The Three Pillars

52 Seconds 

It is helpful to your dog during foundation training to isolate three main areas of work which I will teach you in this course. The three pillars I want to build include:

1. Teaching in a "Thinking State of Mind" (utilizing food to teach at a low drive state free of distraction).

2. Drive Building & Field/Ring Conditioning (exclusively building and playing on a field or in the ring).

3. Conditioning in High Drive State for a "Reactionary State of Mind" (blending the two after each jump in stimulation level).

By initially building the DETAIL in obedience separate from the ANIMATION, particularly for dogs that lack motivation OR are overly high drive, we set them up for success. After all, not all dogs fall into the "golden middle" where they have the capacity to both stay in drive and animated while thinking.

Let's face it. Some are easier than others. Most high level competition dogs are bred specifically to possess that magical, easy to manipulate blend of pack, play, and prey drive. My guess is that if you are taking this course, you have a dog that falls into one of two categories.

1) Your dog is a little overly stimulated and possesses excessive amounts of prey drive, for example, or is very low threshold and thus overstimulates at the slightest breeze.

2) You have a dog on the opposite end of the spectrum who loses desire or motivation as the reward is withheld. In both instances, it is even imperative that you not mix drive work with accuracy training in the building and teaching
stage. For dogs with difficulty maintaining drive, asking for too high of criteria WHILE attempting to play KILLS DRIVE. In dogs with too much drive and who may lack clarity, withholding the reward and asking for thinking creates frustration and bubbling over.

I have spent a career working with and successfully training, titling, and in many cases competing on the national level, with dogs that fall into both categories. Dogs that many top level trainers would wash out. With some dedication and thoughtful training much can be accomplished to bring out the best in your dog.

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Impact on Dogs that Don't "Hold the Load"

For dogs that need a little drive building, the separation between "Thinking" and Reactionary" state of mind allows the dog to become fluent in what is expected of them such as straightness, head position, isolation of rear end, etc. prior to incorporating drive work.

For these dogs that have difficulty "holding a load" (i.e., they deflate with the withholding of reward versus frustrating into a higher drive state) creating fluency in exercises prior to incorporating drive work allows them to be more successful, hence empowering the dog. By not skipping this step, and carefully building desire for your dog's highest drive state, you will ensure you never have the dog that "quits". We want to build TRY in our dogs. A dog that loses hope loses drive.

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Impact on Dogs who "Over Stimulate"

On the opposite end of the spectrum lie the dogs that overstimulate resulting in lack of clarity. By teaching exercises in a "Thinking State of Mind" it creates clarity on how to access the reward. Often, high drives dogs progress quickly because it is easy with a young dog that brings all of the drive to the table. I deal regularly with dogs at my workshops who are titled to IPO III level who do not understand the concept of sitting with both feet square and quiet, or dogs who spontaneously
voice their enthusiasm with barking. Other times, the dogs have difficulty transitioning from "Reactionary" to "Thinking State of Mind" during exercises such as the retrieves, resulting in chewing, or get out of control during the bitework exercises because too large of a jump has been made in the "Stim Scale"(increasing expectations/criteria far too quickly with each measurable increase in stimulation).

In my experience, the dogs that tend to flatten have been advanced too quickly prior to drive building and conditioning. With a flatter, less motivated dog that needs to be motivated, I might (for example) place 75% emphasis on taking my dog onto the field or into a ring and doing absolutely nothing but playing for a set period of time. Log your times. Know how long your dog can sustain drive and in what environments. The other 25% of the time would be spent at home teaching the fundamental skills of focal point, heel position, touch, place, positions, fronts, finishes, etc. My rescue Pit Bull (Snap shown in this online course) is a prime example of a lazier, flatter dog. I have spent the last year building him up to 10-15 minutes of sustained drive state, working obedience at home, prior to blending the two. On the opposite end of the spectrum are dogs that are high drive and have difficulty thinking. A good example is my Border Collie, Seamus. Seamus is my demo dog for building drive and as such experiences 75% or more of the time showing building. It is evident when the "balance" is off and he must be taken back to a thinking state. I have had others that easily stay within the middle as well, and as trainers it is our job to regulate arousal levels and drive states throughout the course of our dog's careers.

I also experience many dogs who started their careers as very high drive puppies, but as time and training advance the novelty wears off. This is displayed in dogs that internalize their drive and who have learned that the completion of the exercise elicits the reward as opposed to conditioning in joy in the work itself (externalizing drive).

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The Honest Truth

Some dogs will stay in a high drive state throughout their careers as criteria is increased, and I can honestly tell you it is a result of not only skilled trainers, but a strong reliance on genetic disposition. I have had national champions, dogs ranked #1 in their breed, multiple OTCH and IPO III dogs attend my workshops, and in ALL CASES the dogs were very strong genetic candidates relative to the 90% of my seminar attendees. I created a program that will help maximize your performance with the dog you are currently working, with the track record to back it up. The objective of the course is to aid in handlers enjoying the work with their dogs, injecting drive into their program seamlessly, and extending their dog's enthusiasm and careers.