I train for the schutzhund 3 from the start and do not take a dog in a trial until they are trained all the way through. That way it is a short course through the titles and better scores along the way for the dog is very advanced and confident. Prey drive is the drive for the toy or sleeve if the latter has always been presented as the reward, starting a leather rag, and I get those from you :-), progressing to the bite pillow, juvenile arm and finally the full arm. The dog still thinks of this as a moving target and not the man. Defense is when the dog is trained to want to bite the real deal and it is out of territorial aggression or pissed off aggression as you saw in the table work. The development of the defense drive brings an intensity to the hold and bark and bite work in general kind of changing the character of the bark. The goal is to have that carry over to the hold and bark in the blind for the sleeve for it instills in the dog more fight drive which is a combination of both drives—prey and defense. Strut was always high prey so we needed to let her know what defense was and the table work accomplished this. Polo would never need that for he is in bigger defense than prey all the time as he is border patrol bred. All of the males on his mother’s side are working police dogs, a lot more civil in their makeup, always looking for what they have to protect. Strut’s father is a very serious dog who Molly says you do not take for granted even when you know him so she comes by her defense side honestly though innately she is very loving and social.
This is a very understandable explanation of drives. Thank you Barb.