1. Nerve strength
Nerve is the foundation. A dog with strong nerves processes surprise, evaluates it and moves on. Everything else — obedience, protection, detection — is built on the assumption that the dog can think when the environment becomes unpredictable.
Weak nerve masquerades as many things: reactivity, sharpness, avoidance, refusal to work in new places. No training programme repairs it, which is why nerve testing dominates our selection process.
2. Drive, correctly matched
Drive is the willingness to work for something the dog wants. More is not automatically better. What matters is that the drive is accessible, recovers quickly between repetitions, and matches the handler's capacity to channel it.
3. Biddability
Biddability is the desire to co-operate with a person. It shortens training time dramatically and produces dogs that check in rather than self-employ. Independent dogs can be superb workers, but they demand far more skilled handling.
4. Structure and durability
A working career is measured in years of repeated impact. Sound hips and elbows, tight feet, moderate angulation and lean condition determine whether the dog is still working at eight or retired at four.
5. Recovery
Recovery is the underrated trait. How quickly does the dog return to baseline after a correction, a startle, a failure or a hard day? Fast recovery means the dog can be trained hard and remain willing. Slow recovery means every mistake costs you weeks.
- Recovers from startle within seconds
- Returns to work after a correction without sulking
- Sleeps and settles fully between sessions
- Does not carry stress from one environment to the next
How to assess these before buying
Watch the dog in an unfamiliar environment, not a familiar training field. Ask for an unedited five-minute video in a car park or town centre. Ask to see obedience immediately after high arousal. Ask what the dog is bad at — an honest seller will tell you.