Different walks different areas helps them think and helps tier them, swimming is great but we don't all have a place to do it or need a wet dog that might live in doors.
I get up at 4.30 am to do a 4 km walk around the roads and then we go to the park for another 1,2,3 or 4 kms of play walk around the park. Meet other dogs, play ball, play on the slides, sand pits and furniture,lol
In the evening we do 1 or 2 kms around the park.
It helps tier my pup for half the day.

There are bacon bubble toys that dogs can play with all day.

Can he have a trusted person take the pup for walks during the day?

I dont want to start something here but in my opinion ONLY I think perhaps high drive is an excuse for poor behaviour. I have a 7 month old malinois with plenty of drive when it is working but a pleasure to have in the house or yard. My recomendation is to not build drive. Time spent building drive in a mali could be time spent training something usefull. Set the rules for, in house behaviour and enforce them regardless of drive. A very wise man told me, "there may be a reason but there is never an excuse". In other words high drive may be the reason for the behaviour but it still cannot be excused. Wether they are high drive or not all dogs need black and white, consistant rules.

My opinion only please dont attack.

Hi Craig... I agree with you to a certain extent. When interacting with your dog we should not be building drive all the time...we should be teaching the dog to switch on and off. However I also feel that a high energy high drive dog will always want its drive satisfied. It can't go out and hunt, and spend hours stalking prey and chasing it down. So its only outlet, is whatever it can find laying around.

I gave the owner some advice such as morning feeds not in a bowl but hidden around the yard, so the dog must work for it. A tug hanging by a rubber tube from a tree, and play with the dog encouraging it to play with it when on its own. Hide some food under an object that needs to be moved to get at..etc

Yes full on obedience and control work when with the dog. Teaching it rules boundaries and limits for sure. This dog was pretty good..when I attended the house the dog was quite calm when it came over to us..no over the top excitement. The owners have been taking him to obedience..and setting strict rules when they were interacting with the dog.

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Regards
George

I think craig has hit it on the head.
What bloodline is the dog?????
Malis are the same as any other breed, Kenneling can work unless he/she paces and barks.
walking is the best as it keeps mind and body busy.
My mali is full of drive and can be hectic sometimes but he has learnt that home means quiet and calm.
I dont do drive work at home. Home is a place to chill not be an idiot.
Think the owners need to reiterate the rules of the house and enforce them.
Dont forget it is still a young dog and will destroy somethings.
Regards
George

Ps In europe they are kept in small runs and are full of drive but quiet as mouses at home.

The dog is walked EVERY day... The owner takes him to obedience classes 2 times a week and trains everyday. The dog is calm around people when people go outside. Doesn't get excited and jumpy..VERY calm!

Drive IS drive..when the dog finds something that triggers drive.. he MUST satisfy it... If the dog is home alone in the back yard and is a high energy, high drive dog..then the dog needs to satisfy that when it's triggered.. NO humans around to flatten or redirect it.

I don't agree you can train a high energy high drive dog to not go into drive when nobody is home! Yes we need to find ways to satisfy that drive, but you CANNOT stop it, in my opnion. All you can do is devise ways to help the dog satisfy drive when triggered, that doesn't include destroying everything. I do agree he is a pup and will get into mischief. I stood there and watched this dog. He is a real goer...loves to chase, stalk, hunt and tear up prey.

I am certainly not suggesting he is "on the go" all day..but he has his moments.

I'd really like to know how you flatten drive in a dog when it is triggered, when you are not around? Sure any dog can be trained to be mostly calm when its owner/handler is around, but again...a dog will still test you if it is triggered. When a dog is continually looking for something to do to satisfy drive..then we need to help the dog satisfy it..not start devising ways to flatten it when we are not around, if you want a good working dog.

It's completely different when you are taking your dog out to work 8 or 10 hours a day, and you are burning up your dogs energy and drives while at work..of course he would be calmer at home...no doubt. You are using classical conditioning, the dog is conditioned to burn off energy and drive while you work him, then home is quiet time as you say. A tired dog is a happy dog. This dog is left at home 8+ hours a day by itself... What you going to do..sit inside and zap it with an e-collar everytime drive is triggered?

