malinois with not enough drive - Page 1

Hi guys
I have a 7 month old malinois that doesn't have enough drive for my liking. Everyone keeps telling me it will come however my other malinois was crazy and loved to work right from a baby. What can I do to try and increase drive? She will work for 1-2 minutes but then all her want to do work/training is gone. All my dogs are separated at home and they dont have any play time together. She has heaps of energy in the backyard, she runs tracks but when it comes to obedience she is flat. Its a shame because she has a beautiful heel position.
I have tried different toys and different food rewards to try and find something she really wants. She might want it one day but not the next. I have crated her and played with my other malinois infront of her, this works some days but other days she doesn't care - today is one of those days and its really starting to annoy me. Any ideas???

Did you get your Mal from proven working lines, or AKC show lines? What is her ped?

Is her health all OK?   How long has she been like this?    

 

Those are good questions Koots...I was wondering if she shuts down the same for a Toy as for Food...

I have a German Shepherd (Male) that is my breeding that has good Food Drive but when it comes to a toy he has great drive one moment and then just quits...Everyday is different...He does work better with pressure...I raised a number of his litter-mates and most of them...including is sister/litter-mate...who has nice Food and Toy Drive all the time...

I don't raise Malinois but I have heard of Mali's that their working drives do come and go until they're mature...then they have good drives...

But at 7 months of age I would think this female should have good consistent drives...if she's gonna have them at all...

~Bob~

Yes from proven working lines. She is half sister to my mal - same father line. Lines are Nordenstamm, zico v d berlex hoeve, pitu vom further moor. She has always been like this , very calm and not a spaz.

 

Can you show us a video how you are training with te dog. I have seen very good dogs but not some very good handlers also.

Some dogs don,t like boring obdience and  are not impressed by toys or food

you will see this in the more serious dogs the NOT prey monkeys.

Some people make too long  training sessions with young dogs than dog

lose atention

Also in a litter are some hardcore driving pups and there also so some low driving pups
Not in every litter all the pups will be mature in superstars.............. Mal, GSD or whatever.

You can have the  best bloodlines in te world there will be some good dogs but also not
some good dogs.

 

How does your dog interact with you, how does she engage you when she wants something? Have you tried taking her out, then ignoring her until she finds a compelling way to get your attention? If so, you could use this to do obedience. If she wants your attention, and is "telling" you so, then make her do some obedience (just a very, very short session to start, maybe even a change of posistion on command) before she gets what she wants - your attention.

How long are you willing to wait to see what she has, and if maturity helps?

No more free time, self gratifying herself in the back yard. She goes to the bathroom, she's on lead. She eats her meal, it's from your hand, while performing some obedience / engagement skills. Have her looking you in the eye while feeding, obedience, getting her toy. All her attention is on you. No more watching you work other dogs, that's even self gratifying. The toy, is on a string, only gets it for as long and when you say she does. Incorporate some tug into the toy, not much, just some slight back pressure, make it feel "alive." She's probably got a lot of drive, but wants and is allowed to manifest it in "her" own way. You might find she has more drive than you would have ever imaged. If that doesn' t work - well, they aren't all born with it, she'll be somebody's pet. Betting that's not the case. Good luck.

Have you done exercises to build drive? Used the flirt pole when young? Play with the toy, making miss, tug, etc without obedience?

Sometimes we skip thirty steps and expect everything to be there. How do you know this 7 month old doesnt have the drive? How do you know you didnt kill it? Asking a dog to sit and heel for a reward is great if your foundation is correct. Asking too much too soon will kill the dogs drive. At 7 months, if done properly from the beginning can be asked a decent amount. If you built drive and played the game properly, the dog should be chomping at the bit to see that reward. If done improperly, the dog is going to be disinterested. He sees the toy as this boring thing where you take him out and ask for too much for a flaccid toy.

Just by your statement of his heeling, i know you've skipped steps. I never would have started heeling until i built the drive to do so. You're in too much of a rush and not fun. Go back to playing the game. Make him miss, let him get it, play tug, make him miss, let him get it, let him carry it on lead in a circle, play tug, etc. When his drive is up, start introducing the sit, down, etc. Faster the sit, faster the reward. Then move on tho heeling for a short distance with a quick reward with plenty of play, tug to make it fun. Then you increase the distance, etc of reward.

Have fun with the dog.