No Drive..Now What?? - Page 1

Hello, I recently recieved Prince an 5yo GSD. He is a great companion and has recieved his BH almost 4yr ago, his previous owners never worked with him much and now he seems to have no real Drive to work. How can I motivate him to work harder or is it just too late in the game to start over...Thanks.

Well what do you want to achieve with him !!?? A SCH 1, world championships? personal protection?

What does he do and what doesn't he do? What kind of "drive" are you looking for?

Has he been assessed by a trainer?

How many dogs have you worked before? In other words how good are YOU, never mind the dog?

You might just as well have asked how high is the sky, LOL. A bit of detail maybe......either that this is one of those fishing posts.

I agree,

What are your goals?

It makes a difference.

If all I was looking for was drive I don't know that I would have gone after a 5 year old in the first place that wasn't proven a little more. How many owners has this dog had? If you just got him, my advice would be to spend some time bonding with him and try to figure out what makes him tick, what motivates him. Some dogs just don't have a lot of drive to begin with but if he's spent the last few years as just a family/companion dog (and there's nothing wrong with that) then I would guess that most of his working instincts have been stifled all this time. I'm not saying it's impossible, but you've probably got your work cut out for you. Just see if you can find a motivator and go from there. Good Luck!

Well I would say bond with him and do defense  for PPD training.

Take all toys away from him. Stop free feeding him. feed him after he works and  not before. crate him at least 2-6 hours before training then only take him out to work him. tie his leash to a post or tree to  fustrate him, you may want to use a long lineor bungee line and harness   let him watch other dogs work. then  swing his favorite toys around  while he is posted from far away  to frustrate him. if he starts to bark from the movement of his toy then move closer each time he barks  until you are right in front of him then he can get his toy. all of this needs to be done in prey .NO DEFENSE WORK. The dog needs to build up his confidence and get a clear picture of what he needs to do. NOT FIGHT OR FLIGHT

remember frustration builds drive. 

here is a link to a good video http://leerburg.com/101e.htm

This may or may not work for you. works very well with showline shepherds.

and depending on the dog this may take 2- 6 months before he gets some drive .  alot of extra time to put in .I would ask my self if it is worth it? or just get a new dog. good luck!

Sounds like he is a pet, not a working dog. Drive does not go away if a dog is not worked.  It is genetic. they have it or they don't.

If you want a working dog go out and get one. Attempting to make a dog do what it does not have the genetics to do is unfair to the dog.

We don't know what the OP wants the dog to do or why he says the dog has no drive. More info is needed.

JONI GOING TO JAIL.

If he has no drive, he has no drive..You dont have a dog with drive...sorry., but if I could get rid of some drive by kenneling or ignoring or making a house pet out of a few of mine, I'd start a new life...no need to hope for something there is not..

At 5 yrs old, a dog with drive needs nothing to get him moving..Its either there or not there.

YR