Building Impulse Control Under Drive With Felix
In this Training Sessions video, we continue working with Felix on his “around” command teaching him to move around an object with more clarity, precision, and control while under high levels of drive.
At first glance, the exercise may look simple:
Send the dog around an object and reward the behavior.
But when you start adding drive, anticipation, and impulse control into the picture, the exercise becomes much more than just movement around a cone.
For Felix, this session is a strong test of his ability to stay mentally connected and responsive even when his favorite reward is sitting right behind him.
Teaching The “Around” Command
The goal of the “around” command is simple:
The dog learns to move around an object completely and return with understanding instead of guessing.
In Felix’s case, the challenge comes from his intensity and anticipation.
His favorite tug is visible behind him while I’m positioned away from him. That creates conflict:
Does he rush the reward?
Or does he slow down, listen, and follow direction?
That’s where the real training begins.
Instead of allowing him to run a rehearsed pattern or self reward through anticipation, we focus on building clarity through communication and repetition.
What We Focused On In This Session
During this training session we worked on several important pieces:
Clear Marker Communication
Markers help define exactly which behaviors earn rewards and which behaviors do not.
The clearer the communication becomes, the more confident and precise the dog becomes during work.
With a dog like Felix, clarity matters because high drive can quickly turn into frantic behavior if communication starts becoming muddy.
Impulse Control Under Drive
One of the biggest goals of this session was teaching Felix to remain controlled even when the reward is highly stimulating.
The tug is sitting behind him the entire time, creating temptation and pressure to rush through behaviors.
Instead of allowing anticipation to take over, we work on:
• Slowing down mentally
• Following direction
• Completing behaviors correctly
• Staying engaged with the handler
This is how you start building real impulse control in high drive dogs.
Following Direction Instead Of Guessing
A lot of dogs especially high drive dogs start guessing behaviors when they become overly focused on rewards.
That’s why we focus heavily on making Felix listen instead of simply running patterns.
The goal is not robotic obedience.
The goal is thoughtful obedience with clarity and engagement.
Using The E-Collar As Communication
Throughout the session, we also use the e-collar as part of the communication system.
This is important because many people misunderstand how e-collars are used in advanced training.
In this session, the e-collar serves two purposes:
As A “Gas Pedal”
Low level stimulation helps guide and reinforce correct decisions while keeping Felix mentally connected during work.
It helps create clarity and consistency without conflict.
As A Correction Tool
When Felix ignores direction, loses clarity, or attempts to override communication due to drive, the e-collar can also be used as accountability.
Both sides matter.
Good training is not just reward based or correction based.
It’s communication based.
Working Through The Chaos
Because Felix’s drive is high right now, there are moments where the session starts getting away from us.
That’s normal.
High drive dogs are going to make mistakes while learning how to manage intensity and pressure.
The important part is not pretending those moments don’t exist.
The important part is learning how to work through them while bringing the dog back into clarity.
Instead of shutting the session down completely, we guide him back into understanding and continue building communication under pressure.
That process is what creates dogs that can remain responsive and controlled even when highly stimulated.
The Bigger Goal
At the end of the day, this type of training is about much more than teaching a dog to move around a cone.
The real goals are:
• Impulse control under drive
• Clear and consistent communication
• Engagement with the handler
• Thoughtful obedience instead of guessing
• Maintaining control around high value rewards
That’s the kind of foundation that carries over into advanced obedience, working dog development, and everyday life with high drive dogs.
If you’re serious about building better communication, obedience, and engagement with your dog, we can help.
We work with all dogs from puppies to advanced working dogs specializing in:
• Obedience training
• Behavior modification
• Puppy development
• Working dog training
• Advanced engagement and control
👉 Start training with us at
Primal Canine