IntroductionAll dogs have a level of prey drive, but some are more driven than others. This is because of the dog’s natural instincts as a hunter, predator, and even scavenger. However, dogs with high prey drive that give chase most animatedly to every moving thing from the neighbor’s cat to the tree squirrels can quickly become a source of frustration. It is important to understand that these dogs are acting out of instinct and need, and pet owners must do their best to find engaging activities that safely satisfy the prey drive of their dogs.
30 – 45 min Items needed Frisbee Tennis ball Activity description Dogs with high prey drive must be satisfied, or they will exercise their prey drive during inopportune moments, like against the cat. While training activities are important, it is also essential have a little fun. Playing Frisbee is a perfect activity to excite and exercise the prey mind in your dog. Sunny days are the best for this activity because it requires you to be outside. Like other high prey drive activities, playing fetch is a low-cost activity that you can play anytime you have free time. Some dogs are good at running and catching a Frisbee and others love to chase the ball. Step 1 Grab your equipment If you have a large enough backyard, you can easily play Frisbee or fetch in the backyard. However, sometimes, you have to go to the dog park or another large green area to play. If youre planning on watching, grab a few toys your dog loves to chase and their leash. Step 2 Find a quiet space Sometimes, playing Frisbee or fetch isnt as fun as sniffing other dogs or playing with friends at the dog park. Your dog needs a lot of socialization but that is often considered playtime and will not help control the prey drive. When you and your dog are ready for prey drive activities, take them to a quiet place with few distractions. Get your dog excited about the game by talking in an excited manner and waving the Frisbee or ball around. Step 3 Launch and retrieve There is nothing more exciting for a dog than the first moment when you release the Frisbee or ball from your hand, and they give chase. However fun it is for the two of you, the goal is to have your dog return the item to you as well. This not only helps keep the game going but teaches your dog discipline.
30 min Items needed Training treats Activity description
Check-in training is an inexpensive activity you can do with your dog to help with their prey drive. Though this activity is best conducted outside when the weather is warm and sunny, you can practice and train check-in activities in any conditions both inside and out. The check-in training activity requires a training treat for your dog and some stimulus, like playtime or scent hunting outdoors. The goal of the check-in activity is to train your dog to periodically check-in with you during a chase or during an activity. This activity training helps break your dogs locked on laser focus on its intended prey by making eye contact with you instead. Step 1 Secure your backyard This activity starts out by taking your dog outside for playtime or exploration time. You need a safe environment for your dog to explore so you must make sure your backyard is secure and that your dog cannot escape, should there be a squirrel in hiding. Step 2 Let the stimulation begin Perhaps there are birds or squirrels about the yard. Or maybe the neighbors cat walked through the flower bed the night before. These are scents that are certain to entice your prey driven pooch to action. Let your dog start to explore or run around outside and as they do, stay close with the training treat concealed in your hand. Once you see your dog locked on to a scent, give the check-in command, such as “eyes to me” or “eyes here” to break their focus. If your dog is having a difficult time with this training activity, give the command close to them so they might smell the concealed treat. Step 3 Practice often Your dogs prey driven instincts will not magically disappear nor will you be able to break their laser focus on the first few attempts. The key to this activity is consistency and training. You have to work on this activity often and each time your dog gets the check-in command on cue, move a little further back the next time. The goal is to be able to break their prey driven focus at any hearing distance.
30 min Items needed Training treats Activity description Prey drive in dogs is fueled by their amazingly sensitive noses. Dogs have an acute sense of smell, which has helped them track their prey as well as their flocks, as in the case of herders. A dog with high prey drive that does not exercise the instinct will be more difficult to manage because they are not having their primal needs met. Scent games and scent working helps satisfy this need. Scent work can happen in any type of weather, and both inside and out and is inexpensive because only time and high scent training treats are needed. However, when it comes to efforts, this activity can range from moderate to difficult depending on your dogs interest in scent work. Step 1 Buy high scent treats You know your dogs tastes pretty well to know what flavor of treats they will like best and seek out the nose work treats in their favorite flavors. You need your dog to sniff these treats out from a variety of places outside, where their prey drive is highest. Step 2 Hide the treats Before you bring your dog outside to sniff out the treats, carefully hide them several places outside. Great places to hide treats are low to the ground or on the ground. You want to use nature as well to help engage your dogs primal instincts so hide treats under shrubs or behind trees. If you dog is a tree dog, meaning they drive their prey into the trees, consider hiding a treat on a low hanging branch of a tree too. Step 3 Bring your dog outside The next step is to bring your dog out into the environment and let them explore the smells. They might need a little help at first but they should be able to pick the trail of high scent treats in no time. Start by leading them into the area you have hidden the treats and giving them a command to explore the area. You might have to let them smell your hand first to give them the scent of the treats.
