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Building Drive & Focus
Locked: You must purchase this stream to view it Building Drive & Focus
4 stars (7 reviews)
1 hr, 59 min
January 1, 2008
This DVD was produced back in 1999 with Bernhard Flinks. Bernhard is a German Police K9 handler. In the past 10 years training concepts and methods have changed. In my opinion marker training (read my free ebook on markers) has taken over the world of dog training and this video does not involve markers. I continue to offer the DVD because it does have merit as a different form of dog training. The majority of the work in this DVD uses a ball-on-string as a reward. Ten years after producing this video I no longer feel that a ball-on-a-string is an appropriate reward for young untrained dog. Balls-on-string can be used an effective obedience reward but only after a dog has reached a certain level training: 1- The dog must tug with enthusiasm 2- It must OUT when told to OUT on the first command 3- It must willingly return the ball to the handler after the ball has been released The work to accomplish this is covered in the 5 1/2 hour DVD I did with Michael Ellis titled THE POWER OF PLAYING TUG WITH YOUR DOG. ___________________________________ Bernhard is a German police officer and Schutzhund competitor. While the training concepts in this DVD came from seminars with Bernhard, the content of this DVD, the script for this DVD and all of the video and editing for the DVD was done by Ed Frawley. Bernhard had nothing to do with the production or content of this training video. Bernhard lives in Northern Germany and speaks perfect English. He has been in the German Bundesseigerprufung (BSP) six times. On three of those occasions he had the highest scoring protection dog in the competition on the 4th Bundessieger he had the second highest scoring dog in protection. He has had two SG scores (very good) with his current dog Itor. In 2002 Itor finished 13th in the competition. Bernhard claims the video "Building Drive & Focus" is the foundation of his training program. Bernhard feels this work is the beginning of his competitive obedience training along with start of the foundation for his protection training program. This video shows how Bernhard teaches people to bring their dog up to its genetic potential of drive (every dog has it's own potential for drive). It's through "drive training" that the relationship between the handler and dog is established. Many people think that just because their dog comes from super bloodlines it should have super drive. These people are wrong. Dogs don't suddenly wake up one morning and have a ton of drive. Building drive takes hard work and skill. Building drive is a learned exercise in dog training. If you don't work on building your dogs drive it will dissipate and go away. Bernhard has broken this work down into small incremental training steps that everyone can understand. He has made drive building an art form. My video details the work to show you exactly how this training is done. I also spend a considerable amount of time showing the most common mistakes that new trainers make when they first try putting their dogs into drive. Some people talk about how much drive their dogs have, but when we look closer many of these dogs have wild hectic drive. These are not easy dogs to train or live with. This video teaches you how to train a dog to control his drive. We teach dogs that if they display self control while in drive they will be rewarded for the proper behavior. The second part of this video shows you how to use drive as a training tool. It shows how to train a dog to focus. When I talk about "focus training" I mean that a dog must learn to control it's drive (CAP his drive) and his nerves to obtain it's drive goal. (In our training this means it's prey item; a ball on a string or a tug). Bernhard makes the point that a dog must learn to focus for 15 minutes if it is to do competition obedience, police service work, agility work or S&R work. He also points out that a dog must learn to control himself if he is ever to be a successful working dog. For those people who wish to protection train their dog its actually focus and self control work that a dog displays when he is asked to do a bark-and-hold or to stay Out when told to Out after a bite. Focus training is really the foundation of Bernhard's training program. If a dog has a solid foundation in focus training it is not a difficult job to carry that training over into every part of the dog's work. Bernhard shows exactly how to do this in my video. Through this training, dogs learn that heeling, the sit, the down, the recall, the retrieve and the stay are drive commands and not compulsion commands. Once a dog learns this he becomes a happy working dog. Dogs that work in compulsion training look like they hate the work or at best they look like they tolerate the work. Dogs that work in drive look like they love to work. Here is a list of skills that we will teach you in this video: 1. We will show you how to build a working relationship with your dog that is based on trust and understanding. 2. You will learn how to select the right prey item for the dog. 3. You will learn the right way to make drive with that prey item. 4. We will show you the most common mistakes new handlers make when they start drive training with their dogs. 5. We will show you how how to determine if your dog is ready for focus training. 6. You will learn the correct way to train your dog to focus while in drive. 7. We will teach you the correct way to reward the dog with a prey item while it is focusing. 8. We will teach you the first steps to building a firm grip. 9. We will show you how to train the dog to be comfortable when he is near his handler while gripping the prey item. 10. We will show you how to teach the very first part of the OUT exercise. We will show you how to teach a dog to be comfortable with the OUT command. 11. We will show how to teach the dog that heeling, sit, and down are drive exercises and not compulsion exercises.
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Building Drive & Focus

