Decoding Prance: A Reflection of Drive and Energy

Prance. Okay, so let's talk about the prance now. Maybe you've seen some of my puppies, and some of them are very elegant. Some of them stretch their paws, some of them are a little bit more stiff. If you compare, for example, the Labrador with Rocky, I have to say the Lab has come on strong lately. You know, if he's in high drive, he will put those paws very high for a Lab. If he's a little bit tired, let's say he's worked, he's sprinted all over the place, you will see that he has not that much prance anymore and he also has a problem elevating and stretching that neck completely. So, that said, it tells you then, because my assessment of what I feel about these dogs, or what I see about this dogs, is that a high prance has to do with drive. It has to do with the energy that the dog is able to produce to give you that neck stretch. It's not an easy thing.

So, about the prance, I think it is related to drive, because you will see that if the dog gets tired, he's not going to give you that full stretch anymore. If you feel his paws are up all the way, you'll see that diminish as well. So that's been one of the factors that you will have to assess. Like, if you're not getting the prance, first, if he's in full high energy, at his is best. Is he then giving you that prance, yes or no? How big of a stretch do you get if you use a source right on top? I'm not even talking about fading techniques; we'll talk about that later, but how much of that can he give you right now.