Inherited traits? - Page 1

 I am assuming that dogs are pack animals and rely upon their prey drive in hunting for food. Is prey drive an inherited trait in dogs and can it be reinforced or built upon for improvement?

if the animal has it as a puppy you can build or reinforce it to some extent however to some degree you are dealing with genetics as well. You really cant  build it in a dog that does not have it   IMO

Daveb is correct, all dogs are born with  genetically programmed levels of drives. Poor training can result into lower drive, where the dog might potentially be high drive. What it takes is a handler that knows how to develop young premmature drives in a young puppy or adult and to develop them to their full potential. However you cannot take a dog from a breeding with genetically low drive and make him into a high drive dog. Everything the dog has from a pup is from their genetics, its upto us to bring out the potential drives.

DSV