I 've got focus and high drive

[lsatov]

This am with all the snow gone we have hundreds of pine cones on the ground, and a favourite game of my female GSD is chase the pine cone.

I have been reading the posts about high drive dogs and the difference between focus and no focus. This female GSD is very high drive but I have always thought focused and has ability to settle. Great for my first sport dog but very different from any dog I have had before, and some what overwhelming.
I have a knowledgeable breeder and trainer who have helped me along the way and both have said allow the dog to bond with you and let her show you what she brings to the table. She is a 1 year old intact female who will be doing sch.
This am she gave me a beautiful example of a balanced mind, we had finished our 10 mins of training and I was throwing her pine cones for her to bring back when a gust of wind came up and she lost the direction of the cone in the air. Now remember my lawn is covered with these things,(spring clean up is a pain).
She searched the perimeter that we were playing in smelling for her cone, she continues to narrow the search until she found the right one, happily picked this up and brought it to me to play again. The search area was 500yd by 250 yards more cone than anything else.

This is focus, took her 7 min continual seraching and narrowing her area of search, never gave up, no encouragement given by me as she never indicated she needed any assistance. I never taught her to descriminate scent ( the pine cone) she did this all on her own. She loved this search.

Very well balanced dog, all the while ducks landing on the ground, train going by etc.
She brings so much to the table all on her own. Now my goal is to tap into what mother nature and her breeder have given her

Laurel

[jocoyn]

Ah very nice! I hope you go beyond schutzhund with your tracking phase - I imagine she would enjoy that since schutuzhund tracking is more about obedience.

I see Variable Surface Tracking in her future. Well tracking is great fun when not done as an obedience excercise!

(I have a cadaver dog - love dogs that like to use their nose - ducks and trains are nice distraction. You can bring her down here to South Carolina USA to work in my back yard only you will have to throw sweet gum balls.)

[lsatov]

I agree, I am attracted to tracking other than schutzhund but that will be my focus for now, it is amazing to try to understand what the nose can do. What are gumballs?
Laurel

[jocoyn]

Worse than pine cones becaue they are small enough to be picked up between the pads and harder to police in your yard.

Sweetgum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

See the picture of the seedopods. They are all over the place down here.

[lsatov]

Nancy
those look nasty,
Laurel