I know this thread has kind of died but I wanted to share some thoughts.
I said in my earlier post that Dylan has a great off switch. But he's also not what I would consider a high drive dog. He's got that "out of sight, out of mind" kind of personality. When I put his toy away he doesn't give it a second thought. He just goes and lies down somewhere, being still in mind and body is easy for him. Turning him on and keeping him on (especially if he doesn't think there is a threat) is a tad tricky - unless live prey is involved.
Cairo, on the other hand, is definitely a high drive dog...like pass up food in favor of a tug/ball/decoy/stick/etc. He has remained on a tug when another dog charged and bit him. He will search for a toy that I have thrown into a field with grass taller than him until he locates it...and then he wants to play tug.
I would actually go so far as to say that this dog has very little to no personality outside of his drives.
Now if I were to force Cairo to be out in the house and lay down and be still; to be still despite pent up energy...does that really create an off switch? He would have to put a lot of effort into laying still and staying still, and that's just his body. His mind would not stop. This wound-up and "obsessive" behavior is not a matter of compliance for Cairo, it's simply how he is wired. I think that to claim that this level of drive and a dog's inability or difficulty containing that drive is an obedience issue is oversimplifying it.
It would be quite possible for me to train Cairo to lay down in the house. But it would be nothing more than an extended down/stay. And Cairo would not turn "off" in order to complete the behavior...he would be staring a hole through my head as he thought about the reward that was sure to come (ball/tug). He would not be relaxed and his drive certainly would not be turned "off".