Crash course in drives and lines - Page 1

What are the main drives a newbie should consider when researching GSD lines? Is there a book or something like GSD Breeding Lines for DUMMY's? I keep reading posts that say things like "bite" drive and having pups encouraged to go grab a hunk of flesh. It amazes me anybody owning a GSD would doubt their dogs ability or willingness to defend their humans! Does showline mean a dog who is descriminating and won't bite first, bark later? Just wondering. I know someone will say that depends on purpose, so okay, what drives are best for "pets" as well as the showring and serious work . I think I have prey drive figured out: I used to think the multi-colored, all-stages of healing bruised appendages of all family members was a teething issue; no our pup, he really does want to eat us! Atta boy!

Look at the parents is # 1. Then visit and view all the pups at about 7 weeks. Look again at 8 weeks. This is give you good start. Then pick the one that best suits you. remember that the drives in especially males can develop later than females. That's why the breeding Sire and Dam is important to look at. Lastly find a breeder you can trust who will help you select the correct pup. What you want makes a huge difference in your selection of first the parents then the pup.

To continue DesertRangers' tips... well and good if you can see the parents UPCLOSE... If you can live with the parents temperament especially the dam who stayed with the pup Its good, you have at least a idea wether the parents DRIVE is TOO Much or TOO Little for you... Remember the correct GSD temperament and individual pups have their own levels of drive. Regarding pedigrees and lines dont be fooled by just papers which shows VA or V's nor SchH titles... What is important is how the actual pup will look AS IT IS and try to at least see that the pup is not timid in a familiar environment // he'll get more timid when hes outside of home... A BULLY or dominant Male may be alright if he is able to respond to human interaction... Try and see if the pup is a FEAR BITER... he will need more training than normal human interacting pups.

I have had many a heated discussion on this topic. When discussing drives, you have to first get the definition of what a drive is. Drive= A physiological state corresponding to a strong need or desire (Webster's Dictionary) Drive= A strong motivationg tendency or instinct related to self-perservation (Esp. of an aggressive or sexual nature) that promps activity toward a particular end (American Heritage College Dictionary) I can't tell you how many trainors I have seen talk about drives but cannot tell you the definition of what a drive is. But it is not just a "drive" you have social dominance, prey aggression, fear aggression, etc. In the simplest terms: Food drive= I want to eat that hot dog Hunt drive= I have to find the bunny rabbit prey drive= I have to chase the bunny rabbit prey aggression= I have to kill the bunny rabbit Fight drive= You hurt me or challenged me and I want to kick your ass. Social Dominance= I have to be the "Alpha" so I ensure I will reproduce. Pack drive= To be part of the pack so we can hunt and eat. (Cesar Milan Dog Whisper Ding A Ling are you paying attention?) Defense Drive= I have to protect myself or my offspring from the bear that wants to eat us. Fear Aggression= I cannot defeat the bear that wants to eat me so I must fight for my life.

OK the basics of drives and the psycology behind them. How do we see this manifested.... Prey drive--Easy dog chases ball, sleeve, cat or (super high prey) the running screaming 2 year old. Hunt drive---Dog searches for the ball in the bushes or the cat when it goes under the car, or the bad guy hinding in the closet. Prey aggression--Dog bites, shakes, and kills a small animal or toy. Dog acts aggressive when agiatated of the dropped sleeve. Fight drive---Prey animal turns to defend itself and bites dog. Decoy steps on dogs foot, another dog or person "eye f*@ks" a dominant dog. Social Dominance-- Dog "T's up" on another dog. While playing one dog bites the other's neck and holds them down. Police dog uses their body to hold down and dominate the bad guy Pack drive--The dogs willingness to socially interact with you. Defense drive and fear aggression are almost totally psycological and hard to give examples. Defense Drive--Dog barks at someone trying to get into your yard, is protective of your child, shows aggression when decoy pushes them with a real threat. Fear aggression--Dog does not have enough courage and thinks the threat(whatever that may be) is going to kill them. The timid dog that get backed into a corner and bites the kid.

(Cesar Milan Dog Whisper Ding A Ling are you paying attention?) To funny..........

BRAVO, Get A Real Dog! That was awesome. From what I can tell, personally,.... I am genetically and environmentally gifted/challenged with quite a bit of Fight Drive , Social Domainance, Food Drive...and...Hunt, Prey, well....ok, everything but but that fear aggression thing!

My kind of girl!

Great synopsis by Get A Real Dog. Beetree: You had a couple of other questions at the start of the thread. Assuming your definition of a "working" dog is patrol/protection related and not a guide dog for the blind, then a working dog generally makes for a more difficult pet. Using Get a Real Dog's terminology, a working/patrol dog is high in social D, prey, and hunt drives. The defensive drive is average or better but just enough to keep it out of offensive mode. Pack drive is average at best, it could care less about other dogs and your aunt sally. The fear aggression is normally low because the dog is only respectful of God and/or its handler. This dog is happiest kickin some bad guys butt. Real difficult dog for people that want pets. This dog wakes up every morning and says to itself, Is today the day I get to be in charge?

Showdogs are designed to look pretty on the outside and have a correct skeleton. Some breeders, not all, achieve this by breeding out working genes. Then you can get a Lassie in German Shepherd clothes. I am sure it would be a nice pet. The show/sport lines are a good place for a self described newbie to start if you interested in beginning training and incorporating that into your lifestyle. A good breeder ought to be able to help ID a litter that is not too high drive. Just keep in mind that a decent trainer can get ANY dog to take a nice sexy bite on the sleeve. What you need to know as the buyer is WHY the dog is biting. The "fear biter" doesn't look bad on the training field but it looks horrible on one of your kids.