Knowing your dogs chase triggers is just as important as knowing your surrounding when youre out with your dog. Keep looking around for any creature or thing that might turn your dog into a chasing machine and redirect their attention by going another direction, giving them a treat, or squeaking a toy to distract them.
Long walks in nature or through the neighborhood will expose your dog to the many sights, sounds, and smells around them. Always make sure your dog is secured on their leash and keep talking to them while you walk.
Clubs Offering:
Do low-flying birds drive your dog to distraction, or have they stopped listening when there are squirrels in the trees nearby? Walking a dog with a high prey drive off-leash is challenging, especially in areas where there is lots of temptation. If you don’t have full control, it is dangerous for your dog, it isn’t fair on the local wildlife, and it can send your stress levels through the roof.
Many of the traditional methods for training recall aren’t enough. Hunting is such a pleasurable activity for these dogs that they will seek to do it above all else.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but finding appropriate and safe ways to harness these drives is a much more effective training strategy.
Predation is an instinctive, natural behavior found in all dogs to a certain extent. The hunting skills developed in some breeds are particularly honed. Hounds, Terriers, Sporting, and Herding breeds commonly have strong prey drives.
Some dogs may live purely for the thrill of the chase, and others want to catch and kill their target.
Simone Mueller is a professional dog trainer and author of the book Hunting Together: Harnessing Predatory Chasing in Family Dogs through Motivation-Based Training. She explains that “predation is a behavior chain consisting of several parts that merge into each other and that are intrinsically reinforcing for your dog. They include orientation in the environment, stalking, creeping towards prey, chasing, grab-biting, kill-biting, possessing, dissecting, and consuming.”
When Germany banned shock collars in 2007, dog trainers developed a new method for dealing with prey driven behaviors. “Variations of the Predation Substitute Training protocol are a standard part of the curriculum for every science-based, force-free dog trainer in the country,” explains Mueller. She is a passionate advocate for these methods and helps raise awareness of them with a wider international audience.
“Conventional training programs are all about preventing or stopping the chase. Predation is “the enemy” that needs to be interrupted or suppressed,” she says.
Mueller describes the training as an eye-opener. “You suddenly see the world through your dog’s eyes, and it’s a game-changer for the relationship. You’re no longer the annoying factor who spoils the fun. You’re in this together doing amazing things that your dog loves.”
There are four parts to the PST training methodology, and Mueller emphasizes that they are all equally important:
Regardless of any training you do, you will never wholly quash the strong drives that your dog has. The more opportunities your dog has to run off and chase, the more they will continue to get the addictive high this provides. This is why management is such an important part of any program you undertake. If you have a garden, make sure it is secure and invest in a well-fitting harness and a long-line.
Set your dog up for success and don’t have unrealistic expectations. Mueller offers some sensible advice. She says, “to be honest, Predation Substitute Training is not a magic pill you can give your dog to stop them from hunting. It is a work in progress. When you are out in an area where there are lots of predatory stimuli for your dog, please make sure to put safety first and keep them on a leash or long line.”
These allow the dog to perform “safe parts” of the predatory sequence. Mueller uses the example of chasing deer. Instead, you can teach your dog to stand and stalk the deer. “Your dog doesn’t have to abort all predatory behavior. They can still stay within the predatory sequence and enjoy the happiness hormones in their body that this action achieves,” she says.
PST offers an outlet through games where the dogs have the opportunity to “mimic the parts of the predatory sequence in a safe and appropriate context”. Instead of dissecting prey, for example, they may get the chance to rip apart a bag full of treats.
Many owners think that mastering a rock-solid recall is enough to curb prey driven behavior. While it is an integral part of the solution, it isn’t sufficient on its own. No matter how good your dog’s recall normally is, it will usually go out of the window once they are in chase mode and the feel-good chemical dopamine has been released.
You’ll also want to work on an emergency cue to increase the chances of calling your dog off once they are in chase mode. Only using this unique word when you really need it and always with the highest value rewards is key.
