Great article on "drive" and working dogs

I saw this article on drive and working dogs posted by a friend on Facebook today, and once I finally got a chance to read it, I really liked it. One of the things I always enjoyed about working with Doc when we trained in schutzhund was how clear he always seemed, even when he was in drive. He never flailed around looking for something to grab and bite, he always seemed to be in full control of his faculties even though he could become very aroused during bitework and teaching him to out was a breeze, partly because he had a very good foundation with out before we started training in bitework and partly because he was always aware of me when he was working. I sometimes did see dogs that would seemingly go blind and deaf when they were working, and it was sort of hellish watching people who tried to handle them. It was also frustrating to meet people who talked about the high-drive their dog had, when what the dog seemed to actually have was a lot of pent-up energy and frustration ... I was always grateful that my dog had the engine, the brakes and the steering Suzanne mentions in her story. It made getting involved in the sport more fun for both me and the dog!