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Prey drive- chasing and biting animals.
Play drive- chasing and biting toys.

Some dogs that exhibit strong prey drive do not exhibit strong play drive, so a distinction can be made between the two. For a typical dog owner, play drive is the most important drive to consider because it is useful as a motivator for obedience training and is a great way to bond with your dog while giving it exercise.

One of the best ways I know to tap into play drive is to couple it with obedience training. For example, one of my dogs is very high energy and loves to play with a frisbee. If I just throw the frisbee she can chase it for hours and never get tired. When I also ask her to perform obedience while playing she tires more quickly, however, and seems more satisfied with the experience. So a typical play session with her involves me asking her to sit, or do a down, etc. then as soon as she does what I ask I say "yes" and immediately throw her the frisbee.

I also reinforce the "off request" by playing tug of war with her and then ask her to release the tug. When she does I immediately give it to her again thereby teaching her to listen to me when she is in an excited state. This training carries over into our daily life and helps make her obedience more reliable.

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