Until the owner can get into some serious training, and needs to spend such long hours away from his dog..then kennelling right now is probably his best option.

I have to disagree with both of you on this one...

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I think that it is a combination of a few things. Perhaps they should consider that the dog is not right for them. No disgrace in admitting that, the dog is what it is. People that are use to high drive dogs compensate for the dogs by shaping their behavior early. This dog has had run of them till know – I have seen this situation almost breakup families.

If they are determine to have the dog then they need a lot of education. My bet is the more they are educated the more they will realize it is not the dog for them. Unless they become lovers of dog sports overnight.

Where you place the dog during the day is not going to make a difference unless you are equipped to handle the dog at its worst and best. I would not throw a ball with this dog at all (for now), this will build drive. I would not build any drive at all through food or play.

I would reward the dog for calm behavior; if it is going to be kenneled take away as many distractions as possible. Friend of mine has his kennels completely enclosed (with good ventilation) so the dogs cannot see out or find a nice distraction. Or crate – even during the day, just make sure it has water do this for at least a while. Then any interaction between family and dog later is controlled, meaning on families terms, also concentrate on structure.

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I think everyone is getting the wrong picture here... Maybe I am not explaining myself properly...

The owner of the dog got him because he wants to work him. He didn't even know there was a schutzhund club in Adelaide until he had me out the other day.

He loves his dog and only wants to do the best for him.. The dog isn't the dog from hell. It's just a high energy high drive dog.. They had me out seeking advice. I am not here looking for advice.. I thought the thread would be good for others that may come across the same situation, may get some ideas on how to deal with a situation like this.

No mater how much you reward calm behaviour in the dog..he is who he is... and will always eventually react as his natural instincts dictate. A dog doesn't sit there and think.. hmmmm think I'll find something to trigger drive now. It is a subconcious response to external stimuli. The dog is genetically made that way. He will ALWAYS want to eventually satisfy his natural instincts, its NOT a decision he makes.

To not help a dog live his "natural" life is cruel. This dog needs to be mentally and physically stimulated, or it will become worse, and not by choice. Some off the stuff I have heard here, could destroy a good working dog, even worse pyschologically damage him for life.

The dog needs to worked in drive, the dog NEEDS an outlet for his natural drives. We should NEVER try to subdue them. He is not like a human runner that is genetically made to run, and a doctor tells him he can't anymore..We can adapt due to reason.. A dog can't!

Yes obedience training is very important, and so is setting rules and bounderies. But if you want to maintain a good working dog that is psychologically sound, then you need to also spend time utilising his drives, at any age.

I want to also state.. this dog is NOT an out of control maniac. The owner has done well with him. I actually expected the dog to go crazy when we went out side. As soon as the dog saw us, he dropped his mat he was playing with, and walked calmly and relaxed over to us.I gave him some attention and he remained calm. I was VERY suprised! After a few mins with us being calm, he went back to playing with his mat, throwing it around, etc.

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Ok if this were my dog ultimately what I would want to achieve is balance, all I am suggesting is it sounds that this dog is, yes young but also, out of balance.

Not building drives now so the dog is not obsessing about it later in life, is not cruel it is structuring the dog to have a more balanced life. For me it works that I balance a dog’s attitude to family, work, play and other dogs.

Any dog in the wild, including wolves will spend days buried away underground, they do not obsess about mental stimulation, but when needed they demonstrated great drive. And any dog that did behave out of balance like this would last 2.5 seconds in a pack.

With my dogs I touch on drives as they grow up every blue moon. I have had a driven shepherd once that would chase a ball all day, in fact would chase a ball in the sun and not want to drink. I think I was more cruel to that dog because in the long run she would obsess about anything that moved and was a night mare in the kennel. She was out of balance and she had a lot of mental anguish.

Rikkar if I were to let him will become an over the top driven monster and I know that at that point he is out of balance.

Highly driven dogs need an out let but it has to be on the terms of the owner when he exercises his drives not on the dog’s terms, especially when young. You also have to accept as we both have said the dog is what it is.

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Hi Mark

My thoughts are the way I deal with our dogs and my Idea's are to help others.I appreciate the dog is not a nutter but when we want to discuss HIGH drive dogs I personally am doing so with my suggestions.

Cheers
Amy