The Drever is a short-legged Swedish scent hound bred to drive deer to waiting hunters, and it comes with a powerful bay and a relentless, persistent nose. It is friendly, cheerful, and food-motivated, which makes it pleasant to live with, but the voice and the scent drive surprise owners who expected an easy small hound. Almost every Drever problem traces back to its bay or its nose. Here are the five mistakes that cause the most trouble, and what to do instead.
1. Allowing the bay without management
The Drever's bay is among the strongest of all hunting breeds, and it forms a fixed habit within weeks if it goes unaddressed. Owners who tolerate the early baying end up with one of the loudest dogs in the neighborhood. Install a "quiet" cue from day one, reward calm, and address the boredom that fuels it, while accepting that this is a genuinely vocal breed.
2. Going off-leash in unfenced areas
The Drever's scent persistence means it will follow a trail indefinitely, far out of range and oblivious to your calls. Owners who trust open ground lose the dog over a field or road. Use securely fenced areas only for off-leash freedom, keep a long line elsewhere, and accept that a working nose this determined will always outcompete a recall cue outdoors.
3. Under-exercising the dog
This is a working hound that needs vigorous daily activity to stay manageable, and an under-exercised Drever becomes restless, vocal, and prone to mischief. Owners who treat the short legs as a sign of low needs are caught out. Provide real daily exercise plus sniffing and nose work, and the same dog is cheerful and easygoing at home.
4. Boring, repetitive drilling
The nose-forward Drever bores fast with monotonous, repeated training and simply drifts off to follow a scent instead. Owners who drill the same exercise lose the dog's attention. Keep sessions short, varied, and genuinely rewarding, pay in high-value food, and end while the dog is still interested, working with its cheerful, food-driven nature.
5. A weak recall in scent-rich areas
The Drever's nose competes hard with any recall cue, and owners who assume the friendly dog will come back are caught out the moment a trail appears. The scent simply wins. Build recall patiently on a long line with high-value rewards, proof it gradually around distractions, and keep reinforcing it, while never relying on it as a safety net near strong scent.
What works with Drevers
Manage the bay early, keep off-leash to fenced areas, exercise the dog well, keep training short and varied, and build recall. The common thread is managing a persistent scent hound's voice and nose: early bay management, fenced-only off-leash work, vigorous exercise, and nose work channel the breed's relentless drive, while its friendly, food-motivated nature makes reward-based training effective. Manage the bay and the nose, and the Drever is a cheerful, devoted companion.
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Related: How to Train a Drever · Recall Training · Barking Solutions · Puppy Training Basics