So I have a high drive dog that I am running through the Ellis program of DVD's and she is doing outstanding. Where I see areas for improvement (perhaps wishful thinking) is just hanging out with family. When I say this I mean sitting by the campfire, chilling while I do some gardening etc.

THese activites she don't do to well; ie pacing and and panting like she has ran a marathon and looking at what were going to do next (which I tell her is chill time but she doesn't speak english)

Now my question is this never going to happen, or only with a down or place command or can I use marker training for that.

My only thought would either its not really possible so manage it or use marker training to mark calm behavior? I search articles for "living with working or high drive dogs" and didn't really see how do handle this.

Thanks

I found this online....is the main solution.

"There is hope for owners of high drive dogs that exhibit behavior problems. Success depends largely on the owner, not the dog. Daily exercise such as extended walks can do wonders to calm an energetic dog. Dogs with high drive generally also have high prey or chase instincts, so lots of play with balls, Kong toys, Frisbees, and other active toys can use up energy. Hide and seek games and tricks can be fun energy-releasing alternatives. Involvement in obedience classes where the stress associated with learning will wear out even the most energetic dog is another option. Learning to control the dog enables owners to enjoy him more."

So wouldn't be so much marker training as trying to find the dogs exhaustion point or getting them more tired?

Thanks

They are somewhat confusing high ENERGY dogs with high DRIVE dogs. I have two dogs with similar energy levels but my Cattle Dog is higher drive than my American Bulldog.

Wearing the dog out only works for so long before you reach a point where you don't have enough time to wear out the athlete you created. There is a level of physical exercise you have to provide but tiring the dog out only works in the short term.

I have a medium drive level Cattle Dog in that he's too much for a regular pet home but not an extreme dog. He used to do the whole pacing thing.

How I handled it with Maverick is through the Place command. If he got too excited or started to pace he was sent to his place to chill. I purposely do not do any high energy training from the Place. It is exclusively an area to settle and chill in. Over time he learned the difference between times that I wanted him to be in a drivey aroused state and when he's supposed to just chill. Now he can hang out like a normal dog. I haven't had to send him to his place except to get him out from underfoot in months.

The place training of course is assuming that you have fulfilled the dog's mental and physical exercise requirements for the day. Maverick gets downright snarky if he hasn't had enough exercise.

this helps alot clarify the issue thanks

out of curiosity how would you know or test if your dog was medium drive or high drive or medium or high energy.

Because I actually would like to know where my dog sits. I would have to always refer her as high drive and she is like medium or vise versa.

You really just kind of have to see a bunch of different dogs and to get a feel for drive levels. I briefly worked at a kennel with working Mals and my boy is nowhere near their level of drive. Compared to the normal pet though he is definitely more of a working dog.

Energy levels is kind of the same thing. I consider my guys medium-high energy. Walks do nothing for them. They come in from one, get a drink, and then head out to the yard to blast around. They have to RUN or their lives just aren't complete. That said they are fine with just some hard blasts around the yard and a LOT of wrestling with each other. Some dogs really need about a football field length to exercise adequately with a ball or a nice long trot(biking or jogging). Mine are both being giant PITA right now as the house is being worked on and they can't charge out every few hours to play.

thanks