Sometimes "voltage" in electronics is referred to as "potential", voltage refers to the potential energy available in the system. If you compare a 12V cordless drill to a 24V cordless drill, the 24V cordless drill has the potential to perform more work.

It's similar with dogs. Some dogs have an enormous work capacity, others get tired pretty quickly. Some will apply themselves to figure out a difficult task, others like to be given more help.

When I train a dog my goal is always to teach it more than just the behavior we're working directly on. If I'm helping someone else train a dog I hope to teach them ways to unlock more of that dog's potential through what we've done together with them. I want the dog to "learn to learn", or "learn how to earn", during his or her time with me.

I want the dog to be able to think through problems. I want to build a small repertoire of behaviors that can be used in many different ways to achieve positive outcomes in untrained situations, or new situations that are being trained. A firm foundation, no matter what sort of dog we're working with - stable, reactive, energetic, a bit of a couch potato, big, small, no matter the history.

Every now and then I meet a dog who runs on a higher voltage. This is not always obvious by the dog's apparent energy levels, but this is often the case. These dogs are shown by their ability to quickly solve problems- usually for themselves, they usually create problems for their owners! They usually have their own agenda. They are often described as "hard to train" or "stubborn".

I like these dogs, they have potential. They are a challenge. If nothing else they are entertaining! But you have to make sure their batteries are put in the right way. They will work with you or against you using the same potential.

So how do we "put the batteries in the right way" in a dog like this? The same way we do it with any dog, we teach them how to get what they want by doing what we want. This is how you train any dog, regardless of your training style or philosophy. Sure, you can force a dog to accept almost anything, and even bond it to you out of sufferance and fear, but you will never get the best out of that dog by doing this.

The only difference in training a high-voltage dog is that we need to be more attentive and more disciplined. Set your boundaries and stick to them, this sort of dog will test you and find your weak points. I don't mean to sound like you should have an adversarial relationship, quite the opposite, but you must be authoritative. You must be in charge of the resources, and that includes anything your dog will work to obtain. And believe me, this sort of dog is ALWAYS working to obtain SOMETHING, even if it's not obvious.

If this sort of self-discipline and authority is not naturally you, then either find it within yourself, find the dog a new home, or live with the consequences.

None of these options are easy, so you might as well just find it within yourself. Nothing worth doing was ever easy and of these three options, this is the only one you'll grow stronger through doing. The price of admission is worth it, in my opinion.

Start by always asking the question - what is my dog getting out of this? Nothing is ever done without a reason. Getting in the disciplined habit of always asking "what is my dog getting out of this" sets your mind to seeing behavior for what it really is. No emotions, no expectations, no prior learning - just make a reasonable attempt at trying to determine what the dog is attempting to get from the behavior displayed.

You can't be in control of the resources unless you know what the resources are.

Once determined, use those resources in your favour.