Uploaded on January 1, 2008 • 1 hr, 59 min
This DVD was produced back in 1999 with Bernhard Flinks. Bernhard is a German Police K9 handler.

In the past 10 years training concepts and methods have changed.

In my opinion marker training (read my free ebook on markers) has taken over the world of dog training and this video does not involve markers. I continue to offer the DVD because it does have merit as a different form of dog training.

The majority of the work in this DVD uses a ball-on-string as a reward. Ten years after producing this video I no longer feel that a ball-on-a-string is an appropriate reward for young untrained dog.

Balls-on-string can be used an effective obedience reward but only after a dog has reached a certain level training:

1- The dog must tug with enthusiasm
2- It must OUT when told to OUT on the first command
3- It must willingly return the ball to the handler after the ball has been released
The work to accomplish this is covered in the 5 1/2 hour DVD I did with Michael Ellis titled THE POWER OF PLAYING TUG WITH YOUR DOG.

___________________________________

Bernhard is a German police officer and Schutzhund competitor.

While the training concepts in this DVD came from seminars with Bernhard, the content of this DVD, the script for this DVD and all of the video and editing for the DVD was done by Ed Frawley. Bernhard had nothing to do with the production or content of this training video.

Bernhard lives in Northern Germany and speaks perfect English. He has been in the German Bundesseigerprufung (BSP) six times. On three of those occasions he had the highest scoring protection dog in the competition on the 4th Bundessieger he had the second highest scoring dog in protection. He has had two SG scores (very good) with his current dog Itor. In 2002 Itor finished 13th in the competition.

Bernhard claims the video "Building Drive & Focus" is the foundation of his training program. Bernhard feels this work is the beginning of his competitive obedience training along with start of the foundation for his protection training program.

This video shows how Bernhard teaches people to bring their dog up to its genetic potential of drive (every dog has it's own potential for drive). It's through "drive training" that the relationship between the handler and dog is established.

Many people think that just because their dog comes from super bloodlines it should have super drive. These people are wrong. Dogs don't suddenly wake up one morning and have a ton of drive. Building drive takes hard work and skill. Building drive is a learned exercise in dog training. If you don't work on building your dogs drive it will dissipate and go away.

Bernhard has broken this work down into small incremental training steps that everyone can understand. He has made drive building an art form. My video details the work to show you exactly how this training is done. I also spend a considerable amount of time showing the most common mistakes that new trainers make when they first try putting their dogs into drive.

Some people talk about how much drive their dogs have, but when we look closer many of these dogs have wild hectic drive. These are not easy dogs to train or live with. This video teaches you how to train a dog to control his drive. We teach dogs that if they display self control while in drive they will be rewarded for the proper behavior.

The second part of this video shows you how to use drive as a training tool. It shows how to train a dog to focus. When I talk about "focus training" I mean that a dog must learn to control it's drive (CAP his drive) and his nerves to obtain it's drive goal. (In our training this means it's prey item; a ball on a string or a tug).

Bernhard makes the point that a dog must learn to focus for 15 minutes if it is to do competition obedience, police service work, agility work or S&R work. He also points out that a dog must learn to control himself if he is ever to be a successful working dog. For those people who wish to protection train their dog its actually focus and self control work that a dog displays when he is asked to do a bark-and-hold or to stay Out when told to Out after a bite.

