A List of Drives in Protection Work

By Ed Frawley  |  Last modified: April 4, 2022

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View our glossary of terminology used in protection work including the various types of drives.

General Protection Training Terms

Drive

Subconscious impulses to react to stimuli

Temperament

Attitude towards life

Courage

Absence of fear towards objects or situations

Hardness

Resiliency toward unpleasant experiences

Softness

Remembering unpleasant experiences

Sharpness

Tendency to react aggressively to stimuli

Sensory Threshold

High / Low Amount of stimulus to obtain a reaction

Types of Drives

Hunt Drive

The drive to pursue objects (out of sight, etc.)

Tracking Drive

The drive to follow ground disturbance odors (animal or human tracks)

Air Scent Drive

The drive to follow wind born scents

Retrieve Drive

The drive to bring back prey (objects) to handler (pack leader)

Prey Drive

The drive to bite and kill prey (refusal to release when playing tug of war, or when sleeve happy)

Fight Drive

The drive to measure physical prowess with rivals (same as rowdy human)

Guard Drive

The drive to warn intruders by barking, growling, or biting to stay out of territory (yard or patrol car, in layman's terms, defense)

Protection Drive

The drive to defend the pack (family or handler)

Rank Drive

The drive to achieve higher rank in the pack (biting or growling at handler while under stress)

Trainability

The drive to please the desires of the pack leader

Survival/Fight Drive

The drive to flee from real or imagined danger

Homing Drive

The drive to return to territory or pack (handler)

Play Drive

The drive for physical contact with pack members

Activity Drive

The drive to move and act (digging, chewing, running fence, etc.)

Pack Drive

The drive for emotional contact with pack members

Voice Tones

Command Tone

assertive

Corrective Tone

harsh and guttural

Permissive Tone

high / low tones (eg. FES--gift)

Priase Tone

high and happy tones

Agitative Tone

low and suspicious (eg. pas--auf)

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About Author

Ed Frawley

Ed Frawley is the founder and owner of Leerburg.com and has been producing professional dog training videos since 1982. Over the years, he has collaborated with some of the most respected dog trainers in the country. His body of work includes 194 full-length training DVDs and 95 comprehensive online courses. In addition to these, he has produced and published over 4,000 short training videos available free of charge on Leerburg.com and across the company's social media platforms.

Ed and his wife, Cindy—also a professional dog trainer—bred working-line German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois for more than 35 years. Although they retired from breeding in 2009, they had produced over 300 litters by that time.

Ed also served as a K9 handler for the local sheriff's department for 10 years, working in partnership with the West Central Drug Task Force. During his time in law enforcement, he handled multiple narcotics and patrol dogs and conducted more than 1,000 K9 searches. If you want to learn more about Ed, read about his history here.

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