The evolutionary prey sequence – and how to replicate it
The evolutionary prey sequence has five parts. It’s normal for some dogs to find certain elements of the sequence more interesting than others – the sequence can help you learn what your dog finds especially motivating, which you can then use to boost your training.
This is the first part of the prey sequence. This is all about locating the prey. How dogs do this – either through sight or scent – will typically depend on their breed and background, although every dog is different.
Scenthounds, such as beagles, might be more focused on scent than locating by eye. Whereas sighthounds like whippets and greyhounds are more likely to want to lock eyes on their prey.
How to replicate during play: The way you replicate this part of the prey sequence when you play with your dog depends on whether they prefer to ‘search’ using their eyes or their nose.
For scent hounds, using interactive tug toys that have a unique scent, such as our range of Sheepskin tuggies, and letting them ‘sniff out’ the toy as a first step of playing is a great idea.
For sighthounds and dogs who are more visually motivated, our real fur toys such as the Wondabaa Bungee can still be a great option as they have a large fluffy bite area and a colourful handle which features flecks of blue (the colour dogs tend to see best). Bright toys which create movement, like our Crazy Thing Bungee can also help engage visual dogs.
This is the part of the prey sequence where a dog will typically lock eyes on to its prey and begin to approach. Their movements will be slow and careful as the dog judges the speed and direction of its prey. This element of the prey sequence is particularly engaging for breeds like working sheepdogs, who are bred to stalk sheep.
How to replicate during play: To replicate the stalk element of the prey sequence when you play with your own dog, you need to channel the energy of prey with your Tug-E-Nuff toy! That means wiggling the toy and varying the speed of how you move it.
Try moving it quickly across the floor, then more slowly, then pause, then start again. This is a great way to spark the instinctive prey drive, even in more play-shy dogs.
This is the part of the sequence which is most commonly associated with prey drive. Chasing ‘prey’ provides dogs with a huge adrenaline rush – making chasing self-rewarding.
This is often the preferred part of the prey sequence for sighthounds and herding breeds who have been selectively bred across generations to be more visually and chase driven.
How to replicate during play: It’s easy to replicate this part of the prey sequence. All you need is a Chaser tug (we’ve got a selection that includes sheepskin, rabbit skin and faux fur variations).
These tugs have a long handle which makes them great for dragging along the floor so that your dog can give chase before engaging in a game of tug (which fulfils the next part of the prey sequence…)
This is the part of the prey sequence when it all comes together and the dog gets to grab onto its prey with its mouth, which is designed especially to be able to grip and hold prey. It is during this part of the prey sequence, when emulated in play, that you are most likely to see variation between breeds.
For instance, terriers often like to shake the ‘prey’ (or toy) as this is what they were traditionally bred to do when catching rats. Gundogs – like labradors and spaniels – are bred to be able to hold prey more gently in their mouths, so they often find it rewarding to simply be able to hold their ‘prey’.
How to replicate during play: Observe your dog when they grab on to their tug toy and see what play style they naturally offer without your input – do they seem to prefer to shake or hold the toy? Work with whatever they find most rewarding.
This stage should draw the prey sequence to an end. Once the prey – or toy – is captured, many dogs feel very proud of their ‘win’ and like to put on a parade with the prey/toy in their mouth.
It’s totally normal for dogs to prefer one part of the sequence. It’s a great way to learn what your dog finds most motivating and rewarding, so that you can build on it as part of your training.
How to replicate during play: After a game of tug, occasionally allow your dog to ‘win’ the tug from you and do a lap of honour, if they wish. Then you can call them back to re-engage in a game of tug (good for recall practice too!).
What often follows the parade element of the prey sequence is an urge to ‘dissect’ the prey. This is the one part of the sequence you don’t want to replicate when playing!
We always recommend that Tug-E-NUff toys are kept for interactive, supervised play only. They should be put out of your dog’s reach when playtime finishes and any plucking or chewing of the toy should be interrupted.
This helps the toys stand the test of time and maintains their motivational power as a high value reward.
With all this talk about the importance of your dog’s prey drive, and how you can tap into it, you might be wondering whether this will encourage your dog to chase livestock. It’s something we get asked from time to time – and the simple answer is no.
When playing tug – even with tuggies made from real sheepskin or rabbit skin – your dog’s main focus is on you, as their playmate. Playing tug gives your dog a safe, controlled outlet for their prey instincts – which actually makes chasing livestock less likely. You can read more about this here.
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