Focus training is really the foundation of Bernhard's training program. If a dog has a solid foundation in focus training it is not a difficult job to carry that training over into every part of the dog's work. Bernhard shows exactly how to do this in my video.

Through this training, dogs learn that heeling, the sit, the down, the recall, the retrieve and the stay are drive commands and not compulsion commands. Once a dog learns this he becomes a happy working dog. Dogs that work in compulsion training look like they hate the work or at best they look like they tolerate the work. Dogs that work in drive look like they love to work.

Here is a list of skills that we will teach you in this video:

1. We will show you how to build a working relationship with your dog that is based on trust and understanding.
2. You will learn how to select the right prey item for the dog.
3. You will learn the right way to make drive with that prey item.
4. We will show you the most common mistakes new handlers make when they start drive training with their dogs.
5. We will show you how how to determine if your dog is ready for focus training.
6. You will learn the correct way to train your dog to focus while in drive.
7. We will teach you the correct way to reward the dog with a prey item while it is focusing. 8. We will teach you the first steps to building a firm grip.
9. We will show you how to train the dog to be comfortable when he is near his handler while gripping the prey item.
10. We will show you how to teach the very first part of the OUT exercise. We will show you how to teach a dog to be comfortable with the OUT command.
11. We will show how to teach the dog that heeling, sit, and down are drive exercises and not compulsion exercises.

Comments

Average rating:
4 star rating
4.2 stars (115 ratings)
Your rating:
Jeffmastro
January 17, 2020
I owned a ton of videos, this one is awesome!
alexnds05
August 2, 2018
I think this video, even though it's much older than the new Michael Ellis tapes, is still very, very valid today. A lot of trainers today still use the exact same methods and I do as well. I think that fundamentally everything shown is very sound: using a prey object as a reward for heeling and other commands. I think the dog can become a bit more possessive with these techniques but that's part of the learning curve anyhow. I too prefer a ball over a tug. This is still a very very good method.
mpd594
March 25, 2017
If you have a puppy and you're trying to increase Drive, this video will show you exactly how to do that. I had a young Belgian Malinois puppy that came from a strong bloodline but wasn't showing much toy drive. I was able to increase his drive by doing the things mentioned in the video and now I can get him to play with a toy all day long.
RubyJeanACDlover
January 7, 2017
Good video. Outdated but had good information in it. I think a little repetitive and the video has such strict criteria for what dogs can and can't be based on a one time test.
astreet8489
January 7, 2016
I love love love this video even if it IS outdated. The expertise just flows in every word Bernard speaks and I am only 45 mins in over the past 4 days! He is always exceptionally calm and collect during his session, amazing work. As my husband is military, we hope one day to be stationed in Germany so we can go see Bernard for a seminar. This is fantastic and well worth the purchase. Thanks again Ed for another wonderful product!
fionawillstead
November 28, 2014
There is excellent 5 star content in this DVD. The editing does let it down in places, so only 3 stars total.
Of course the training is done at a time when yank and crack was the norm, so their are far better ways to teach OUT these days, thankfully. The DVD how to play tug with your dog shows exactly how to teach it in a gentle and positive way. But for building drive and managing drive the exercises shown are just as relevant now as they ever where and I learned some really good tips that will help with my one handed tug play (I need to keep one free to control my wheelchair) so I prefer a Kong toy with tails over tug as it's easier on me and as the 2 DVDs explain. It's easier on the dogs spine than a bite tug would be one handed.
joeylowe
February 3, 2014
The video is a little outdated and the editing is a little out of order, but the contact is fantastic. I've been worried about my Mali's low drive. After watching this video 2x on Saturday, I implemented a couple of the tips suggested to build drive, and wow what a difference. It's not really the dog. It's the handler and/or owner and what you do to create drive. Thank you Ed for keeping this video up and thank you for introducing Mr. Flinks to me. I've taken it a step farther and I intend to travel back to Germany in the fall with the hope of meeting and training with him.
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