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8. COL: Do you believe a highly motivated performance dog is born with the drive or is it due to his/her training or a combination of both or other factors.
Vicki Loucks: I think a dog is born with drive. The drive can be developed through training, but a dog born with good strong drive is more motivated to work . . . although, at times, a dog like that can be more difficult to live with. You can build drive in a dog but I don't think a dog with a naturally lower drive will out-do a dog with a naturally higher drive. You can build drive with the Three Toy game and other games or by doing a race game to a treat or a toy they really want. I have a dog with very low drive that I just started trialing and we do the racing game for dinner. If he beats me he eats. It's very motivating. In the racing game you win, the dog wins, you win, THE DOG WINS and it ends.
Carol Dunton: I believe that a highly motivated dog is a combination of genetics and environment. I believe that a dog is either born with a desire to work or it is not. That said, I also believe that a dog can be conditioned to want to learn and work by the way it is trained. A dog that is rewarded for acting quickly and behaving in a motivated manner will likely repeat those behaviors. By rewarding a dog for being “up,” animated, and eager, you are increasing the likelihood that a dog will behave with a more “up,” animated, and eager attitude in practice as well as in a trial setting.
Shelley Bergstraser: I think a great deal of drive, intelligence and instinct are genetic. I went to Linda Holloway's wonderful Collie Herding Camp a couple of weeks ago and we spent long hours talking about the genetics of great herding dogs. I believe that many things often go hand-in-hand, like good herding instinct, drive and intelligence. I would not keep an unmotivated puppy. An overly quiet, laid back puppy might make a good show dog, or not, but it will usually not make a great working dog. One can often pull off novice titles with a really quiet dog but advanced work in most venues (including a great special, I think) requires a dog who LOVES to work. There are exceptions no doubt, but this is what I want to work with. I think a person can make or break a great dog. What one DOES with a great temperament can hugely affect what the dog can accomplish later. I don't want people to overly obsess about what they are doing, but something like skipping socializing is huge. I have my little devils out EVERYWHERE (clean and safe) by 12 weeks. Leaving a collie sitting home and wishing later that he/she wasn't so worried about the crowds is hard to overcome! Don't free feed. PLAY with your dogs -- engage their brilliant brains. Idle brains go sour. Challenge your smart collie and you will be amazed by what they can and will do!
Dr. Deanna Levenhagen: There has to be a foundation in the dog from a structure and desire. If the dog doesn’t have the structure and desire, it won’t hold up to the rigors of performance venues. However, from there, I believe that the dog is molded by its trainer and environment. I have seen far too many examples, not just within the collie breed, where individuals have gotten the offspring of a very successful dog and then couldn’t do anything with the dog or it didn’t work out for them. In some cases, it was because the dog didn’t really have the drive to do the work in the first place. But, there are even more examples where the dog was capable, but the trainer just wasn’t able to mold and shape the dog’s talents into successes in the ring.
Jan Shields: When I look for my next competition dog, whether I’ve bred it or bought it, I always say a collie can’t be too wild. That has always held true for me. Regardless of the motivation level of the dog, its successes won’t be meaningful without good, consistent and caring training.
Marilyn Clayton: I believe you can motivate a dog, but you really can't "build" drive -- drive
is either there or it's not. However, inherent drive can be stifled with poor treatment and then brought back. I believe good training brings out the best a dog has to offer; it can build confidence; but it cannot produce drive if it was never there in the firstplace. I do not, however, believe top performance dogs come only from performance-studded pedigrees. If a dog has the desire to please, the drive is there, it is sound and healthy; and it is brought along with good
training, the dog will shine.
Beth Elliot: I don't think that a highly motivated dog and a dog with drive are the same
thing. To me, a dog with drive is one who's in it for the thrill and joy.Not that they won't take an offered reward for doing it, but you can tell that as soon as they're done, they look at their handler with a "wow, that was fun" attitude. A dog that is highly motivated is doing it for the reward it knows is coming. While you can diminish the drive in a dog, it does have to be there to begin with, but you can create a highly motivated performer with less drive. So a dog does have to be born with
some degree of drive in order to succeed. But, the training and the motivation created in training can increase its chance and level of success.
Sue Larson: Both. A dog with high energy, willingness to work, love of working with his/her person, biddability, all those are important. But the training methods, consistency, and the owner's love of training all play into a happy, motivated collie.
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