These are the “drives” that all breeders should be able to recognize.
PACK DRIVE:
This drive gives a dog the desire to be a part of a pack. Included in this is the requirement to obey the pack rules. This drive also gives the dog the desire to please.

PREY DRIVE:
Prey drive is stimulated or triggered by movement. It is a dog’s natural drive to find and catch food. Although it is a calm, non-emotional drive, it may be taxing on a dog physically, causing him to tire quickly. It is often signaled by a high-pitched bark. A dog in prey drive can zone out other things around them. This is often a sign that the dog has strong nerves. By developing a strong prey drive, you develop early confidence and can teach a dog to work simply for a ball or a tug. If you intend to do bite work, this is always the drive you want to start your dog in. Prey drive also works wonderfully for teaching a dog obedience or agility.

PLAY DRIVE:
PLAY drive and PREY drive are often confused because of some similarities; however, there are subtle differences. A dog can have a strong PLAY drive, yet not display any of the usual signs of PREY. The dog may display a solid temperament and openly play with its master, but have no desire to bite a moving tug, ball, etc. When a dog has a strong PREY drive, he will usually have a strong PLAY drive.

BALL DRIVE:
Ball drive is a dog’s obsession to chase, mouth, carry, or otherwise play with a ball. Dogs that have a high ball drive usually have a high prey drive and a high play drive. Ball drive is a very powerful tool. You can use ball drive to teach obedience and agility. Most often, ball drive is used to teach narcotic and explosive-trained dogs the tricks of the trade.

HUNT DRIVE:
Hunt drive is simply the drive that makes a dog look for the thing that most excites it - such as a ball, tug, or favorite toy. It is used to aid in training tracking/search and rescue dogs.

RETRIEVE DRIVE:
This drive is not exclusive to Labradors! Many dogs possess this drive and it can be a powerful training tool. Working dogs that are high in retrieve drive are often possessive of objects they have retrieved. If you need this drive in your type of sport, you must start early and build the drive and "control" the possessiveness.......
(not “stop” the possessiveness).

DEFENSE DRIVE:
Defense drive, also called “ Fear Drive,” is a very misunderstood drive. The dog goes into defense drive when it feels it must defend itself or when it is in fear for its life. Often referred to as “fight or flight,” the dog must decide if it should stand and fight or turn and run. Unlike prey drive, defense is very emotional. It is a kill or be killed mentality. It is also physically stressful and mentally draining. It creates a hectic work environment and should never be used in early bite training, obedience, or agility training.

FIGHT DRIVE:
If you talk to five people about fight drive, you could possibly come up with five different answers. Although the results of fight drive may be genetic, it is not actually a separate drive. Fight drive combines the focus and non-emotional nature of prey drive with the intensity of defense drive. When watching many dogs displaying a strong fight drive, the trained eye will see the dog switch gears, so to speak, from prey drive to defense and then back to prey drive.

By assisting in the development of these drives, we are laying a solid foundation on which to build a well-rounded dog. I want a dog that is full of attitude --- one who’s presence says, “Pick me, I’m the one you came to see!” I want a dog that is so confident that there is nothing he can’t do; no task he can’t accomplish; and that nothing upsets. I want a dog that is so eager to work and please, that he’s almost out of control! If there’s a problem to be had in training, that’s the one to have!

Using the right method of training, you can compete in a variety of sports: Obedience, Agility, and Weight Pull just to name a few. And these events included a wide variety of breeds of dogs.