Friday, February 17, 2012

Doberman temperament: What is drive?

In the wake of Westminster, and reading peoples' reactions to the appearance of the German Shepherds, I've been thinking a lot about working versus show in the context of breeding. My understanding is that German Shepherds did not always have the rear assembly that they do now, and that working lines of German Shepherds still look "normal", as it were. The slopes of their backs are not so extreme, they're not walking down on their hocks, etc.

And then I thought about Dobermans. Working Dobermans vs. Show ones, thankfully, do not have gross physical departures from one another. The AKC Doberman breed standard is to ensure a physically sound dog; one that can be as agile and athletic as the job entails. Mentally sound as well, so far as the standard covers it, as "a judge shall dismiss from the ring any shy or vicious Doberman." A stable working dog is neither shy nor vicious, but rather alert and confident.

In Internet circles, I do see complaints that American show Dobermans are softer than their European counterparts, and softer and less drive-y than working lines in general. So, what does "drive" mean, anyway?



There are different types of drive (courtesy of Schutzhund Village): prey drive, defense drive, aggression drive, and fighting drive. Different sources will name different drives (play drive isn't listed here, you'll notice!), but that's a good source (that lists yet another source) and I think that covers it. When I talked about Schutzhung back in May, I covered that it had three components (Tracking, obedience, protection), but re-reading that post, I didn't really detail very much, now did I? Heck, I've even got a book that I've only partially read, Schutzhund Obedience: Training in Drive, and though I feel I have an understanding of what "drive" means in this context, and can use it correctly in a sentence, how to explain?

In layman's terms (and if I'm wrong here, I hope a Schutzhund person will correct me before I embarrass myself for too long!) drive is motivation; it's the "go get 'em!" force and instinct. In a non-protection example, a Greyhound that excels at something like lure coursing might have a very strong prey drive; she sees that lure as prey, and MUST HAVE IT.

The difference in Schutzhund is that one wants to tap and temper that drive, all at the same time. An out of control dog is of no use to anybody. Whichever of the drives are being "activated", they're also tempered and harnessed through training and routine, so that the Schutzhund dog has confidence and judgement.

I've thought about wanting a dog with more drive in the future. The intent of that statement is not to run down Elka; Elka is the perfect Doberman for me at this time. I could not have handled a high drive puppy as my first Doberman, I would have simply and succinctly gone mad. The energy and management and occupation that Elka required (and sometimes still requires) is far more than I ever anticipated, and because she does in fact also know just how to be a bum, we're still living happily together.



Since my dog education, much as I tried before, really only took off after I got Elka, I know more (of like to think I do) about different lines, different aptitudes, that sort of thing. I've got her five generation pedigree from the AKC, and there are a lot of dogs from Europe in there with both working and conformation titles, Graaf Quirinus van Neerlands Stam, for an example, an international Champion who also earned the Schutzhund III title (that's the last one, if you wondered). Also, the nearest Schutzhund (or French Ring) clubs to me are an hour in either direction, which puts a damper on seeking that kind of dog. Admittedly, if I was really dedicated, an hour wouldn't seem too bad. Clearly, I'm not. It's interesting how I accidentally dropped myself into such a dog training bereft area.

Any time I think about puppies, I get giddy, I admit it. I love Elka, and she's still a lot like a puppy (Even though she'll be 3 in May! 3!) and I wouldn't trade her in, that's for sure. I temper my puppy needs with looking at people's Puppy Corner posts over on Doberman Talk, and also with reminders of what having a puppy is really like. Management, vigilance, and redirection. And I watch the following video, and think, really, about how easy we had it after all: So You Think You Want a High Drive Puppy.

(note: I would love to link the video here so you could see it, but YouTube in conjunction with Blogger just won't find it when I search for some frustrating reason. So, enjoy.)




10 comments:

  1. Very interesting. I am writing an article about mental tests, and Kenzo's original test results as a puppy.

    I agree with your definition. Drive is the willingness to engage. The purpose of the breed defines in which area you want it to engage and to what level they can do that independently. Like with agression drive, working dog breeds used for Schutzhund all have in common we want them to engage and act independently when presented with aggression. While from other breeds we expect them to first act when helped by the handler.

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    1. I'm relieved that you agree, since you work a lot with your dogs! I'm looking forward to reading your article, I'm so fascinated by all of this! I've thought about trying one of the tests with Elka (and also, understandably I hope, don't want to freak her the hell out).

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  2. I think your explanation of "dive" is very good. Drive is what helps a retriever go through harsh conditions to make a retrieve. Drive in working breeds is necessary, (but I have seen retrievers with too much drive...they call them fire-breathers...lol).

    We drive 1 1/2 hours one way to our field training. :)

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    1. Fire-breathers is a great name for them! I've heard that there are Malinois who really don't have an off button and must WORK WORK WORK.

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  3. "Drive" is not something that would seem to be important for a pet or maybe that is why I stick with Poodles and mutts.

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    1. Oh, come on now, Poodles can have drive too! I think I"ve seen people using them for Schutzhund ;)

      It does definitely seem, when strong enough, it's beyond what you want for a pet.

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  4. In agility we use the word drive in much the same way. I tend to think of it as motivation to learn or work. For instance, my dog Shiva is incredibly drivey. In fact, she is probably too drivey for me given she is my first dog. She can be so over the top that she is hard to control in a structured manner. If our connection breaks for even a millisecond she is off doing whatever she wants.

    Hence why I have gone mad. ;-)

    It sounds like with Elka you got exactly the dog you needed. She is smart and quick enough to be a challenge, which motivated you to learn, but calm enough that she hasn't put you in an asylum.

    I love this video! Thank you so much for linking to it! I may have to share it myself as I commiserate so much with this dog's owners while at the same time I kind of want to jump right in with a toy and start playing with the little guy.

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    1. Every time I see that video, or the topic is brought up, I have to watch it again. It's something else, really. And it's definitely a true sort of thing. If I ended up with a puppy like that, without knowing, I would think something was wrong with the dog. And, as you mention, head straight for an asylum!

      Harnessing drive, that's the next step after recognizing it. Considering in my case, I work a bit to build it (though not a whole lot, we don't have an agility venue or anything that I'm involved with) it's a bit easier.

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  5. I like that you defined the tiny difference between instinct-based drive and working-dog drive: it truly is all about trained impulse control.

    That video was quite funny -- who would've thought boxes could be so fun. :) I work for a woman who trains (adopted and pedigreed) puppies specifically for "pet" parents and even those ones freak me out because it's just so.much.work. Or maybe it just seems that way because there's six puppies at a time. I just witnessed one of the puppies who was a demand-barking maniac graduate the first class. His family bought him from a breeder and called out of desperation, got themselves into an already-running class because they were going to give him up. His guardian mentioned that remembering four weeks ago is like night and day. :) He's going to be an amazing clicker dog. :)

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    1. I like to hear about amazing clicker dogs. Hearing about clicker training in general thrills me!

      Elka occasionally has fun with boxes, but never at that level. I've heard about judicious usage of ex-pens, it seems that with that sort of puppy they're absolutely necessary!

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