Sporting Dog Shorts - Feel Like You Have Too Much Dog?

Dogs like this are generally described as "high-powered," "high-drive," or some other variation of "high-." And while these animals can be incredible hunting companions, they can also come with unique challenges. If you've been fortunate enough to find yourself with a high-drive dog, you may on occasion have asked yourself if it was too much dog for you. That's a fair question - dogs like this can sometimes be difficult to work with because they tend to push boundaries and generally be a bit overwhelming. If you can harness the drive, the rewards can be enormous; but getting there can be a challenge. This article is an attempt to get you further down the path of harnessing that drive!

Characteristics of a high-drive dog

"High-drive" is a bit of a subjective term that's often relative to the owner; however, I think there are some common characteristics that frequently appear with these dogs. Understanding these characteristics is going to help us put together a game-plan for how to manage them.

Independence

Many high-drive dogs have an elevated sense of independence. They're confident doing things with OR without you. New environments don't make them shrink, instead new environments tend to rev them up. These dogs are very comfortable hunting out to the front; they don't get intimidated by long retrieves; and they generally carry themselves with the confidence that comes with independence.

A no-quit attitude

One of my earliest memories with spaniels was taking a young Cocker that I owned on a pheasant hunt. We put in a three hour hunt, then headed back to the vehicle. Upon arrival, that little Cocker decided she wasn't ready to be done yet, and headed back into the cover. It took me an embarrassingly long time to entice her into my truck. While she was a poorly trained dog, she also was a great example of the no-quit attitude frequently found in high-drive dogs. High-drive dogs would much rather be working than resting; and I suspect that many of these dogs view their owners as an obstacle hindering them from doing what they really want to do — find birds ALL DAY LONG.

Speed/Power

Typically, I've found that high-drive dogs have the physical tools to match their drive. These dogs tend to be powerful and fast. While it's a beautiful sight to watch a dog with these talents move, their speed and power can also present a challenge as it's easy for the dog to get out of position quickly. If they don't want to be in proximity to you, they have the physical tools necessary to exercise their independence.

Where it goes wrong

This combination of characteristics is no doubt what sets these dogs apart - they're never intimidated, they'll go until they drop, and they do it all with style. But, when that independence decides that YOU are no longer needed, all of a sudden the "no-quit" attitude and the speed and power become extremely counterproductive to a successful hunt. Left unharnessed, those characteristics have the ability to ruin an otherwise fun day. Raised blood pressure, yelling, threats, and birds flushed out of range (or "busted" birds for the pointers) are an all-too-common result from these dogs; and they can often leave us wondering if maybe we have a dog that's a bit too much for our skill set.

What you can do

It's important to remember that dog training isn't anecdotal - there isn't a magic word you can speak or trick you can do that is going to "fix" your dog overnight. Behavior changes take time and intentionality, and it's possible that you need to completely change how you interact with your dog in order to harness all of that drive. Personally, I think that's what makes dog training fun - it requires thinking and problem solving; and because every dog is different, there will never be a point where the thinking and problem solving end. With that said, here are some suggestions that will hopefully enhance your experience with your high-drive dog!

Know what you're trying to bring out

How we develop high-drive dogs when they're puppies will make a significant difference in how they behave as adults. For that reason, when I'm evaluating a young dog, one of the things I'm looking at is their disposition. If they're generally a bit intimidated by new things and don't carry themselves with confidence, I'm going to make sure that I emphasize building them up. I'll expose them to new things (in a controlled, predictable environment); I might bring a bit more energy to our interactions to increase their excitement; and I'm not going to place a large emphasis on rules. I generally just want them to "become a dog" - that is, I want them to gain confidence and move with more freedom and style.

However, if I see a puppy that is oozing with confidence - they carry themselves with energy and they're afraid of nothing (I like to describe it as their having a "fire in their belly"!) - the last thing I want to do is to build up more independence and energy. Instead, I'm going to put more emphasis on teamwork and on dependence on me. I might start giving them simple rules a bit earlier in life; my disposition toward them will be generally very calm (I don't want to add any more energy to the interaction); and I'll be trying to emphasize teamwork over everything else. That's because this type of puppy is going to naturally run hard (and possibly big), but he's likely not going to naturally do it WITH me. If I can start to condition a teamwork mindset while they're still a puppy, typically this will carry over into adulthood.

Drills that promote teamwork

If you're dealing with a high-drive adult dog that likes to push the boundaries, the training drills you use at home or at your training field should focus on teamwork. Focus on getting eye contact from your dog, developing patience, and working together in close proximity. For example, in a quartering drill, I'll make sure that the dog is giving me the occasional glance before we start moving down the field. I'll also likely make sure there's nothing for them to find down the field; instead, I will roll in a bumper or a bird closer to me if they start to push out too far or if they're blowing me off. By giving the dog something to find when they're working with me, I'm encouraging the teamwork mindset without forcing compliance.

In the yard, a lot of my drills center around retrieving, and there are lots of opportunities to work on teamwork while throwing retrieves. One way might be to throw a retrieve and then give the dog another task (that task might be as simple as going to a Cato Board that's in the opposite direction of the retrieve) prior to being sent for the retrieve. The additional task requires the dog to divert its attention away from the retrieve and instead focus on what the handler is asking. This kind of mental discipline in a dog generally makes for a better dog in the field as they're learning to work with us even when they are highly stimulated.

Give them a reason to do it your way while hunting

While in a real hunting situation, if we try to suppress independence in a high-drive dog, it often results in resentment and in the butting of heads. I want to avoid that type of interaction whenever possible, and I do it by trying to make it worth it to THEM to listen to me. When they're young, kibble is a really good way to incentivize desired behavior, and an adult dog can usually be incentivized with a bumper at home; but when a dog has birds on its mind, it's likely going to have zero care for kibble or bumpers. So, when I'm dealing with a dog that is blowing me off and generally hunting for itself (i.e. its high-drive has taken over and is ruining the hunt), there are a couple of techniques I'm going to use to rectify the situation. First, I'm going to slow down and/or change directions. I don't want the dog to be dictating the pace; and if I'm hurrying along trying to keep up with the dog, I'm really only compounding the issue and enabling the behavior. I want the dog to understand that when it works with me, we get to go; when it doesn't, then progress stops. Second, I'll often take a previously shot bird from my vest and place it in close proximity to me before calling the dog closer to me. When the dog finds the bird in close proximity to me after responding to my whistle, generally it only takes a few tries before the lightbulb goes on and I get a more responsive dog that wants to stay closer to me.

Find enjoyment in the process

I spent many years trying to force my will on "high-drive" dogs to varying levels of success. I found that generally I had control issues throughout the lifetime of the dog, and at times I even resented all of that natural talent when it became counter-productive to a successful hunt. With time, I've learned that these high-drive dogs aren't a lot different from you and me. Like us, they don't like being forced into compliance. These dogs are typically not intentionally trying to ruin our hunts - they're trying to have fun and find birds just like we are. Unfortunately, they often see us owners/handlers as competition rather than teammates.

When we pivot our training to emphasize teamwork and control, and then extend that training into actual hunting situations, we're going to see a dog that knows how to channel all of its drive and talent into behaviors that result in a more pleasurable and productive hunt for everyone. Exactly how you accomplish that is going to vary from dog to dog, but therein lies the joy of dog ownership and training. Remember to enjoy the process and have fun out there!