Today’s episode is the third in a four-part series featuring animal behavior specialist and dog trainer Jo-Rosie Haffenden. She discusses selective drive, a concept that explores the modification of behaviors closely linked to the predatory action sequence, which itself is a group of behaviors with roots in food acquisition.

“The predatory action sequence is the house that dogs are built on,” says Jo-Rosie. Because of this, she says that it’s vital for any trainer to understand this sequence in order to create a strategy around the modification of natural behaviors. After hearing from Jo-Rosie, our hosts speak on how to train for selective drive depending on the breed and unique personality of your dog. They stress the importance of knowing your specific dog’s preferences, and tapping into their desires during play sequences to reinforce desired behaviors.

Key Topics:

• About selective drive (01:14)
• Understanding the predatory action sequence before retraining behavior (11:25)
• The relationship between dopamine and selective drive (14:18)
• Trusting your dog’s natural behaviors & predatory action sequence (18:21)
• Behavioral differences in various breeds and how your training style plays a role (23:42)
• Considerations around novelty mixed-breed (designer) dogs (31:57)
• Tailoring play around the predatory action sequence (37:40)
• Adding variety to your training (42:43)
• Getting toy-focused dogs to seek out food more often (50:06)

Resources:

• School of Canine Science website & Facebook
• Episode 1 of 4 in the series with Jo-Rosie: Getting to Know Jo-Rosie Haffenden from the School of Canine Science
• Episode 2 of 4 in the series with Jo-Rosie: Jo-Rosie and Incentive Salience Theory
• Premack Principle
• Hunting Together: Harnessing Predatory Chasing in Family Dogs through Motivation-Based Training (Predation Substitute Training)

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